Yes. In Central America, Discover card acceptance is high in Belize, but more limited in most countries. Credit cards are growing widespread, however they may not be readily accepted outside of restaurants/bars, tour agencies, and hotels. Because to their high merchant fees, neither American Express nor Discover are widely accepted among the main credit cards. You’ll need cash to tip your tour operators, resort or hotel workers, and services like restaurants and spas.
Using your credit card in Belize works exactly like it does in your native country. To use your card to make a payment, please follow the steps below:
- Confirm the transaction amount.
- Tap, insert, or swipe your credit card.
- Enter your PIN, if asked.
- Wait for the payment to be processed and the receipt to be printed.
In general, we recommend preserving your receipts and reconciling your credit card statements. It might be fascinating to compare how much you spent in a foreign currency to how much you were charged in your own currency. As we’ll see in the next section, the percentage difference can occasionally be rather large!
When you pay with a credit card in a foreign currency, such as the Belize dollar, you will be charged multiple fees before the final amount appears on your card account. The fees are charged by the following parties:
- Your credit card company (VISA, Mastercard, etc.),
- Your bank or credit card provider,
- The ATM network (if you’re withdrawing cash).