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

Cards dominate in Santorini, and you can get through an entire trip without touching cash if you stay in the main tourist circuit. Oia, Fira, and Imerovigli restaurants, hotels, and shops accept Visa and Mastercard without friction; many now tap-to-pay. That said, carry 50-100 euros in cash at all times. Village bakeries, the local bus (KTEL, roughly 1.80 euros per ride), small tavernas in Pyrgos or Megalochori, and the occasional beach sunbed operator are cash-only, and their ATMs can run dry in peak July-August. The airport ATM and the Alpha Bank and Piraeus Bank branches in Fira are reliable; skip the Euronet machines scattered around Oia, as their dynamic currency conversion fees are predatory. Locals themselves use cards for anything above 10 euros and coins for the bus or a coffee at a neighborhood kafeneio. The card infrastructure here is genuinely good by Greek island standards.

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