Should I bring Cash to a convention?

Yes you should. I recommend bringing around $150 to a convention.

I will go into detail on how much cash you should bring and how the type of convention would change that amount in a different blog post. 

But simply put, yes you should bring cash to a convention you attend. The statement, cash is king, is  prevalent in conventions and expos. Especially the collectible conventions like Long Beach expo or the various Collect-A-Cons that happen around the US. In conventions like that where haggling is the norm having cash on hand would make deals more favorable for you.

Some booths, especially Artist Alley vendors, don't charge tax on cash transactions. That's because using a card reader does come with fees associated with it. You will save money by bringing cash. Bigger booths usually charge the same either way so save your cash for smaller booths. Some booths have separate lines for cash and credit. I've skipped lines multiple times because I had the cash ready. 

Spotty connection makes card transactions slower. With hundreds of vendors either using their own phone internet or sharing convention internet it means that every transaction will take longer. I've had a card transaction take 5 minutes. You can pay exact amounts with cash making transactions taking seconds. 

Spotty connections can also cause multiple charges or mischarges. I've had issues with booths double charging or charging the wrong amount and that took even more time. That's if it was caught, sometimes pending charges take a week to go through and then you would have to fix transactions through your bank.

I recommend taking out your cash during the week leading to the convention. Whenever it is most convenient to you to visit your bank. Most conventions will have ATMs on site but those charge you a convenience fee plus your bank charges you also. They also run out of cash, I've seen this happen every day of Anime Expo and Los Angeles Comic Con. Last year the ATM's around the expo hall ran out of cash within the first hour.

I plan on making a series of convention personal finance blogs since that's my expertise. Fill out the form below if you'd like to get monthly updates.