Looking for advice on facilities accepting credit cards ( Visa mainly ) at Johannesburg International Airport. Will be on layover there for a few hours later this year and want to avoid carrying currency if possible. Any spending would mainly be food / beverages. Cheers.

I have spent a ton of money there using my Southwest Airlines Visa card. No issues, just call your CC company and tell them you are traveling.

Like dogcat said be sure to notify your CC company of your travel plans. Most will automatically disallow any charges originating in Africa without any such notification.

Never had any problems in Joberg airport using my Visa card, but most places wouldn't accept my Amex card.

Thanks guys. Appreciate the comments and advice.

Most everyone takes MasterCard and Visa and you will have no problems at JNB. The food court is acceptable and you can find something there to eat. BUT, watch your bags as in keep them under your feet AT ALL TIMES. The food court is notorious for bag thieves.

Amex is pretty much worthless here as no one wants to accept it. In addition to notifying your credit card company regarding your travel, ask them about foreign transaction fees. Some cards like the Capital One Venture card does not have any fees plus you can bank miles as well.

Credit card companies general offer a much more favorable exchange rate when they clear your purchases when compared to exchanging dollars for Rand cash. You can carry a few Rand for tipping, otherwise, a credit card is the way to go.

I have used my Amex Platinum Delta Sky Miles Credit Card routinely in the Joburg airport on many trips. Not sure where you all have been turned down, but I use it on every trip at Out of Africa and at a number of other shops. Just did so again last August.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
I have used my Amex Platinum Delta Sky Miles Credit Card routinely in the Joburg airport on many trips. Not sure where you all have been turned down, but I use it on every trip at Out of Africa and at a number of other shops. Just did so again last August.

Not to shout you down, but you're pretty lucky (or perceptive), but the main CCs in RSA are VISA and MC - AMEX, Diners - not so acceptable.

I have a Cabelas visa, no issues but I called Visa a week ahead and told then I would be in Joburg.

quote:

Originally posted by 30.06king:
Looking for advice on facilities accepting credit cards ( Visa mainly ) at Johannesburg International Airport. Will be on layover there for a few hours later this year and want to avoid carrying currency if possible. Any spending would mainly be food / beverages. Cheers.

Uh.. pretty much everywhere :-)

The drug store, the clothing stores, the liquor store, the trinket store, the book store...... Yeah - easy to spend money there on credit cards :-)

I use AMEX and MasterCard - no problems...