KittyloverCA Posted July 11, 2018 #1 Share Posted July 11, 2018 i called my main credit card today to put in a travel alert. I also asked about getting a PIN. It seems at this point it’s too late to get one as it has to be mailed (she claims I would have received one with my card but I don’t recall that) she also mentioned that if I did use a pin I might be subject to cash advance fees. I thought the PIN with a cc was an extra protection not something that would trigger a cash advance. How common is it to have to enter a PIN with a CC in Baltic countries? Just wondering if it would be an issue as I don’t and can’t get a PIN I will also call my bank for my ATM card who h of course does have a PIN but I try to avoid using my ATM as debit for purchases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckycruiser Posted July 11, 2018 #2 Share Posted July 11, 2018 yes a pin on a cc is treated as a cash advance. A regular cc with no pin is just fine. We are taking both a visa and an amex that have no foreign transaction fee. I also called our debit card (Chase) and they do not allow debit withdrawals in Denmark or Russia. All other countries on the cruise are just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquidneck1 Posted July 11, 2018 #3 Share Posted July 11, 2018 We have a CC with a pin that does not debit or charge a fee. We used it in many Baltic companies but the machines never asked for the pin - rather they asked for a signature. AX was not accepted in a lot of places but Visa and Mastercard without pin were fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted July 11, 2018 Author #4 Share Posted July 11, 2018 yes a pin on a cc is treated as a cash advance. A regular cc with no pin is just fine. We are taking both a visa and an amex that have no foreign transaction fee. I also called our debit card (Chase) and they do not allow debit withdrawals in Denmark or Russia. All other countries on the cruise are just fine. But I suppose you can use it as an atm card in Denmark as russia to withdraw money? I never make debit card purchases due to a fraud issue many years ago, but I thought some European countries, esp i. Scandal via have pins assigned to cc’s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted July 11, 2018 Author #5 Share Posted July 11, 2018 We have a CC with a pin that does not debit or charge a fee. We used it in many Baltic companies but the machines never asked for the pin - rather they asked for a signature. AX was not accepted in a lot of places but Visa and Mastercard without pin were fine. Ok perfect. Our card has no int’l. fees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gnome12 Posted July 11, 2018 #6 Share Posted July 11, 2018 I’ve never heard that using a CC with PIN is treated as a cash advance. We in Canada have been using PINs for years. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted July 11, 2018 Author #7 Share Posted July 11, 2018 I’ve never heard that using a CC with PIN is treated as a cash advance. We in Canada have been using PINs for years. Sent from my iPhone using Forums You use a PIN with a cc or a debit card? We use one in the US to use a debit card, but can also use a debit card as a cc with no PIN I’m just talking about a straight CC. I had understood that in Europe in some countries when you use a CC in certain transaction you need a PIN. I do already have chip cards, but my card doesn’t have a pin, only my atm/debit card does and I won’t use that for transactions, other than at a bank based ATM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted July 11, 2018 Author #8 Share Posted July 11, 2018 This is what I’m talking about, it see,s like it could be an issue if trying to buy a ticket from a machine etc. hopefully won’t run into that. https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/chip-pin-cards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted July 11, 2018 #9 Share Posted July 11, 2018 In Canada we have CC with pin & Wave technology also our Debit cards have both Never had charges for cash advances when making a purchase with a CC If we use a CC to withdraw cash from an ATM yes the cash advance fees kick in ASAP The USA has some strange banking systems ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquidneck1 Posted July 11, 2018 #10 Share Posted July 11, 2018 My CC has a pin. No cash advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldavid18 Posted July 11, 2018 #11 Share Posted July 11, 2018 My understanding is the Canadian bank credit cards are similar to the European cards. They have a PIN verification chip and use them the same way we do. The American banks are behind in that technology and thus the grief with their cards. Various YouTube videos (Rick Steves included) and books we've read to date about the Baltic states warn about this frequently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tring Posted July 11, 2018 #12 Share Posted July 11, 2018 (edited) I have not heard of using a card of any kind without a pin in Europe for many years now. All our cards are now pin and chip, but the really new cards can now be used by tapping the machine for small purchases - but that has the be a fairly new card that is designed to be used that way, some of ours that have not been set up for that (when cards are replaced the tend to be ones that can be tapped for small purchases (less than £20 usually). We were on a river cruise to Eastern Europe about five years ago and there were people from the US who found they could not use their cards because they did not have a pin. Even then pins were common place in Europe and had been for a while. May be wise to have some cash with you to cover essential costs. At least that could be changed into local currency. You should be able to change US dollars easily. Some shops will accept US dollars, but obviously that will be at a pretty bad exchange rate. Edited July 11, 2018 by tring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabatha1988 Posted July 11, 2018 #13 Share Posted July 11, 2018 I have Capital One and they said they are chip and signature and don’t require a pin for transactions Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldavid18 Posted July 12, 2018 #14 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I have Capital One and they said they are chip and signature and don’t require a pin for transactions Sent from my iPhone using Forums But there lies the problem. You have to have the PIN system. I've seen various US travelers here in Canada that cannot pay at the pump for gas because it has to have a PIN code to work. They had to go to the kiosk and physically sign the receipt. I believe that system originated in Europe and Canada adapted quickly to it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabatha1988 Posted July 12, 2018 #15 Share Posted July 12, 2018 But there lies the problem. You have to have the PIN system. I've seen various US travelers here in Canada that cannot pay at the pump for gas because it has to have a PIN code to work. They had to go to the kiosk and physically sign the receipt. I believe that system originated in Europe and Canada adapted quickly to it as well. Yeah I was afraid of that Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldavid18 Posted July 12, 2018 #16 Share Posted July 12, 2018 For those with Rick Steves Northern European Cruise ports book on page 130 there is a thorough explanation. Not sure if he has anything on his web page, wouldn't surprise me if he did:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted July 12, 2018 #17 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I have Capital One and they said they are chip and signature and don’t require a pin for transactions Sent from my iPhone using Forums only if you want to use an unmanned ticket machine then it may be a problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabatha1988 Posted July 12, 2018 #18 Share Posted July 12, 2018 only if you want to use an unmanned ticket machine then it may be a problem Yeah I was planning on using one for the Copenhagen card Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted July 12, 2018 #19 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Yeah I was planning on using one for the Copenhagen card Sent from my iPhone using Forums you could probably find a shop to buy them from with a person to help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabatha1988 Posted July 12, 2018 #20 Share Posted July 12, 2018 you could probably find a shop to buy them from with a person to help I might want to do that. I just don’t want to have to carry to much cash on me Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldavid18 Posted July 12, 2018 #21 Share Posted July 12, 2018 https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money Lots of good info here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted July 12, 2018 #22 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I might want to do that. I just don’t want to have to carry to much cash on me Sent from my iPhone using Forums I am sure the shop will take CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted July 12, 2018 Author #23 Share Posted July 12, 2018 The same can be said about a lot of things in the US ;p (to say nothing of our president) In Canada we have CC with pin & Wave technology also our Debit cards have both Never had charges for cash advances when making a purchase with a CC If we use a CC to withdraw cash from an ATM yes the cash advance fees kick in ASAP The USA has some strange banking systems ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted July 12, 2018 Author #24 Share Posted July 12, 2018 https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money Lots of good info here Yeah I found an article by him and had posted it above Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted July 12, 2018 Author #25 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Does anyone know how prevalent ApplePay is in that region? I use it all the time here now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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