What actually takes cards
Every hotel, restaurant, rideshare, gas station, and major attraction takes Visa and Mastercard, and most take Amex too. Contactless (Apple Pay, Google Pay) is universal on the Strip, common in Reno, and hit-or-miss in small towns like Beatty or Tonopah where the pump card reader may be the only option after 9pm. Discover works but is patchier at independents. Foreign chip-and-PIN cards are fine; the US signature system is fading fast.
Where cards fail: tipping (always cash), some old-school taxis in Reno, food trucks at events, tribal-adjacent smoke shops, and any casino cage transaction where you’re buying chips with a credit card, which triggers a cash-advance fee of 3-5% plus interest from day one. Buy chips with debit or cash instead.
ATMs, exchange, and the surcharge that ambushes tourists
Casino-floor ATMs charge $6-9 per withdrawal on top of whatever your bank hits you with. Bank ATMs (Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America) are three blocks off the Strip and cost $3-4. Do the walk. Currency exchange at Harry Reid airport is genuinely bad; use an ATM in the arrivals hall instead, or bring a no-foreign-fee debit card.
The surcharge trap: many Strip restaurants and nearly all cannabis dispensaries now add a 3-4% "non-cash adjustment" or "card processing fee" to card payments. It's on the menu in small print. Paying cash saves it. Dispensaries in particular are essentially cash-only (federal banking rules) and their in-store ATMs charge $5 flat. Bring cash if you plan to visit one.
Tax and the sticker-shock rule
Nevada has no state income tax, which is why locals move here, but sales tax is 8.375% in Clark County (Vegas) and 8.265% in Washoe (Reno), added at the register. Hotel room tax runs 13.38-13.85% depending on location, plus a resort fee of $35-55 per night that isn’t taxed but isn’t optional either. When you compare a $199 Strip rate to a $249 rate, always add resort fee plus tax to both.
Restaurant menus don’t include tax or tip. A $30 entree becomes roughly $39 out the door. Uber and Lyft show all-in prices; taxis add a $3 airport fee and a $2 credit-card fee that many drivers won’t mention until you swipe.
Good to know
Should I get chips with my credit card at the cage?+
No. It's coded as a cash advance with a 3-5% fee and interest from day one. Use debit or bring cash.
Do I need to carry cash at all?+
Yes, about $200 in fives, tens, and twenties. Tips, valet, housekeeping, and dispensary purchases all want cash.