Dollars, the Classic Card, and a Havana Without Tourists

Yoani Sánchez chronicles the struggle to buy gasoline in 2026 Havana, where "Classic" cards act as a state vacuum for scarce US dollars amidst hyperinflation.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 18, 2026, 6:37 AM EDT

Source: 14ymedio

The "Little Blue Cards": Gasoline as a Wedding Gift

In 2026 Cuba, fuel has become a luxury surpassing traditional gifts. Sánchez recounts a friend’s daughter's wedding where guests pooled money to top up the "Clásica" card so the father could fill his aging Lada.

The Gasoline Queue: Buying fuel currently involves waiting in a "virtual queue" that can last over two months.

Inflationary Customs: Traditional wedding gestures, like throwing rice, have vanished because a single pound of rice now exceeds 300 pesos—making the act of throwing it a waste of a day's wages.

The "Official Vacuum": How the Clásica Card Works

The Clásica card, issued by the military's financial arm (Fincimex), is described by Sánchez as an "official vacuum cleaner" designed to suck US dollars out of the informal market and into state coffers.