debit cards vs credit cards

[Hlitner]

You really really really need to use a credit card. Many many many problems come up with debit cards

 

Does this apply to charges incurred during the cruise?

 

When we arrive in Barcelona, which is the best(cheapest) way to get euros? We will be arriving in Barcelona on Sunday morning. Should you use a debit card with pin # at a ATM or do a cash advance on a credit card? Is it better to use a ATM at the airport vs away from airport? Does anyone know if the shuttles from airport to your hotel takes debit/credit cards or do you need cash to pay the driver? Is it better to get money converted to euro's at your bank before leaving the U.S. So many things to figure out ahead of time

 

Here are a few basics that work all over Europe (and other parts of the world). Getting a "Cash Advance" on a credit card is seldom a good idea for a few reasons. 1. You would have to go to a bank during regular hours. and 2. Most credit card companies charge extra fees for advances and also charge interest from the date of withdrawal (no grace period like with a regular charge transaction).

 

Assuming your ATM issuing bank does not charge ridiculous fees (some credit unions charge zero fees) an ATM/Debit Card is always your best bet. You will get the interbank rate of exchange (the best) minus only 1% (the international transaction fee included in the final exchange rate). But to use your ATM/Debit card (or a credit card) you should notify (prior to your trip) your issuing bank of your itinerary. You ideally should have a 4 digit PIN (6 digit PINS do not always work in Europe) and know your PIN in numbers (no letters on European ATMs. When you insert your ATM card in the machine it will give you language options and usually display a British flag for English.

 

There are also numerous money exchange kiosks around European cities which can be convenient....but will normally take 5-10% (often hidden in their exchange rate) as part of the transaction.

 

In Barcelona you will find ATM machines all over the place (sometimes multiple machines on the same block). The wise folks only use ATM machines operated by real banks and avoid privately owned ATMs or the Travelex machines (often found in airports).

 

Hank

[vonn98]

I ALWAYS use cash. I have never kept a card on file. I usually start off with $200-$250 for our room & when that deplenishes I just add more. This will be my 6th cruise. I hope this helps.

[navybankerteacher]

One just has to be careful at the airport that it isn't a cursrency exchange ATM and that it is actually associated with a bank. I found this out the hard way last year in France and paid through the nose as a result.

 

This applies in the US as well - using a proprietary ATM, as opposed to a bank owned one, means paying that fee - on top of whatever your bank would charge, plus exposing yourself to skimmers - who are much more likely to latch onto them rather than bank-owned ones.

[clairopt]

I would use your Credit Card.

[sparks1093]

This applies in the US as well - using a proprietary ATM, as opposed to a bank owned one, means paying that fee - on top of whatever your bank would charge, plus exposing yourself to skimmers - who are much more likely to latch onto them rather than bank-owned ones.

 

Very true. I use those as little as possible for the reasons you give but when I have I wasn't charged a $95 conversion fee:o. (And I am sure in our larger cities and airports we have ATM's operated by currency conversion companies that do the same thing but I don't have the need to convert USDs to USDs:D.)

[Hlitner]

I ALWAYS use cash. I have never kept a card on file. I usually start off with $200-$250 for our room & when that deplenishes I just add more. This will be my 6th cruise. I hope this helps.

 

Am curious if you would be OK carrying thousands of dollars cash for a really long cruise? We just returned from a cruise where $5000 of onboard expenses would have been well within the norm.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

I ALWAYS use cash. I have never kept a card on file. I usually start off with $200-$250 for our room & when that deplenishes I just add more. This will be my 6th cruise. I hope this helps.

 

How do you "just add more"? How much cash do you carry, and why do you feel safer carrying large amounts of cash (with theft or simple loss in mind) than using a credit card?

[FireStation46]

Good to hear.

Welcome to the 21st Century. ;)

 

Latest innovation this side of the Pond is contactless cards.

One step too far for me.

In theory you just flash your card past the POS terminal.

In practice someone with a reader who just brushes against you can upload your card details in the same way.:eek:

I'll sit that one out until the glitches & scams have been ironed out.;)

 

JB :)

 

With a chip in your cc, an RFID reader will not allow someone to brush up against you and grab your data

[chewsifer1220]

Am curious if you would be OK carrying thousands of dollars cash for a really long cruise? We just returned from a cruise where $5000 of onboard expenses would have been well within the norm.

 

Hank

For a 7 day cruise we spent less than $500. How would you spend $5000?

How do you "just add more"? How much cash do you carry, and why do you feel safer carrying large amounts of cash (with theft or simple loss in mind) than using a credit card?

Easy just go to Guest Services and add more cash to the account. I added a $1000 initially to our account and yes I kept more in the cabin safe. A credit card can be stolen and charged till maxed out (which can be thousands) if cash is stolen that number is more finite. Plus no hassle of fighting with credit card companies.

 

Personally I would never use a credit card and risk the theft of the card or worse, having my identity stolen. Also, if i can't afford to pay for it with cash then obviously I can't afford it and shouldn't be putting the purchase on a credit card. We do have one for emergencies but it's for just that, a dire emergency.

 

Sent from my ONE A2005 using Tapatalk

[navybankerteacher]

For a 7 day cruise we spent less than $500. How would you spend $5000?

 

Easy just go to Guest Services and add more cash to the account. I added a $1000 initially to our account and yes I kept more in the cabin safe. A credit card can be stolen and charged till maxed out (which can be thousands) if cash is stolen that number is more finite. Plus no hassle of fighting with credit card companies.

 

Personally I would never use a credit card and risk the theft of the card or worse, having my identity stolen. Also, if i can't afford to pay for it with cash then obviously I can't afford it and shouldn't be putting the purchase on a credit card. We do have one for emergencies but it's for just that, a dire emergency.

 

Sent from my ONE A2005 using Tapatalk

 

I am amazed that you are concerned about possible theft of a credit card - when you are essentially guaranteed against ANY loss as a result of fraudulent use - but you are willing to carry thousands in cash, the loss or theft of which results in virtual certain loss.

 

Of course people should not run up charges they cannot pay -- but if you are able to pay a thousand in cash for something now you should certainly be able to pay that same thousand a week, or a month, from now when the bill comes from a credit card company.

 

if you have any understanding of how credit cards work, your expressed concerns are hard to accept at face value.

[FireStation46]

I am amazed that you are concerned about possible theft of a credit card - when you are essentially guaranteed against ANY loss as a result of fraudulent use - but you are willing to carry thousands in cash, the loss or theft of which results in virtual certain loss.

 

Of course people should not run up charges they cannot pay -- but if you are able to pay a thousand in cash for something now you should certainly be able to pay that same thousand a week, or a month, from now when the bill comes from a credit card company.

 

if you have any understanding of how credit cards work, your expressed concerns are hard to accept at face value.

 

Agreed!

 

No upside to cash or debit card vs. credit cards

 

Plus many cc provide point bounuses etc

 

AmEx is the premier for security. I have Visa for those few places that dont tend to accept AmEx but the vast majority of my on-line and in-person purchases are via AmEx

[Host Walt]

Just a reminder.

 

The various rules, regulations and laws regarding debit and credit cards vary by country.

 

For example, vendors in Australia are permitted to assess an extra charge for credit card use but that's not permitted in the USA.

 

Also the notification requirements in the USA require that the card holder must report potential fraudulent use quickly. The protection provided by the issuer can be mitigated if the card holder delays notification.

[Langoustine]

Unfortunately, this changed last year. "As a result of a preliminary court settlement between retailers, payment networks and nine major credit card issuers, retailers are now allowed to start charging customers a surcharge to cover the expenses of merchant fees when customers use their credit cards to make purchases.

 

Eleven states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas—and Puerto Rico have laws that prohibit merchants from charging consumers with surcharges on credit card transactions. Minnesota prohibits a seller of goods or services that establishes and is responsible for its own customer credit card from imposing a surcharge on a purchaser who elects to use that credit card in lieu of payment by cash, check, or similar means. The laws in California and New York have been challenged in court.

 

Ten states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oklahoma, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming—and Puerto Rico have laws that allow merchants to give discounts to encourage consumers to use forms of payment other than credit or debit cards."

 

See http://www.ncsl.org/research/financial-services-and-commerce/credit-or-debit-card-surcharges-statutes.aspx for complete information.

[Host Walt]

Unfortunately, this changed last year. "As a result of a preliminary court settlement between retailers, payment networks and nine major credit card issuers, retailers are now allowed to start charging customers a surcharge to cover the expenses of merchant fees when customers use their credit cards to make purchases.

 

Eleven states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas—and Puerto Rico have laws that prohibit merchants from charging consumers with surcharges on credit card transactions. Minnesota prohibits a seller of goods or services that establishes and is responsible for its own customer credit card from imposing a surcharge on a purchaser who elects to use that credit card in lieu of payment by cash, check, or similar means. The laws in California and New York have been challenged in court.

 

Ten states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oklahoma, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming—and Puerto Rico have laws that allow merchants to give discounts to encourage consumers to use forms of payment other than credit or debit cards."

 

See http://www.ncsl.org/research/financial-services-and-commerce/credit-or-debit-card-surcharges-statutes.aspx for complete information.

Thanks, Langoustine. I was unaware of this October 2015 announcement.

 

The situation, however, appears to be unchanged because surcharges for credit card use remain prohibited in the USA. The big change is that the merchant can offer a discount for cash/check use provided that the discount for cash is universally offered.

 

I am unaware of any situation where a cruise line offers a discount for cash payment of onboard accounts but I, for one, would love it if the discount were large enough. (The goodies offered via "rewards" are relatively trivial when the maximums are applied.)

Edited May 14, 2016 by Host Walt

[kitty9]

I'm telling you a true story that happened to me yesterday and today. I got a letter in the mail yesterday from my Visa credit card company, advising me that someone attempted to do an account transfer from my credit card to another card. The amount was $8500---yep, you read right. VISA caught it right away and immediately closed that card and didn't do the transfer, thank God. So, that issue was settled with no problem. Then this morning, I get a call from another card company from the fraud dept. Again, someone was charging things on another card. Now here's the interesting part. I haven't used that card in more than a year, except to cover shipboard charges last January. What's interesting is, they were charging Skype calls and charging at different places around Miami-----the cruise we were on departed from Miami. Last week, my sister got a call from Am Ex that her card was compromised. Again, this was her cruise only card and the only charge in a year was her on board account. The charges were again in the South Florida area. A fluke? Don't think so.

 

Oh, and BTW, all three cards were the chipped ones, that are supposed to be safer--NOT. I now own one if those special card cases that don't allow cloning.

[JVilleGal]

I am amazed that you are concerned about possible theft of a credit card - when you are essentially guaranteed against ANY loss as a result of fraudulent use - but you are willing to carry thousands in cash, the loss or theft of which results in virtual certain loss.

 

 

 

Of course people should not run up charges they cannot pay -- but if you are able to pay a thousand in cash for something now you should certainly be able to pay that same thousand a week, or a month, from now when the bill comes from a credit card company.

 

 

 

if you have any understanding of how credit cards work, your expressed concerns are hard to accept at face value.

 

 

Ditto! And how do you book a hotel, rent a car or book a airline ticket with out a credit card. You simply pay the thing off monthly. If you loose the cash it's gone forever, lose a credit card and they send you a new one.

 

Worse yet should something bad happen while on vacation, the credit card will cover the emergency expense of unplanned for airline tickets or a trip to the hospital. For this and so many other reasons we make sure to have a large available balance when leaving the country.

[FireStation46]

Contrianians may want to stir things uo to support cash or debit cards. I am sure there are enough scammers out there trolling bulletin boards looking for the contrainians. With enough posts and details they may figure out your iterinary and find a way to get you cash.

 

Again, credit cards only for me.

 

I will stop following this thread as some folks posting here 'just don't get it'

 

Good luck to them, for me cc only

[luddite]

I'm telling you a true story that happened to me yesterday and today. I got a letter in the mail yesterday from my Visa credit card company, advising me that someone attempted to do an account transfer from my credit card to another card. The amount was $8500---yep, you read right. VISA caught it right away and immediately closed that card and didn't do the transfer, thank God. So, that issue was settled with no problem. Then this morning, I get a call from another card company from the fraud dept. Again, someone was charging things on another card. Now here's the interesting part. I haven't used that card in more than a year, except to cover shipboard charges last January. What's interesting is, they were charging Skype calls and charging at different places around Miami-----the cruise we were on departed from Miami. Last week, my sister got a call from Am Ex that her card was compromised. Again, this was her cruise only card and the only charge in a year was her on board account. The charges were again in the South Florida area. A fluke? Don't think so.

 

Oh, and BTW, all three cards were the chipped ones, that are supposed to be safer--NOT. I now own one if those special card cases that don't allow cloning.

God wasn't involved.

[Philob]

Oh, and BTW, all three cards were the chipped ones, that are supposed to be safer--NOT. I now own one if those special card cases that don't allow cloning.

 

If I understand the tech correctly, "chipped" cards only work at point of sale if the card is inserted in the reader. If its swiped or the numbers manually entered like when buying something online, then the security goes back to the pre-chip ways.

 

The chip in the cards are not RFID. However some older cards do have RFID tech built-in, those will have a )))) pattern on it.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Philob

[Langoustine]

Thanks, Langoustine. I was unaware of this October 2015 announcement.

 

The situation, however, appears to be unchanged because surcharges for credit card use remain prohibited in the USA.

 

No, only in certain states. In NJ, for example, there is a difference in the price you are charged for gasoline, depending if you pay cash or use a credit card.

[navybankerteacher]

No, only in certain states. In NJ, for example, there is a difference in the price you are charged for gasoline, depending if you pay cash or use a credit card.

 

Connecticut gas stations also have different prices for cash or credit card purchases. The point is: they do not apply a surcharge for using a credit card - they charge the stated price - but they do give a discount for customers who pay cash. The end result for the customer may be the same, but a discount for cash is just that - it does not translate into a surcharge for cc users.

[JVilleGal]

Connecticut gas stations also have different prices for cash or credit card purchases. The point is: they do not apply a surcharge for using a credit card - they charge the stated price - but they do give a discount for customers who pay cash. The end result for the customer may be the same, but a discount for cash is just that - it does not translate into a surcharge for cc users.

 

In Oregon it is common for a discount for cash. Otherwise you pay the posted rate.

[sparks1093]

Connecticut gas stations also have different prices for cash or credit card purchases. The point is: they do not apply a surcharge for using a credit card - they charge the stated price - but they do give a discount for customers who pay cash. The end result for the customer may be the same, but a discount for cash is just that - it does not translate into a surcharge for cc users.

 

I guess this is one of those glass half full/half empty things- if I am paying more for using my credit card then in my view I am paying a surcharge for the privilege. It's not a practice that is used here in Vermont, a friend of mine runs a gas station and he says that if someone uses a credit card he loses money on many transactions because of the fee he is charged for taking the card. (I have noticed some gas stations/stores that impose a minimum purchase limit for using a credit card though.)

[kimlovesfl]

Travelers Check is an awesome idea if you dont have/want a credit card. Nice thing with Travelers check, you can use them at your ports of call or back home. A but safer than cash too. Not sure hiw much they charge but ut should not be too much.

http://www.aetclocator.com/wheretobuy/landing?option=travelerscheques

 

People still use traveler's checks?

 

Personally, I would NOT carry a lot of cash on vacation. If you lose it or it gets stolen, you're SOL. If a credit card gets lost or stolen, you can report it as such, have that card cancelled, and a new one sent to you. If you don't have a credit card, apply for one, because even a low-limit card is better than none.

 

As a lot of others are suggesting, pre-pay everything you can-gratuities, shore excursions (if you're doing that), and drink packages if you choose to purchase them. Limit yourself to ONE ship board photo (I don't even let them take my picture), one or two alcoholic beverages per person per day (not worth getting a drink package for that, you have to drink a LOT to make those worth your while), don't eat in specialty dining, and limit your souvenir purchases to things shore side, or the cheap stuff all the cruise lines seem to sell for $10. Most cruise lines let you put credit on your account before you leave.

[navybankerteacher]

People still use traveler's checks?

 

Personally, I would NOT carry a lot of cash on vacation. If you lose it or it gets stolen, you're SOL. If a credit card gets lost or stolen, you can report it as such, have that card cancelled, and a new one sent to you. If you don't have a credit card, apply for one, because even a low-limit card is better than none.

 

As a lot of others are suggesting, pre-pay everything you can-gratuities, shore excursions (if you're doing that), and drink packages if you choose to purchase them. Limit yourself to ONE ship board photo (I don't even let them take my picture), one or two alcoholic beverages per person per day (not worth getting a drink package for that, you have to drink a LOT to make those worth your while), don't eat in specialty dining, and limit your souvenir purchases to things shore side, or the cheap stuff all the cruise lines seem to sell for $10. Most cruise lines let you put credit on your account before you leave.

 

Cunard does not accept travelers checks - and I suspect other lines will back away from them as well. Also, many places overseas do not recognize them, and those that do will hit you with an exchange fee from $ to local.

 

Your bank's debit card for use at bank ATM's is the best way to travel with "cash". The only cas) it makes sense to carry are you small expenses - on board or ashore.