Here’s a serious question for anyone reading this blog.

I’m going to be visiting a strange city sans my car. I’m not planning on renting one, though, since I’d only use it a few times and I’ve been recommended to use cabs.

Assuming that I follow the recommendation, how common is credit card processing in taxis? Should I carry around a wad of cash for the taxi, or is a credit card a better choice? And if using cash, would I be best advised to hang on to my singles and fives to make the cab fare and tip (rather than relying on the cabbie to make change)? What’s the “standard” tip for a cab?

I haven’t been in a cab since 1979, when I was seven years old and visiting San Francisco with my parents. There was no question at the time how payment was handled.