I live in Japan. Japan still has a very cash oriented society especially when it comes to restaurants.
Often someone will visit from out of town and will expect to be able to (1) pay with a credit card and (2) pay only their portion on their card. This often ends up turning into a 10 to 20 minute fiasco.
First, all the locals are shocked. Then, they have to call the restaurant staff over and ask. Usually they ask "is it okay to pay with a credit card?". In those rare cases where it is okay, the guest from the US asks "Can I just put my portion on the card?" and then the restaurant hems and haws as it tries to find a way to accommodate them but has no experience doing so and/or has no facilities and ends up having to call neighboring restaurants or the credit card company etc..
How do I communicate to the visitors they're being jerks by not accepting the local customs and using cash? That they're embarrassing our entire group by putting the restaurant owners on the spot? And, that they're wasting all of our time by causing this commotion in the first place?
One guest recently did this 5 times in a row and the first time was the worst in that not only had the restaurant never charged a card but they accidentally charged the entire bill. They had no idea how to undo it (having never needed to before). They called their credit processor but it was after hours and no one was answering. So they apologized profusely and asked if the guest could come back the next morning. After another 5 to 10 minutes of negotiation one of the other employees got through to the credit card company and was able to void the payment.
You'd think after all that the guest would not do this again the next 4 times we met up (groups of 8-12 people) but nope. Every single time they tried to pay with a card and it was a big ordeal as the restaurant tried to deal with it.
My question is, Is there a polite and friendly way to say, "Please consider carrying cash while here. Asking to use a card is putting a burden on everyone around you."
Update: viewing the responses and comments there are a few things people seem to miss
The 1st store didn't advertise it takes cards. It did not have a sign saying "ccards accepted". That they had a card processing machine is a separate issue from actually accepting cards. They may have been given the machine for free as part of some larger service but had no intention of using it. Maybe they didn't want to pay processing fees. Being a Japanese store no customer ever in this history of their store had ever asked to pay with a credit card. But, being an accommodating is a Japanese custom, especially when it comes to foreigners, they felt obliged to try to accommodate the customer. It would clearly have been smarter of them to just say no but being the first time they've been asked they haven't realized that yet. But, that's not really the point of this question.
The question isn't about just the fact that many Japanese stores don't take credit cards. The question is also about a particular person who time and time and time and time again was too oblivious to see how much of a pain they were being to all their friends and the stores and how to bring that up with them. It's good to know how to tell friends before they visit and those answer are appreciated. But, this particular question is also about how to bring it up to someone that should have already gotten the message after the 1st time let alone the 5th.
The bad way would be something like "Hey friend, have you noticed how much a fiasco paying with a credit card was the last 5 times you did it? Any reason why you keep insisting on subjecting us to this fiasco instead of just carrying cash like everyone else here?".
This also isn't just about asking to pay with a ccard. It's about asking to pay just their individual portion with a ccard after the meal.