Can I pay by card in Morocco, or is it mostly cash-based?

The honest, important answer is that Morocco remains a predominantly cash economy, and you should plan around cash being your default rather than your backup. Card acceptance has grown a lot and is normal at the upper, more modern end of the market — but the everyday fabric of Moroccan commerce, especially the souks, small eateries, taxis and anything rural, runs on dirhams in hand. Arriving expecting to tap a card for everything is the classic mistake; arriving with a healthy cash float and a card for the big stuff is the winning setup.

Where cards work reliably: better hotels and riads, mid-range to upmarket restaurants, supermarkets and modern chain stores, larger fixed-price boutiques and craft shops, petrol stations, pharmacies, and reputable tour operators and travel companies. Visa and Mastercard are the widely accepted networks; American Express is far less commonly taken, so don't rely on Amex as your only card. In these settings you can pay by card comfortably, though it's always worth a quick "card OK?" before you order or commit, and being aware your bank may add a foreign-transaction fee.

Where it's firmly cash-only: the souk stalls and most independent shops in the medinas (and anyway, you'll want cash to haggle effectively), small local cafés and the ubiquitous mint-tea stops, street food and food stalls, petit taxis and most grands taxis, tips of every kind, public-toilet attendants, entry fees at smaller sights, and pretty much everything once you're in small towns, mountain villages or the desert. In these places a card is simply useless, so cash isn't a convenience — it's a necessity.

A couple of cautionary notes from experience. First, where cards are taken, occasionally a card machine will be "broken" or a vendor will prefer cash, so never let yourself get stranded relying solely on plastic — always have enough dirhams to cover yourself. Second, be a little careful where you hand over a card; stick to established hotels, restaurants and shops rather than obscure outfits, keep your card in sight during the transaction, and watch for any odd charges. ATMs are your friend for keeping the cash side topped up, so think of your card as the tool for hotels, nicer dinners and supermarkets, and cash as the tool for everything woven into daily Moroccan life.

My practical formula: carry dirhams as your everyday money and bring a Visa or Mastercard (ideally two cards from different accounts) for hotels, larger restaurants, supermarkets and any big-ticket purchase. Keep cash for the souks, taxis, tips and the countryside, and you'll glide through the whole spectrum of Moroccan spending without ever being caught short or stuck.