Cash or card in Reykjavik — what do locals actually use?

Card, overwhelmingly. Iceland is one of the most cashless societies on earth, and Reykjavik reflects that completely. You can pay by Visa or Mastercard at gas stations, corner bakeries, flea market stalls, hot dog stands, and church donation boxes. Contactless is standard. Many locals carry no physical króna at all and haven't for years. The practical upshot: leave the cash at home, notify your bank before you arrive to avoid fraud flags, and check whether your card charges foreign transaction fees, because those will quietly erode your budget across dozens of small transactions. Currency exchange booths at Keflavík Airport exist primarily for tourists who don't know this yet. The one partial exception is very small rural farms or roadside honesty-box produce stands outside the city, but within Reykjavik proper, there is no meaningful scenario where you will need cash.

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