Tbilisi - Post Report Question and Answers
Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Credit cards a thing of the past - Georgians pay with their phones. Yes, you can use a credit card anywhere in Tbilisi, even your neighborhood vegetable stall. Outside of Tbilisi you may want to have cash. - Aug 2023
Yes, credit cards are accepted in Tbilisi. Outside of the city, cash is a must. - Sep 2022
Yes. Credit cards are widely accepted and ATMs have been reliable. - Jun 2020
Credit cards are mostly accepted, but small businesses often still want cash. They also don't make change. ATMs are relatively common in the center of the city and generally safe. - Jan 2019
No, this is a very cash-based economy (and frustratingly, one where you can only use very small bills, because no one every has change). There are ATMs everywhere (although we get money from the embassy cashier for the best exchange rate) and they're safe the use. We use our credit card and the grocery store and that's about it. - Apr 2017
We mostly used cash everywhere. But, credit cards can be used at the malls, grocery store and most restaurants. - Feb 2017
ATM's are available, but we prefer to cash checks at the Embassy. Be careful with credit cards outside of major chain establishments. - May 2016
Georgia is still a cash economy, but you could use a credit card at some places. We just chose not not. - Jul 2014
I don't tend to use credit cards here, though I've not had any difficulty using ATMs, including at the airport. Georgia is still very cash-based, and most shopkeepers and taxi drivers don't have (or, more often, say they don't have) change on hand, so carrying small denominations of coins is crucial. - Oct 2011
Recommend you don't use them. - Sep 2011
Most decent restaurants accept credit cards, as do the nice shops and pharmacies. I would recommend to always keep cash handy for the fruit markets. ATMs are all over the city. - Apr 2011
Use the same care that you would in the US then you should have no problems. - Jun 2010
This is generally a cash-only economy. Credit cards are sometimes taken (and sometimes literally "taken". ATMs are all over the place. - Oct 2009
I used an ATM at the Marriott a couple of times because my bank reimbursed the fee. Generally I got cash from the Embassy cashier. I used my credit card once or twice in town. At the time, it was a cash economy. - Jan 2009
