Most restaurants, hotels and businesses in Oman accept all major credit cards. This includes most shopping centre like Muscat Grand Mall, Nizwa Grand Mall, City Centre and Lulu Shopping Centre.

Taxi drivers, street vendors and market stall salesmen at Mutrah Souq in Muscat typically only accept cash payments.

If you are going to pay by card in Oman: Be aware of currency conversion fees and bank fees for card payments: Your bank’s OMR 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.

Yes, especially if you want to experience the hustle and bustle of the busy souks in Oman. If you want to buy silver Omani daggers, traditional halwa and handcrafted leatherware, these are the places to go.

Cash is a popular and widely used payment method in Oman. We recommend taking Omani Rial cash with you on your trip to Oman.

Contrary to what many people think, prices in Oman are actually lower than prices in the UK, by about 25%.

A coffee can cost as little as 0.20 OMR but you’ll pay more for fancy brews like a cappucino, which will cost around 1.80 OMR. For a three-course meal in a mid-range restaurant the bill will be in the region of 10-15 OMR.

Tipping has not been part of the culture of Oman, but it is becoming more and more the norm, especially in the more expensive hotels.

Leaving a 10% tip or rounding up to the next rial, offering the waiter to keep the change, is good practice.