Except for tips and perhaps an impulsive purchase at the resort cafe, very few people in the U.S. still pay for any part of their hotel experience in cash.

The practice of not being able to check in without a credit card is so widespread that entire internet discussions center around how to book stays if you do not have one. Cashless resorts in countries like Mexico and the Dominican Republic are also becoming increasingly common.

While the southeastern African nation is considered to be one of the safest countries to visit on the continent, Malawi is choosing to go the other way and require every non-citizen to pay for their hotel in hard cash.

Why can Malawi travelers only pay for their hotels in cash?

The decision, which Malawian Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha announced as part of the country’s budget review at the end of November, means that anyone who is not a citizen of Malawi will not be able to check into a hotel until putting up the full sum in U.S. dollars, Euros, British pounds or another currency generally considered stable on the global markets.

The decision comes after the International Monetary Fund pulled out of its Extended Credit Facility program meant to pump $35 million USD into the developing country’s economy, according to local press cited by Bloomberg.

Related: New US advisory warns traveling to this country a serious threat

Hotels are able to apply for permission to accept credit cards and other types of virtual payments with the Reserve Bank of Malawi, but for the time being and at most smaller properties, visitors will only be able to check in after presenting the cash.

The requirement, as Mwanamvekha explained to local reporters, is meant to keep any foreign currency in the country, ensuring a single way of tracking any money spent amid several decades of economic underdevelopment and reliance on an agricultural economy.

The move, while it may patch immediate holes in a struggling economy, is controversial, since it can drive away tourism by portraying Malawi as unstable.

Malawi is a landlocked country often sought out by hardened travelers.

Shutterstock

“Abilities to deter and investigate crimes are limited”: U.S. State Department

Sometimes called by the nickname the “Warm Heart of Africa” for its friendly people, Malawi is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Lake Malawi and diverse varieties of fish that biologists worldwide come to see in its lakes and rivers.

While at least two-thirds of Malawi’s population lives in extreme poverty, it is also home to a number of luxury boutiques that will need to adapt to the new rules for booking foreign guests.

More on travel:

  • Major airline launches surprising flight between Las Vegas and Paris
  • United Airlines CEO gives stark warning on Olympic Games
  • The highest rooftop in Barcelona is in a surprising place
  • US government issues sudden warning on Switzerland travel

The U.S. State Department keeps the country at the same level two “exercise increased caution” advisory that it assigns to nations such as France and Thailand. But due to both the distance and dearth of tourist infrastructure, Malawi remains a destination rarely visited by Western tourists.

“The capabilities of the Malawi Police Service are growing but its resources and abilities to deter and investigate crimes, assist victims, and apprehend criminals are limited,” the State Department’s travel advisory reads as of November 2025.

Related: Another regional airline cancels all flights in bankruptcy, some stranded