Credit Card use in Europe

[floridatravelersforlife]

Getting back on topic, credit cards work at most establishments, but don;t use them on European toll booths We experienced failure in France, Italy and Ireland. have the local currency read, coins if possible. Many tolls booths are unmanned.

[shoelover536]

Discover actually is accepted at some places in Europe - If the merchant accepts diners club they accept discover. :)

[kellyclayt]

My Delta American Express has no foreign transaction fees AND they will send me a free chip and pin card whenever I decide I want one. I think many cards in the U.S. are going the chip and pin route so before you think your preferred card doesn't offer it - call and ask them. My Visa was due for renewal and this last week it came and it is a chip and pin card without me asking - so they making the transition.

 

That really surprises me as I specifically asked American Express about that before our July trip and they told me no.

 

As for our other experiences, we used credit cards in Turkey, Greece, Malta, Italy, France, and Spain with no problem. We have chip and signature only, not chip and pin. Most restaurants bring the little credit card machine to your table, run the card, and then you can sign. As a previous poster noted, in some small shopping venues you may need cash, so we always had some on hand.

 

Automated machines are another story. We were able to successfully use our chip and signature card in an automated machine at a train station in France while another American couple without a chip in their card could not. I would not expect this to always work though as i read of a man who was unable to buy train tickets in the Paris airport.

 

In a gas station in Italy our chip and signature card would not work. Those machines accepted only chip and pin cards.

 

I have been assured by Chase that the chip and pin cards are coming soon - hopefully before our trip next summer. It's so ridiculous that we have used this inferior technology here for so long!

[Twickenham]

Yes it is. :) You get points for Amazon purchases and there's no annual fee. Chase also offers a Marriott card with more benefits but with an annual fee (waived for the first year). I'm trying to work out whether the benefits justify the fee. :confused:

 

 

 

I have the Chase Marriott Visa. You get a free night certificate good at any Cat. 1-5 hotel. If you can find a hotel to use it in that would cost more than the annual fee ($120), then the card essentially becomes free.

[Fouremco]

I have the Chase Marriott Visa. You get a free night certificate good at any Cat. 1-5 hotel. If you can find a hotel to use it in that would cost more than the annual fee ($120), then the card essentially becomes free.

Yes, after taking a closer look at it, even if we only use it for foreign travel and don't worry about the points, I'd be hard-pressed to find a hotel for $120! As the Visa FX rate is quite favourable, I'd also be able to drop my USD Visa with its $39 annual fee.

[hirobmay]

It's interesting read the north American perceptive on card payments. I was quite surprised to read that chip and pin is not so common.

My tip as a European, Mastercard or Visa are probably the safest bet. Amex cards are not so commonly taken due to the charges on the vendor.

 

Something i've done for my forthcoming cruise (next Monday!!) is to get a couple of the pre paid cards from FairFax, one in USD for extras on the ship, and one in Euro whilst out and about. Both support chip and pin.

 

https://www.fairfx.com/

[Christine Frances]

It's interesting read the north American perceptive on card payments. I was quite surprised to read that chip and pin is not so common.

My tip as a European, Mastercard or Visa are probably the safest bet. Amex cards are not so commonly taken due to the charges on the vendor.

 

Something i've done for my forthcoming cruise (next Monday!!) is to get a couple of the pre paid cards from FairFax, one in USD for extras on the ship, and one in Euro whilst out and about. Both support chip and pin.

 

https://www.fairfx.com/

 

Its just the United States, not all North American's lol. In Canada we have had chip & pin for quite a few years and our CC readers will be starting soon to move away from having the "swipe" facility.

[Lsimon]

This thread had me thinking and I was not entirely sure of things when I posted my message above. So I sent a message through my account to Citibank which recently sent me the first credit card I've had which has a chip on it. The card was identified as a chip and signature card. I specifically asked them if it was compatible with the Chip and Pin cards in Europe if one has a pin associated with the card (which I do for ATM or other use). "Their response: This chip card has not been set up to use a Personal Identification Number (PIN)." So apparently, at least at Citibank, the cards will not work as chip and pin cards.

 

I also found this site with information on the two systems: http://www.cardhub.com/edu/chip-and-pin-vs-chip-and-signature/.

 

All this is interesting but doesn't impact things too much as all of the merchants and restaurants I've come across in Europe accepted our regular swipe type MasterCard if they accepted any credit cards at all.

[81Zoomie]

Chase offers a major hotel chain chip and pin rewards card. I was recently in Europe and most merchants accepted chip and sign. However, train stations and self service gas stations were chip and pin. Having a little cash on hand is a good safety net.

[sewon]

We have a chip signature card (Marriott Rewards). We have been able to use it in Europe with no problems. If you have a chip card of any kind, make sure you keep it in your wallet inside a protector. Without the protector, people can gather info off your card to use the card for their own purchases. Friend reported that she read of someone in Paris who had over $5000 charged to her account this way. Protectors are easily purchased at luggage stores.

IMHO, Marriott card is worth the fee....we have just redeemed some of the points for a two night stay in San Francisco....we only have to pay parking which is $45-70 a day there!

[kellyclayt]

Its just the United States, not all North American's lol. In Canada we have had chip & pin for quite a few years and our CC readers will be starting soon to move away from having the "swipe" facility.

 

Yep, the U.S. is ridiculously behind on this - makes me crazy!

 

Sewon, our Marriott chip and signature worked fine with a human being, but it's hit and miss with automated ticket machines which is frustrating. As I mentioned earlier, Chase assures me we'll have chip and pin soon. And, yes, San Francisco parking is it's own special animal, isn't it? ;)

Edited July 31, 2014 by kellyclayt

[sewon]

Yes, forgot about those automated machines:(. Luckily for us when we got to one with few Euros in our pockets, our friends had a chip card and could get some subway tickets we all needed. Hoping, like you, for the conversion soon, hopefully by own next trip across the pond.

Yes, SF parking is its own animal, an expensive one. See that you are in SJ, we are in Santa Cruz....