Can you use santander credit card in Cuba in the cigar shops

[Ranks]

Hi gents I am going Cuba next Monday and thought I would be able to use my 123 credit card
in the cigar shops in Havana can anybody confirm this as my bank has told me that it has to have
visa or master card in the window.
Is this something that they would have.
Thanks

[Emaresee]

santander ought to be able to tell you

[Ranks]

Cheers mate I can use it but what I am trying
to ask if anyone can tell me if I can use it in the
cigar shops do they accept visa or master card

[jerryr]

The LCDH shops might, but in general Cuba is a cash economy. The prefer the tourist pesos in most places, or at least that was the case a couple of years ago.

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[Ryan]

All of the LCDH cigar shops I have been to in Havana accept Visa.
The only problems I have had has been where there have been power cuts. This has happened twice. At 5 y 16 and Club Havana.
The LCDHs in the larger hotels, for example Habana Libre, Melia Cohiba, Melia Habana and Nacional won't even have that problem as the larger hotels usually don't have power cuts. They have generators.
Always handy to have cash too, just in case.

There is maybe another issue, Santander may be a US affiliated bank, i.e. uses an American bank to clear credit transactions. In that case, your Santander card will not work. This issue is supposed to have been changed but some banks may not have caught up yet. I have an Irish issued (AIB) Visa card, works fine.
You should check this out with Santander though. I have heard of people having problems with RBS (for example) issued Visa cards for this reason.

[Ranks]

Thanks mate looks like it's going to have to be cash money

[Simon Bolivar]

Always use cash; when I was there in 2011, they were charging a hefty premium for handling credit cards. If need be, use your card the ATM over there & or take Euros or dollars, they'll accept both.

[Streetfighter]

+1 Simon bolivar, I was there last year cash is the way to go - tourist pesos

[Ranks]

Thanks mate

[Ranks]

Cheers