I just returned from England, France, Netherlands. With 50 British Pounds at the beginning of the London week, I ended up with 50 Pounds at the end of the London week. That is not to say there was no spending; just to inform Three Tomato travelers that cash is now de-throned. Going bit by bit during the week, here is a noncash payment schedule.

Airport to town. In many European capitals, the traveler benefits from excellent public transportation. Clearly WW2 destroyed trains, roads and bridges; newer modes of transportation are evident in shiny new trains, hybrid buses, and hydrofoils. The Roissy Bus in Paris to the Opera, the train in Amsterdam to the central station and the new Elizabeth Line in London connecting all over the city are examples. On all of these you pay by credit card via a simple machine at the airport or station, or you can pre-buy your tickets online.

Taxis take credit cards and if a driver has a cc machine and says it is broken? Get out and find another cab. A new feature is that some taxis now take PayPal. Established in many large cities Uber is booked and paid via your US or Canadian Uber app. There are other Uber type services depending on your destination. Or taxi queues in cities like Paris that refused Uber.   Hint: you can use Uber to test how long a trip will take with traffic etc. Enter your destination and you’ll get the trip duration; you don’t have to book it.

Within towns. Public transportation is usually by credit card or by purchasing a refillable plastic card from machines and from some convenience stores. If you are going to be in one city for a length of time, consider putting the local transportation app on your phone. Hint: I found that there is an emergency one-time ride if your card is not paid up in some cities; no guarantee. Second hint: you will need to keep track of the balance in the card. Don’ speak the language? Waving the card will tell locals you are looking for an official machine

Food. It has been a long time since restaurants asked for cash. Even a coffee or a simple cookie has to be paid electronically. The difference with a US credit card vs local card is some US cards do not have a PIN or require a signature. The waiter or merchant will ask for your signature- recently less so. Carrying a variety of cards is a good idea; Amex is not always accepted, Visa usually and Mastercard, hit and miss. Tipping amounts will show on the receipt before you hit pay. Tipping is not always expected in restaurants; but many do have a steep service charge included. At a bar, here is where cash is king; leave a tip for the bartender in cash.

Miscellaneous issues. Tip your guide in cash. Housekeeping in cash. Refilling a transportation card in a local store not an official station will be in cash. A street market small purchase will be in cash. A public bathroom might be a single Euro coin. Therefore a small horde of cash, say $25 worth, is practical. Cruise tips can usually be put in bulk on a credit card; for a small gesture in the cabin, cash left on the bureau is a nice thank you.

Find all these electronic payments confusing? Experiment with apps that help you organize your purchases. Not so savvy, keep all receipts in one envelope and get organized when you are home. Secretly that is what I do…

Newsflash.  For those of you who use JFK, a recent change in Terminal 4 at JFK is  a signposted area inside area for Uber, Lyft and other ride sharing companies. The area was formerly for taxis. Taxis lines are a bit farther away now. In some cities like LA, the taxi area is free standing, a long walk from the terminals.

Learn more about some of the apps here.