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Johnp,

cash is king in Kruger.

Not one of the filling stations I used (Mopani, Punda Maria, Lower Sabie) accepted debit cards for fuel. Only petrol cards.

Furthermore, there are no cash withdrawal facilities in Mopani. The nearest is Letaba or Phalaborwa.

All the shops and restaurants we visited accepted debit and credit cards.

Found the answer... if anyone searches...

yes you can use your debit card in the shops and reception but not for PETROL

JohnP, welcome to the forum.

Please note that while you can use debit and credit cards in the shops and restaurants sometimes the data lines the transactions go over fail.

Also, if you are coming from overseas, please check what your bank will charge for foreign currency transactions. I know a lot of the UK banks charge a hefty fee per transaction as well as the exchange rate.

Hello,

Can someone explain a petrol card to me? OK I know you can use it to buy petrol, but is it possible for someone from overseas can organise one? Even if we loaded it with cash beforehand.

Don't fancy carrying a lot of cash with me.

Thanks

I'm sure someone can answer this, missings.a., but as I understand it the South African Petrol/Garage Cards are directly linked to one's South African bank account. I am pretty sure that overseas visitors have to use cash only. I know it is not ideal, but cash seems to rule.


Even South Africans should take enough cash because often the lines are down and the petrol cards are not working - this has happened to me at various camps in KNP.

Yes, it is true- no petrol cards for overseas visitors. In order not to carry too much cash we actually get good old fashioned Traveler's Checks. There is a bank in Skukuza and we have never had any problem cashing them.

Cash is king in Kruger, for some strange reason in Kruger, cards do not always work. Have also been charged for the same transaction twice. I now pay cash and demand a receipt for any money handed over.

Never had as problem carrying too much cash
Food and drinks paid for before entrance,all other stuff easily paid for by cash from the ATM at Skukuza or Letaba if needed
Tend to use my credit ,instead of debit card,if I am going to use a card as it seems more secure

You will need to take cash to Kgalagadi Judik, only the 2R shop and the park itself (night rides, accom, wild card etc) take credit card.

The postings here are almost a year old. Please advise, are credit cards currently (October 2012) accepted for gas purchases in Kruger?

Also, are they accepted for wild cards?

Thanks.

ki6iyu

I waited to reply, because I thought someone else would, who knows more than me.

However......yes you can definitely pay for your Wildcard with a credit card, but as far as I know (unless things have recently changed) you still need to pay for gas in Kruger with cash.

Enjoy your trip.

As this was last asked over 12 months ago. Can anyone confirm how overseas visitors pay for fuel? still cash or has it changed. Also have any more ATM's been added anywhere in the park.

You still need cash for petrol. The main camps have mini-ATMs but they depend on phone lines and cash available in the shop. Advice is: always have cash available, at least for fuel.
For everything else: all the shops in the main camps in the Kruger accept the standard credit cards.

We visited the park and paid with credit cards for fuel at every camp we visited, Satara, LS and Skukuza.
Wasn't a problem at all.

Andrea is quite right............almost all the camps in KNP now accept credit cards (both SA and overseas) for petrol.
Shing and Punda were still only taking cash in December, and of course Shing is closed anyway at the moment.