There was news that cards are coming back. I have Visa and Mastercard on me. Can I actually pay a hotel or hit an ATM in Damascus / Aleppo this week, or do I still walk around with dollars?

Cash. Still cannot withdraw on a foreign card here.

Bring dollars, change inside to lira. Rate people actually use is on the street boards / SP-today type shops, not the bank window. Count the notes.

UK card, same. No Visa, no Mastercard, no SWIFT when I was there two weeks ago. Could not even log into my bank app. Borrowed from a friend's dad and paid him back in Germany, which is not a plan. MoneyGram / حوالة shops exist if you know someone who can send.

There is an ATM by arrivals at DAM. I saw it. Did not try it. Everyone still said cash.

Exchanged $20 at the land border, got 200,000 SYP. You feel like a millionaire and then a hotel wants a brick of notes. Bring more USD than you think. SIM at the airport was $40 for someone in February, city shop was cheaper for me.