Visa or ESTA? (dated, by country)

The USA is one of the strictest destinations for tourist entry. Almost every non-American needs either an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization, US$21, online, minutes to 72 hours to approve) or a full B-1/B-2 tourist visa (interview at a US embassy, weeks to months in 2026). Canadian citizens are the one big exception at land and air arrivals.

Apply for the ESTA only at esta.cbp.dhs.gov— third-party sites charge US$60–90 to fill in the same free form for you. Never search "US ESTA" and click the first ad. The current fee (US$21) went into effect in September 2022.

Source: US Customs and Border Protection — ESTA and US Department of State — Visitor Visa. Fees and eligibility change; verify at time of booking.

Money: cards everywhere, tax added at the register, tipping is not optional

The USA is one of the most card-friendly countries on earth. Contactless Visa/Mastercard/Amex, Apple Pay, and Google Pay work almost everywhere— cafés, food trucks, farmers' markets, city buses in most metros, cabs, tolls (via transponder), even most parking meters. Chip-and-PIN is optional in the US; most retail terminals will just prompt for signature or a tap.

Cashis genuinely rare. Withdraw US$40–100 from a big-bank ATM (Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citi) if you want a security blanket. Independent ATMs (blue "Allpoint" or standalone bodega machines) charge US$3–5 fees on top of your home bank's fee.

No VAT refund for tourists.Unlike Europe and Japan, there's no national tax refund at the airport when you leave — Texas and Louisiana run limited merchant-specific programs for foreign visitors, but nowhere near the scale of Global Blue in Europe. Buy in Oregon or New Hampshire if you want zero tax on your souvenirs.

The tipping matrix — the thing every visitor gets wrong

This is the American quirk that catches every European, Australian, Japanese, and Korean visitor. Tipping is not optional and not a bonus — it is how service workers are paid. Federal tipped minimum wage is US$2.13/hour, with the tips assumed to bring the total to the regular minimum. Not tipping in a sit-down restaurant is genuinely rude; staff may chase you down or the manager will follow up.

Automatic gratuity (auto-grat). Groups of 6+ often get an 18-20% service charge added to the bill — check before adding another tip. Restaurants must disclose this on the menu.

Transit: tap-to-pay is winning almost everywhere

Public transit in the US is a fractured landscape — 15 different regional cards across the metros — but as of 2024–2025, most major networks accept open-payment tap with any contactless Visa/Mastercard/Amex or Apple/Google Pay. That means most tourists never need to buy a local card at all. Two big exceptions: San Francisco Bay Area (still needs a Clipper card for BART and Muni fare capping) and Philadelphia SEPTA (some modes).

Practical playbook:tap your credit card first, everywhere. If it doesn't work (SF, some SEPTA modes), the station has a vending machine. Never buy a 7-day MetroCard in NYC — OMNY caps automatically at US$34/week after your 12th tap.

Airports and airport transfers

Driving: right side, mostly your home licence, watch the distances

A US road trip — the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 66, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Utah Mighty 5 loop — is one of the great drives on the planet. The rules that catch visitors out:

• Drive on the right; steering wheel on the left. Automatic rentals are standard.
• Licence: valid foreign licence is accepted in every state for tourist stays (30–90 days depending on state). English licence = no IDP required. Non-Roman-script → bring an IDP. Rental agencies enforce this more strictly than police.
• Speed limits in mph (55 city interstate up to 85 in parts of TX/UT rural). School zones 15–25 mph, enforced by camera.
• Right turn on red is legal in every state except New York City (all 5 boroughs) — unless a sign explicitly forbids it. Come to a full stop first.
• School buses with flashing red lights: STOP in both directions (unless you're on a divided highway). Missing this is a US$300+ fine.
• Rural gas gaps: the loneliest stretches of I-80 (Nevada), I-70 (Utah), and US-93 (Arizona) can go 100+ miles between stations. Fill up at every opportunity.
• Distances are brutal. NYC to LA is 40 hours of driving. NYC to Miami is 20. Fly the big legs; drive the pretty ones.
• Toll roads and E-ZPass: most rentals come with a transponder that'll charge you a US$5-8/day admin fee whether you use it or not — check before you drive. Cash lanes have mostly vanished on the East Coast.
• Fuel: sold in gallons (~3.78 L) priced in dollars. Card at the pump everywhere; some stations pre-authorize US$100+.
• Border re-entry (from Canada or Mexico): allow 1–4 hours at busy crossings. Global Entry / NEXUS / SENTRI dramatically cuts the wait if you're eligible.

Taxis and rideshare

Uber and Lyft operate in essentially every US city and airport. English works everywhere; foreign cards work fine; airport pickup zones are clearly signed (LAX moved to the LAX-it lot). NYC yellow cabsalso work through the Uber app if you don't want to hail — but hailing on the street is still fastest during the day in Manhattan. Chicago and Boston still have healthy taxi fleets; SF and LA are Uber/Lyft-first.

Tip 15–20% in-app after the ride.

Regional English and slang — the phrases you'll actually hear

American English varies by region. The Northeast (NYC, Boston), the South (Nashville, New Orleans), the Midwest (Chicago, Minneapolis), and the West Coast (LA, SF, Seattle) all have their own vocabulary. A few you'll actually meet:

Cultural norms visitors get wrong

1. Small talk with strangers is normal. The barista, the Uber driver, the person in line behind you — Americans strike up conversation easily. It doesn't obligate you to anything.
2. Ice water is free and automatic in every sit-down restaurant. You'll get a giant glass of ice water before the menu.
3. Portions are huge. One entrée feeds two moderate eaters. Sharing plates or asking for a to-go box is completely normal.
4. Personal space is bigger than Europe/Asia. Standing an arm's length back in queues, in elevators, and at counters is standard.
5. Guns and politics: two topics not to bring up with strangers unless they open it. Americans are polarized on both and casual foreigner takes read as arrogant.
6. Free refills on soft drinks and drip coffee are standard at sit-down restaurants and most fast-casual counters. Ask if unsure.
7. The date format is MM/DD/YYYY. 12/1/2026 means December 1, not January 12. Always spell out the month on official forms.
8. Sunday alcohol laws vary wildly. Some states (Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee's dry counties) restrict when and where you can buy beer or liquor. Ask locally.

Practical odds and ends

• Plugs: Type A/B, 120 V, 60 Hz. Bring an adapter from the UK/EU/Asia; some laptop chargers need a step-down or dual-voltage.
• Emergency number: 911 (police, fire, ambulance). 988 for mental-health crisis.
• Tap water is safe in cities and almost all towns. Filtered pitchers are common in Airbnbs.
• Time zones: Eastern (NYC, Miami), Central (Chicago, Nashville), Mountain (Denver), Pacific (LA, Seattle), Alaska, Hawaii. Arizona (except Navajo Nation) doesn't observe daylight saving. Book domestic flights carefully in March and November.
• Legal drinking age: 21 nationwide. ID (passport or foreign driver's licence with photo) required if you look under 30 — often strictly enforced.
• Cannabis: legal for recreational adult use in ~24 states (CA, NY, IL, WA, CO, OR, NV, MA, MI, and others) but still federally illegal — do NOT cross state lines with it, and never take it near an airport or federal building. Check state law before you buy.
• Firearms: tourists cannot purchase; concealed carry laws vary wildly by state. If you see one, walk away.
• Health insurance: a single ER visit without cover can cost US$5,000–20,000. Buy travel medical insurance before you fly. Do not skip this.

Staying connected: T-Mobile / AT&T / Verizon

Three big carriers dominate the country: T-Mobile (best urban coverage, good 5G), AT&T (strong Sun Belt and Texas), and Verizon (widest rural and interstate reach). Coverage overlaps in cities but diverges on rural highways. 5G is live in all major metros; 4G LTE almost everywhere.

For visitors, a US travel eSIM is dramatically cheaper than home-carrier roaming. UK, European, Australian, Canadian, and Japanese roaming passes typically run US$10–15 per day; a decent 15–30 GB eSIM for two weeks costs US$15–25 total. Install on Wi-Fi at home and land already connected at JFK, LAX, ORD, SFO, DFW, or MIA. Keep your home SIM active for SMS 2FA over Wi-Fi Calling — see our 2FA codes abroad guide for the setup.

The pillar buying guide is here: Best eSIM for USA 2026, plus USA travel eSIM guide — network deep-dive if you want to pick between T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon coverage maps in detail.

FAQ

Bottom line

Sort the US$21 ESTA at esta.cbp.dhs.gov before you fly (Canadians skip it, everyone off the VWP needs a B-1/B-2), land with contactless card / Apple Pay as your default and tap straight onto the subway in NYC, Chicago, DC, Boston, LA (buy digital Clipper in your Wallet for SF), mentally add ~10% sales tax and 18-22% tipto sit-down meals, drive on the right with a valid English licence, and skip Verizon/AT&T/T-Mobile roaming with a travel eSIM. And buy travel health insurance — one ER trip in the US costs more than the trip.

Related guides

• Best eSIM for USA 2026
• Best eSIM for USA 2026 — deep-dive buying guide
• USA travel eSIM guide — network deep-dive
• USA travel guide for Canadians
• Canada travel guide 2026