Do they accept credit cards in Bolivia?

Credit cards are widely accepted at modern hotels, big supermarkets, and reliable tour agencies in major Bolivian cities. Still, Bolivia remains a heavily cash-driven place, so cards are seldom taken in rural zones, open-air markets, or small neighbourhood shops.

Visa and Mastercard are the most recognised networks; American Express has more limited use. When you pay by card, merchants often add a fee, usually 3% to 5%, to deal with bank costs. For smooth travel, tourists should plan to use credit cards for the big expenses in La Paz or Santa Cruz, but they also need to bring enough cash (Bolivianos) for places like the Salar de Uyuni, Isla del Sol, or the Amazon basin, where card readers are unavailable or just unreliable and payment by plastic may fail.