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

Vienna runs comfortably on card, but cash still matters more here than in most Western European capitals. Contactless Visa and Mastercard are accepted at supermarkets, restaurants, and most shops, and the U-Bahn ticket machines take both. Where you'll get burned: smaller Heurigen in Grinzing and Neustift, traditional Beisln in the outer districts, many bakeries, and essentially every farmers' market stall at the Naschmarkt. A reliable rule is that anything with a handwritten menu or a proprietor over sixty probably wants cash. The Austrian preference for privacy around financial transactions is genuinely cultural, not just infrastructure lag, so even some mid-range restaurants in the 7th and 8th districts are cash-only by deliberate choice. Withdraw 100 to 150 euros at an Erste Bank or Raiffeisen ATM when you arrive — their fees are lower than the third-party machines near the tourist corridors around Stephansplatz — and you'll move through the city without friction.

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