Visa Gift Card for International Travel?

Has anyone ever used a Visa gift card or a prepaid Visa card for international travel instead of a personal credit card? We wondered how accepted that would be in various European ports.

We’ve used the travel cash cards so that you get 2 cards in case one is lost or stolen. You can load your home currency into multiple currencies if needed. Last time we had euros and pounds. Most of these are visa or MasterCard and accepted everywhere we went.

I also chaperone school trips and this is a great option for the students so there is no problem with a lost card.

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Has anyone ever used a Visa gift card or a prepaid Visa card for international travel instead of a personal credit card? We wondered how accepted that would be in various European ports.

They are widely accepted in Europe, especially if it as the Visa logo on. We've never used them, but know quite a few friends and work colleagues who have, and had no problems whatsoever. Just be aware though, the cruise ships don't accept them.

Thank you! Still thinking about it.

Thank you! Still thinking about it.

US resident? The last time I checked, fees were high for travel cards and the last gift card I received could not be used abroad or in an ATM. Check the fine print carefully, if you can find it. It's been years, but I a remember fee to purchase the card, a fee to load more money on the card, a fee to get a second card, a fee to make a domestic withdrawal, a fee to make an international withdrawal, a fee to cash out the card, a monthly maintenance fee, a replacement card fee, and an overdraft fee. At that time a card denominated in US dollars was a better deal than a card loaded in euros.

I am much better off using my debit card for ATM withdrawals and my credit card for purchases.

I am a US citizen. Not planning on using it for ATM withdrawals or for expenses on the ship. Was thinking about it for any purchases abroad for safety reasons. Other thoughts?

when each of the kids did 'mission trips' - one to Africa and one to Brazil - the use of pre-paid VISA was recommended and worked out fine for us ….

OTOH in our EU trip experience we've used our regular VISA & ATM cards with no problem - after warning the issuing bank/company we would be using the card out of the country. AND we always carry a 'backup' from a different bank and different accounts just in case …

In many EU countries they hardly ever use cash anymore and are much more 'plastic centric' than we are in the US … they think OUR security is where the problem is!!!!!

I am a US citizen. Not planning on using it for ATM withdrawals or for expenses on the ship. Was thinking about it for any purchases abroad for safety reasons. Other thoughts?

What is the risk in using your own debit or credit card? I don't think Europe is any more fraud prone than the USA. I am not responsible for any fraudulent charges on my credit and debit cards.