Credit card payments are not widely available in Malawi. Apart from the main international tourist hotels in Lilongwe and Blantyre, most local vendors won’t be able to accept card payments.

If you are going to pay by card in Malawi, be aware of transaction fees charged by your bank, on top of the often very uncompetitive exchange rate.

Before using your bank card for payments in Malawi or anywhere in southeastern Africa, it’s always a good idea to inform your bank about your travel plans. This will avoid your card becoming blocked due to international transactions that your bank may find suspicious.

It’s certainly a good idea to bring cash with you on your trip to Malawi. It’s best to take a combination of US Dollars, which are widely accepted in Malawi, and Malawian Kwacha banknotes.

Try to include low denomination USD bills as these will come in handy on local markets.

Don’t rely on ATM’s in Malawi for your currency needs. Many ATM’s have a limit on the amount of money they can supply and won’t allow you to withdraw the amount you need.

Expect to carry around big wads of local bills: A coffee costs around 1000 MWK and the highest banknote in Malawi is 2000 MWK, the equivalent value of which is less than £2.

Malawi is a relatively cheap destination, especially if you travel beyond the main cities and the tourist areas around Lake Malawi.

For a coffee in a cafe in Malawi you can expect to pay around 1000 MWK. A three-course dinner in a medium range restaurant costs around 18,000 MWK per person.

Tipping is not widely done in Malawi and is not expected. However in tourist areas tipping becomes more widespread. If you choose to tip then it’s a good idea to add around 10% to 15% to the bill, always in cash.