United States
North America
Travel guide essentials
The US is easy for mainstream cards, wallets, and streaming apps, but several popular consumer apps still assume you have a US phone number, US bank account, or US billing profile.
What matters most
- Cards and Apple Pay / Google Wallet work well, but not every US-only app is useful for visitors
- Tipping, card holds, and zip-code checks still create friction in travel-heavy scenarios
- Carry one physical card and check roaming or eSIM setup before arrival
Payments and everyday checkout
The US is card-first, and mobile wallets are common in cities, airports, chain stores, and many restaurants. The bigger travel friction comes from card holds, tipping flows, and the fact that some domestic apps assume a US-issued card or a US billing address.
- Hotels, rentals, and gas stations may place larger temporary holds than travelers expect
- Venmo, Cash App, and some domestic payment shortcuts are not realistic tourist tools
- A no-foreign-fee card is more useful than trying to force a local-only payment app
Connectivity and app setup
eSIM setup is straightforward in the US, but some services still work best when you already have data, SMS access, and a second payment method. Many signups and anti-fraud flows still expect a reachable phone number and a stable billing profile.
- Activate roaming or eSIM before landing if possible
- Keep SMS access for banking and verification flows
- Do not assume every US consumer app will onboard a short-term visitor cleanly
Available Services Overview
| Service | Category | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal | Payment | Fully Supported | View |
| Apple Pay | Payment | Fully Supported | View |
| Google Pay | Payment | Fully Supported | View |
| Stripe | Payment | Fully Supported | View |
| Venmo | Payment | Fully Supported | View |
| Revolut | Banking | Fully Supported | View |
| N26 | Banking | Not Supported | View |
| Wise | Remittance | Fully Supported | View |
| Social | Fully Supported | View | |
| Social | Fully Supported | View | |
| YouTube | Video | Fully Supported | View |
| Netflix | Video | Fully Supported | View |
| Messaging | Fully Supported | View | |
| Airalo | Telecom | Fully Supported | View |
| Holafly | Telecom | Fully Supported | View |
Other Services
Data for the following services in United States is being collected: