Most vendors in Bahrain will accept payment by international credit and debit cards, especially in urban centres such as Manama and Muharraq.

Street vendors, local grocery stores and traditional ‘souk’ markets such as Bab Al Bahrain Souk in Manama only accept cash payments.

If you are going to pay by card in Bahrain: Be aware of significant card fees and currency conversion fees for card payments in Bahraini Dinars. Your bank’s BHD to GBP exchange rate may be quite bad. This is how banks make money.

Before using your bank card for payments in the Middle East it’s certainly a good idea to contact your bank. This will avoid your card becoming blocked due to international transactions that your bank may find suspicious.

Cash is a popular and reliable payment method in Bahrain. Cash payments go hand in hand with the hustle and bustle at the traditional souk markets and we advise to take Bahraini Dinars in cash with you on your trip to Bahrain.

Banknotes are a great fallback option should card payments not be available. Paying by cash will also help to avoid the high currency conversion fees and other fees linked to card payments.

Contrary to what many people believe, the cost of living in Bahrain is actually lower than the cost of living in the UK. Not by much though: Prices in the Kingdom of Bahrain are on average 7% lower than prices in the United Kingdom.

For a coffee in a cafe in Manama the price is around 1.50 dinars. A three-course meal in a mid-range restaurant costs in the area of 8 dinars per person.

Most tipping in Bahrain is through a service charge added to the bill. If no service charge is added you can add 10% to 15% to the value of the bill.

Rounding up the amount to the next half dinar works in most cases, including for taxi drivers.