Port Au Prince - 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 are fine at grocery. Can withdraw cash at the Embassy. - Aug 2019
Some in the embassy used credit cards on the economy but I would not advise doing so. I heard enough stories of credit card numbers getting stolen to put me off using them, except at the major hotels. ATMs are common but you should choose these wisely, as people are often robbed after withdrawing cash. - Jun 2019
Credit cards are widely accepted, but I do not use mine because I have had mine scanned at places I thought were reputable. Moreover, the cashiers often give you a choice in whether you want to be charged in haitian gourdes (GDS) or USD (at the moment 68GDS=1USD), and there have been instances of the cashier charging the figure of the price of GDS in USD. They try to remedy the mistake by giving you change in GDS. I stick with cash. - Aug 2018
I use cash for pretty much everything although it's probably okay to use credit cards at the grocery stores and most restaurants. There is a bank and ATM at the Embassy. It's not safe to use other ATMs. - Apr 2017
I only used my credit card twice at the Caribbean grocery store. Not long after, there were unauthorized charges on my account. Mostly it is a cash economy. You can cash a U.S. check at the grocery store. - Dec 2016
The Embassy has an ATM and you can use the bank there to write/cash checks to yourself. Any place else is forbidden for us. I haven't had a credit card issue at any restaurants. - Sep 2014
I have not had a problem - markets accept credit cards, and worst problem I have had is that charges are sometimes in Haitian gourdes when I thought they would be in USD, so I get hit with a foreign transaction fee. Nice restaurants also accept credit cards. - Sep 2013
Only use ATMs on the Embassy compound, unless you want to be mugged walking out of a bank or scammed at the ATM. Most restaurants accept credit cards, so do the grocery stores. However, sometimes there's a LONG lag (think up to 4 weeks) for purchases to ping your account. Which can be an issue if you don't balance your checkbook regularly. - Sep 2011
Credit cards are accepted at the large grocery stores and the better restaurants, as well as at some other specialty stores. ATMs are hard to find and not trustworthy. There is an ATM inside the U.S. Embassy which works sporadically. - Jan 2011
There are some locations that have ATM but they never worked. There are places you can go for Western Union, and if you need to change the currency then Western Union is the best way to do that too. - Jan 2010
None, don't bother. - May 2009
CCs at major groceries stores are ok but careful wiht the ATMs. - Feb 2009
Never had a problem with a credit card. Never used an ATM. - Dec 2008
ATMs but I'd only do it at a bank. You can use credit cards at supermarkets. - Feb 2008
