Do gem shops in Sri Lanka accept credit cards?

Most licensed gem and jewellery showrooms in Sri Lanka tend to take major international credit cards like Visa and Mastercard easily enough, though when you use them, you often lose the chance to negotiate the very lowest price.

Banks usually charge merchants a processing fee, most often around 2% to 3%, and that gets baked into the retail amount. If you push for a sharp bargain and lock in a “final price”, the dealer will almost surely ask for cash instead of card. And if you bring out your credit card at the last minute, they can re-add that bank surcharge to the total you thought was settled.