It’s not sunburn that leaves thousands of British holidaymakers red-faced each year.

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It’s assuming that you can always pay for anything, anywhere with a tap of your card or smartphone.

Dashing through unfamiliar streets in search of an ATM to get some cash to pay for the restaurant meal you’ve just enjoyed is not a fun experience, but it’s surprisingly common.

A new survey for Sainsbury's Travel money of 2,000 Britons who’ve been abroad in the past year found that 23% had encountered problems when trying to make a purchase with their UK debit orcredit card. A further 16% had a problem when trying to pay by smartphone, either because the transaction wouldn’t go through, or contactless payment wasn't an option.

By contrast, just 7% had an issue when using cash abroad.

People in other countries carry and spend cash in a way that Britons do not, and a surprising number of foreign retailers and restaurants, even in holiday hotspots,........

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