euros? What do you do?

[traveling6pack]

On 7/18/2019 at 2:06 AM, GastroGnome said:

Echo that - Amex is not widely accepted in Europe. Mastercard or visa are the way to go.  You will need some currency for small purchases.  Smaller shops often won't accept cards for purchases under 5 and sometimes 10 euros.  Apple pay and the like are also not that widely accepted in smaller locations.

We just came back from several countries in the Med and NO ONE would take Amex.  You'll definitely need either Visa or Mastercard

[waterbug123]

16 hours ago, traveling6pack said:

We just came back from several countries in the Med and NO ONE would take Amex.  You'll definitely need either Visa or Mastercard

 

Where in the Med were you and what kinds of places were you trying to use it?  We have certainly encountered places in Europe that don't take Amex, but have also found plenty of places that did, especially some larger/nicer hotels and nicer restaurants.

[verizon]

On 7/18/2019 at 4:51 PM, Mercruiser said:

I'm an American living in Europe for a temporary job assignment. I use the Schwab no-ATM-fee checking account for all my ATM cash withdrawals. There are no ATM or other fees. I've used this debit card all over the world for ATM cash withdrawals. Highly recommended.

You are a smart traveler.

Few years back a poster recommended TD bank card.It works like Schwab debit card,there is no transaction or foreign exchange fee.

I used that card every where I go.Every time I run out of money I will go to  any bank ATM machine to get a small withdrawal.

Be careful there are a lot of pick pockets in Europe.

Edited August 9, 2019 by verizon

[Jim_Iain]

On ‎7‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 11:38 AM, jerseygirl74 said:

Good to know...I have been pondering when to get some cash.  What about ports (Canary Islands, Spain, Portugal) do most have ATMs at the pier?  

You will have not problem finding ATM's in the Canary Islands, Spain or Portugal.   Also most places also accept credit cards.     We always have left over UK Pounds and Euros that we keep and use.    I use a ATM card from First Republic and they have no transaction fees and refund any ATM fees.    Never had a problem. 

[TeeRick]

On 8/8/2019 at 3:54 PM, traveling6pack said:

We just came back from several countries in the Med and NO ONE would take Amex.  You'll definitely need either Visa or Mastercard

AMEX cards are not universally accepted in the US either particularly for some restaurants.

[Wine-O]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

AMEX cards are not universally accepted in the US either particularly for some restaurants.

A lot of merchants don't take AMEX because they charge a larger percentage of the sale.  🍷

[waterbug123]

20 hours ago, Wine-O said:

A lot of merchants don't take AMEX because they charge a larger percentage of the sale.  🍷

 

A relative was in the credit card processing business for a while and said that's actually a common misconception.  He said there are a lot of Visa/Mastercards that, because they are branded reward cards of some kind, actually cost the merchant more than Amex.  Essentially, it's not as simple as Visa charges this % and Amex charges this %.  Unfortunately, many merchants don't understand that so they go with the "we don't take Amex because they charge more" line.

[citronella]

On 8/9/2019 at 9:56 AM, waterbug123 said:

Where in the Med were you and what kinds of places were you trying to use it?  We have certainly encountered places in Europe that don't take Amex, but have also found plenty of places that did, especially some larger/nicer hotels and nicer restaurants.

 

I have found in Europe many places that don’t take Amex....including nicer hotels and restaurants.

[waterbug123]

20 hours ago, citronella said:

 

I have found in Europe many places that don’t take Amex....including nicer hotels and restaurants.

 

Yes, I have never said ALL nicer hotels, restaurants etc. will take it.  But sometimes folks are under the impression that no one at all takes Amex in Europe, and I have simply stated that in our experience that isn't true....there ARE places that will take it and in our experience the most likely are nicer hotels and restaurants but that by no means says all of them do. 

So yes, you should absolutely have a Visa/Mastercard with you, but if you prefer using your Amex for whatever reason, as we do, then take it and you may be able to use it.

[citronella]

43 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

you may be able to use it.

 

True. 

[LJJQ]

We have used our AMEX in Europe on previous Mediterranean cruise! We also used our MasterCard there also! Our next visit we plan to bring both!

[Wine-O]

1 hour ago, LJJQ said:

We have used our AMEX in Europe on previous Mediterranean cruise! We also used our MasterCard there also! Our next visit we plan to bring both!

VISA is the most prevalent of all the cards in Europe.  Additionally, I disagree with the reason merchants don't use the AMEX.  The ones I've talked with say the fees are too high.  🍷