How do I book and pay for things in Morocco?

Booking in Morocco is a blend of modern online convenience and cash-on-the-ground tradition, and knowing which is which saves a lot of friction. The things you want to lock in advance — riads and hotels, multi-day tours, desert trips, and increasingly train tickets — are best booked online before you arrive, by card, often with a deposit now and the balance settled on arrival. We handle exactly this for our guests: a clear quote, a card deposit, and a confirmed itinerary so nothing is left to chance once you land. For independent travellers, riad booking sites and the ONCF train website (or its app) cover most of it.

On the daily-life level, though, Morocco runs on cash. The souks, the petit taxis, the corner café, the man pouring your fresh orange juice on Jemaa el-Fnaa, the public hammam, your guide, your tips — all cash, almost without exception. Cards are accepted at hotels, riads, upscale and tourist-area restaurants, larger shops and supermarkets, but the moment you step into the medina's smaller economy, plastic is useless. So the golden rule is: keep a healthy cash float at all times, replenished from ATMs, and never set out for a day in the old city relying on a card.

A few practical pointers that smooth payments. Always carry small notes and coins, because change is perpetually scarce and exact-ish payment avoids the "no change" round-up. Tell your bank you are travelling so the first ATM withdrawal or hotel charge does not trip a fraud freeze. When paying by card or at an ATM, decline any offer to bill you in your home currency and always choose dirhams — the on-the-spot conversion rate is poor. And keep some cash in a second place (a hotel safe, a different pocket) so a lost wallet does not strand you.

For tours, transfers and experiences specifically, I strongly favour booking through a known operator or your riad rather than the cheapest street offer, even if it costs a little more. You get a fixed price agreed in writing, a vehicle and guide you can hold accountable, and no surprise add-ons halfway up a mountain pass. When you do pay a deposit by card and a balance in cash, get the amounts confirmed clearly in advance so everyone knows the number. That combination — book the big things online and in writing, pay daily life in cash, keep small notes handy — is how a Morocco trip runs smoothly from arrival to departure.