Payment methods in Bahrain

I personally try and pay with credit cards where ever I go unless the transaction is less than a couple of BD then I would use cash. I don't think there is a common payment method in Bahrain, majority of places will take credit/debit cards normally without a minimum spend, or you can just as easily pay with cash or more recently electronic wallets seem to be gaining popularity (Viva cash & BWallet).

But in general my groceries, bills and whenever I can I use my credit card. Normally rent and fuel is only accepted as cash.

Saudi Riyals can be used nearly anywhere and is accepted as 10SAR = 1BHD unsure if other gulf currencies can be used as not seen them.

Hope this helps.

O

Don't carry cash. Though there are several applications which can be used for paying at the counter but my experience with credit cards has been the best. Ask your bank to give you a credit card (Mastercard preferably) and use that to pay your day to day grocery bills. You might face problem when you shop from smaller shops since they do not have card reader. Credit Cards bring several privileges and discounts with them, keep yourself abreast with such offers. Beware of the the annual minimum expenditure with the card. for example, if you have a credit card of Standard Chartered with 500 BD per month limit, the bank might ask you to spend minimum 2000 BDs per year with this card otherwise they will charge you 30-35 BDs at the end of the year. People living without families and being provided by free accomodatio+food will face problem in spending 2000 per year since they don't need to spend 70 BD per month. Hope that answers your question.

Which are the most common payment methods in Bahrain? Why would you prefer some forms over others? 
Card payments and since last year bwallet & vivacash

Does the amount of money or the type of paid services (groceries, bills, rent, etc.) determine the choice of payment methods?

Grocery shopping at Lulu with bwallet, at the end of every month i get a cashback of 5% on total spend.
Movies with bwallet or vivacash as they offer 50% cashback. Same with restaurants as e wallet payments are clubbed with offers.


Are there any apps at your disposal which make the payment process easier in Bahrain?
You can pay your utility bills and some other payments on banks app. Other ewallet apps

Can certain foreign currencies be used to make payments?
Saudi currency is accepted widely with 10SAR=1BHD

Have your habits in terms of payment methods changed since moving to Bahrain?
not much