Exchange $ or Credit Card

[Lovincruisin1321]

Do most shops/restaurants accept Visa?

 

I didn't know if I should plan to exchange some currency before boarding ship.

[John Bull]

 

Yes, you don't quote which countries, but 99% of outlets other than vans & market stalls accept Visa or Mastercard,. That's even for just a coffee.

DECLINE any offer to charge your card in your own currency - always be sure that it's charged in local currency, your card will give you a better exchange rate than any outlet. 

If your card charges a currency exchange  fee, consider getting one with no exchange fee - even if you only use it for foreign travel  

 

I prefer to have some local jingle in my pocket, just $10 or $20 dollars-worth.

 

JB 🙂

[wowzz]

Ideally, you card should  be of the "chip & pin" variety, that allows you to make contactless payments.

And, just to reinforce JB's point about not using cash, I took out £30  from an ATM just before Christmas. I still have £25 left ! 

Edited February 21, 2023 by wowzz

[MeHeartCruising]

I’m from the US.  I use Capital One credit cards to buy almost anything I need in Europe.  CapOne does not charge international transaction fees.  So each international purchase simply gets converted to US dollars at the current rate, which will be better than exchanging currency either in the US or upon arrival abroad. 
 

Once I land in my overseas destination, I also hit up a Bank ATM (not one owned by a currency exchange company at the airport) to get a SMALL amount of local currency.  Usually not more that $30-40 worth.  This is just in case I want to make a small transaction where they don’t take credit cards.  I replenish this cash from the ATM as needed during my trips.  Often I don’t need to.  I never have issues finding ATMs in Europe. They are everywhere. 
 

Notify both your ATM and credit card companies prior to traveling.  Some no longer ask you to do that. 

Edited February 21, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[CruiserBruce]

More and more credit cards don't charge transaction fees outside the US. We have two different ones, neither is Capitol One. One we have had for over 20 years. Both have "tap" capability without PINs.

[KarmaCruisers]

The beautiful part about the UK..it’s all tap-to-pay (Apple Pay, google pay, etc)..when I first went and took out my card to pay..the waiter looked at me like I had a third eye! (A local friend told me AFTER that UK is entirely contactless)

[Globaliser]

On 2/21/2023 at 9:57 PM, Lovincruisin1321 said:

Do most shops/restaurants accept Visa?

 

I didn't know if I should plan to exchange some currency before boarding ship.

 

In the UK, it's harder to find a place that won't accept a card than a place that won't accept cash. Many of us routinely don't carry cash any more.

 

On 2/21/2023 at 10:15 PM, John Bull said:

Yes, you don't quote which countries, but 99% of outlets other than vans & market stalls accept Visa or Mastercard,.

 

In London, even vans and market stalls will almost universally accept cards. Even buskers (street musicians) often have contactless card terminals because so many people don't carry cash!

[wowzz]

On 2/21/2023 at 9:57 PM, Lovincruisin1321 said:

Do most shops/restaurants accept Visa?

 

I didn't know if I should plan to exchange some currency before boarding ship.

The other thing worth knowing,  is that the majority of pubs, restaurants etc have portable card readers, so you can pay at your table. 

Admittedly I have not visited the US since Covid,  but I was amazed how often my card would be taken from me to be processed.  Hopefully this has changed in the last couple of years.

[John Bull]

21 hours ago, KarmaCruisers said:

The beautiful part about the UK..it’s all tap-to-pay (Apple Pay, google pay, etc)..when I first went and took out my card to pay..the waiter looked at me like I had a third eye! (A local friend told me AFTER that UK is entirely contactless)

 

 

Except for those technophobes like JB who declined a contactless card, fearing that their card would accidentally be charged for the purchases of the person in front of them at a check-out, or that if it was lost the finder could go on a spending spree until the loss was discovered.

 

Then the Covid pandemic arrived - outlets wanted folk to use contactless cards if possible, and JB was using a pencil to punch in his PIN.

But at least it persuaded JB  to learn how to pay for his gas at the pump rather than in line in the kiosk🙄 

 

JB 🙂

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

Except for those technophobes like JB who declined a contactless card, fearing that their card would accidentally be charged for the purchases of the person in front of them at a check-out,

Wasn't that just an urban myth ? 

[John Bull]

7 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Wasn't that just an urban myth ? 

 

 

Most would say "yes, just an urban myth".

Technophobes would say " better to be safe" 🙄

 

I think it's better to be safe. 🤔

 

JB 😄

[MeHeartCruising]

6 hours ago, wowzz said:

The other thing worth knowing,  is that the majority of pubs, restaurants etc have portable card readers, so you can pay at your table. 

Admittedly I have not visited the US since Covid,  but I was amazed how often my card would be taken from me to be processed.  Hopefully this has changed in the last couple of years.

 

Unfortunately, it has not changed very much.  There are a few restaurant chains that now have table-based devices or the wait staff using portable devices.  But by far, most restaurants will take your card away to process your bill.  I would say that the majority of retail and convenience stores do now have devices where you use your card yourself to pay.  Also, we are starting to see a real uptick in tap to pay in  those stores.  Although, it seems that the tap only works about 75% of the time for me when it is available.

[wowzz]

37 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

But by far, most restaurants will take your card away to process your bill.  

Always makes me very twitchy when that happens.  I tend to follow the server over to the machine,  which does cause some consternation! 

[gnome12]

51 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Always makes me very twitchy when that happens.  I tend to follow the server over to the machine,  which does cause some consternation! 

 

1 hour ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

Unfortunately, it has not changed very much.  There are a few restaurant chains that now have table-based devices or the wait staff using portable devices.  But by far, most restaurants will take your card away to process your bill.  I would say that the majority of retail and convenience stores do now have devices where you use your card yourself to pay.  Also, we are starting to see a real uptick in tap to pay in  those stores.  Although, it seems that the tap only works about 75% of the time for me when it is available.

Actually, if you have a PIN, you really need to follow them. Americans are used to hitting enter until the slip comes up to be signed. However, if your card has a PIN it needs to be entered before that point or your transaction is rejected. It took me a few instances of having my transaction rejected to twig to this issue; now I tell them to slow down and give me the terminal to enter the PIN. (This was, I admit, pre-Covid and perhaps it has changed, but I doubt it.)

[fruitmachine]

On 2/22/2023 at 12:04 AM, MeHeartCruising said:

Once I land in my overseas destination, I also hit up a Bank ATM (not one owned by a currency exchange company at the airport)

The machines are secure, and the exchange is handled by your bank, so the only reason for not using any ATM would be because it charges a fee  (UK machines can but have to warn you before you commit) or the location leaves you feeling wary of your surroundings.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, fruitmachine said:

The machines are secure, and the exchange is handled by your bank, so the only reason for not using any ATM would be because it charges a fee  (UK machines can but have to warn you before you commit) or the location leaves you feeling wary of your surroundings.

I think the point being made, is to advise travellers not to use non-bank ATMs because of their exorbitant fees. And, it can be easy for the unwary traveller to agree to allowing the machine to carry out the conversion, which will give you a diabolical fx rate.

[DMP609]

Are there Bank ATM's at Heathrow? I would like to get a small amount of cash before we get picked up by private car. I understand tipping is not expected and should be a small amount if anything, but it would be nice to tip if we have a really good driver.

[CruiserBruce]

Yes, there will be bank ATMs at LHR.

[Cotswold Eagle]

5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Yes, there will be bank ATMs at LHR.

No, there aren’t and haven’t been for several years. All ATMs on the airport, airside and landside, are operated by Travelex, a foreign exchange firm, and offer the same bad exchange rates as their counter service. 

Edited February 24, 2023 by Cotswold Eagle

[wowzz]

7 hours ago, DMP609 said:

Are there Bank ATM's at Heathrow? I would like to get a small amount of cash before we get picked up by private car. I understand tipping is not expected and should be a small amount if anything, but it would be nice to tip if we have a really good driver.

I assume you are going to Southampton? 

If so, ask your driver to stop at one of the service areas on the M3. You will find fee free ATMs there.

[DMP609]

3 hours ago, wowzz said:

I assume you are going to Southampton? 

If so, ask your driver to stop at one of the service areas on the M3. You will find fee free ATMs there.

 

No, we're going into London for a few days before Southampton.

[wowzz]

54 minutes ago, DMP609 said:

 

No, we're going into London for a few days before Southampton.

Ah - in that case, it might be even easier. Just explain to your driver that you need an ATM. I'm sure he will know of a supermarket en route where you can get some cash. 

(By the way,  nice thought to give a good driver something) 

[Globaliser]

12 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

No, there aren’t and haven’t been for several years. All ATMs on the airport, airside and landside, are operated by Travelex, a foreign exchange firm, and offer the same bad exchange rates as their counter service. 

 

And they charge a fee, even to UK bank card holders.

[Bob++]

We went to a local pub for lunch last weekend. They don't offer menus (though they were available on request) they have a QR code on the table. That put a menu on my smartphone and we chose our meals and paid for them with not a word to anyone. The food (mediocre) arrived fairly quickly, and after we finished we got up and left.

 

While the tech worked as it should, the whole encounter made me think of some science fictional meal where the food is dispensed from a slot and no on has to speak to anyone else. Soulless and sterile.

Edited February 24, 2023 by Bob++

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, Bob++ said:

We went to a local pub for lunch last weekend. They don't offer menus (though they were available on request) they have a QR code on the table. That put a menu on my smartphone and we chose our meals and paid for them with not a word to anyone. The food (mediocre) arrived fairly quickly, and after we finished we got up and left.

 

While the tech worked as it should, the whole encounter made me think of some science fictional meal where the food is dispensed from a slot and no on has to speak to anyone else. Soulless and sterile.

A pub to avoid then !

We had a great pub lunch in Lincoln this week.  Personal service, tab for drinks and food,  and tap and pay when we left.

Seems that the pub chains (mention no names, Tim !) are pushing QR codes.  We try and avoud them.