Mastercard vs Visa in Europe??

[tpbf]

We will be sailing a TA in August from London to NYC, with most of the cruise spent in assorted European spots. Our Visa once did not have a fee for European charges, but now it is 3%.

 

Been looking for a new card, but there seem to be more feeless (is that a word?) offerings with Mastercard rather than Visa. Is Mastercard accepted easily in Europe?

 

Sorry for putting this on this board, but there is not straight up Europe board. Figured many of you regular readers have had some recent experiences.

[Pam in CA]

Either is accepted wherever I've been in Europe. If you have an Amex or Discover card, those might be limited where you can use them. Some people get a Capital One card (don't know if it's MC, Visa or offer both) because they don't charge foreign currency exchange fee.

[shellbeachjim]

Regardless of the card you choose, make sure you contact your credit card provider prior to leaving and let them know that you are going out of the country. You tell them the dates you'll be gone and the countries you are going to be in. This can prevent your card provider from flagging your card for fraudulent use when you try to use it. Usually it's the second time you use it that you'd have a problem. :eek:

 

Yes, this is from personal experience... ;)

[camofwilliamsburg]

I actually saw the thread name and came on to this to post exactly what the poster said above this. YOU MUST notify the credit card company or they will shut the account down. Yes if it happens there is an international number you could call to reinstate, but it is wrought with anxiety. Make sure you call and tell them and make sure they PUT IT IN YOUR ACCOUNT.

[Pam in CA]

Regardless of the card you choose, make sure you contact your credit card provider prior to leaving and let them know that you are going out of the country. You tell them the dates you'll be gone and the countries you are going to be in. This can prevent your card provider from flagging your card for fraudulent use when you try to use it. Usually it's the second time you use it that you'd have a problem. :eek:

 

Yes, this is from personal experience... ;)

 

I actually saw the thread name and came on to this to post exactly what the poster said above this. YOU MUST notify the credit card company or they will shut the account down. Yes if it happens there is an international number you could call to reinstate, but it is wrought with anxiety. Make sure you call and tell them and make sure they PUT IT IN YOUR ACCOUNT.

This is so true. Several years ago, I met a woman on a trip in Europe who was a very Senior executive with major NYC bank. She was using her credit card, issued by her bank, and she'd failed to call and notify the correct department that she was traveling. Her bank and fellow executives knew but that didn't help. It took an international phone call for well over an hour to straighten it out. :)

[whitearrow]

I've never seen a place in continental Europe or the UK that accepts Visa but not Mastercard, or vice versa. Places that accept one nearly always accept both.

 

I do have a Capital One MC and it's great for international transactions, both online and while traveling. Capital One not only doesn't charge a fee of their own, they also cover any fee that Mastercard charges.

[caribill]

Some people get a Capital One card (don't know if it's MC, Visa or offer both) because they don't charge foreign currency exchange fee.

 

CapitalOne offers both Visa and MasterCard. I suggest getting both.

 

Although many places will accept both types, there are places that will only accept one or the other.

[chipmaster]

VISA / MC are 99.99% interchangeble. I wonder if their exclusive sponsor of the olympics have them locked up their for London and some of them venues and such, but everywhere else in the world I have ever gone if they take VISA they take MC or vice versa.

 

I always bring AMEX as I get great perks with that but don't have a worry if its MC or VISA for my other backup cards

 

We will be sailing a TA in August from London to NYC, with most of the cruise spent in assorted European spots. Our Visa once did not have a fee for European charges, but now it is 3%.

 

Been looking for a new card, but there seem to be more feeless (is that a word?) offerings with Mastercard rather than Visa. Is Mastercard accepted easily in Europe?

 

Sorry for putting this on this board, but there is not straight up Europe board. Figured many of you regular readers have had some recent experiences.

[Josy1953]

I have travelled through out Europe on business, oftern going to remote towns and I have NEVER experienced a problem using either Mastercard or Visa and I cannot recall seeing a store or restaurant that did not take both. However as another poster has said AMEX is not always accepted though in tourist areas most places do accept AMEX.

[robtulipe]

I was able to go online to my credit union's web site for my VISA credit card and do the notification of when and where I would be traveling and using that card for our upcoming Emerald cruise. It was easy to do and less of a hassle than phoning in.

[Nomsayin]

FYI, in addition to not charging for foreign transactions, CapitalOne lets you notify them of your travel plans online and sends you an email confirmation.

[Underwatr]

CapOne makes it very easy to notify over the phone as well. It's all done via a voice-interactive system (but I did have trouble getting it to recognize "Bonaire" so I had to speak to a human for the March trip). I'll have to seek out the online notification page.

 

On the other hand I have a miles-earning card with another bank that makes notification truly painful, with extensive hold time to notify via an operator.

[Keith1010]

We will be sailing a TA in August from London to NYC, with most of the cruise spent in assorted European spots. Our Visa once did not have a fee for European charges, but now it is 3%.

 

Been looking for a new card, but there seem to be more feeless (is that a word?) offerings with Mastercard rather than Visa. Is Mastercard accepted easily in Europe?

 

Sorry for putting this on this board, but there is not straight up Europe board. Figured many of you regular readers have had some recent experiences.

 

Either is accepted equally.

 

I highly recommend a Visa by Capital One. They are one of the very few credit card companies that do not charge an international transaction fee.

 

Keith

[riffatsea]

I agree that both Mastercard and Visa are widely accepted BUT in many small restaurants and B&Bs cash is still king so you should have some euros too!!

Capital One is very popular but since I don't shop that much and DH doesn't like us to have tons of different cards we don't think the 3% charge is worth worrying about. IF you do the math it doesn't add up to very much unless you are a BIG spender!

BTW there are some credit unions that also have good rates and Charles Schwab credit cards only charge 1%.

Don't bother bringing Discover to Europe at all!

AMEX is only accepted at some hotels and some major restaurants. They charge just a little less than 3%.

[fleckle]

FYI, in addition to not charging for foreign transactions, CapitalOne lets you notify them of your travel plans online and sends you an email confirmation.

Not only do they charge no fees, but they give you hassle-free cash back on all purchases, extend the warranty on your purchases, provide additional travel insurance at no cost, and get your money back for you if you have a valid dispute with a merchant who tries to rip you off.

 

We find using the card to be all win, win, win with no drawbacks.

It costs nothing to use it as long as you pay off your balance in full each month.

It can save you hundreds of dollars each year even if you are not a big spender. Those small purchases here and there add up quickly.

[Underwatr]

It costs nothing to use it as long as you pay off your balance in full each month.

Just know that the "Double Miles" card they advertise on TV is not a free card.

[room010]

Visa/MC is widely accepted - no so Amex which many traders no longer accept.

 

And yes, notify your card provider that you will be travelling and check and double-check that they have flagged your account accordingly. I was stranded in Hong Kong once with a cancelled card despite telling the card company twice that I'd be there. Now, there's worse places to be stranded than HK for sure but without a credit card I couldn't go shopping :eek:

[CruiseLuvver]

There is one other issue that mainly affects travellers from the US. Most European countries use smart cards, with a chip, rather than cards with just the magnetic strip. It does still seem that some American cards don't always work with these card readers, so it can be worth checking that whatever one you want to get will. It's not a problem in most countries (apart from France - that seems to be more difficult), as they'll just get you to sign the slip, but they will usually ask for ID, so it's worth having a driving licence or similar with you.

[Condocat]

CruiseLuvver is correct. These "smartcards" are gaining in popularity in Europe. A friend of ours returned this month from Amsterdam to report their conventional credit card with a magnetic strip was declined several times at restaurants and train stations because it did not have the EMV chip. This problem arose again in Italy. It also was problematic at ATM machines making it impossible to withdraw funds!

 

 

My husband and I were in Portugal this past May without any problems but the financial situation has been changing rapidly. I am currently investigating if I can get my current cards converted to "smartcards" that have an EMV chip. From what I have researched, not all US banks are offering this technology as of yet and it may not be a simple process. Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase are forerunners so far.

 

I think as time goes on, more European countries will only be accepting smartcards.

[Underwatr]

In October I filled at one UK station that said "Chip and PIN cards only" which wasn't a problem since there was also an ATM just outside the building. But then the ATM malfunctioned and didn't dispense any cash.

I went inside and told the clerk that all I had was a card with a mag stripe but no chip and he let me swipe and sign after I showed some ID.

I think for now it's more that the merchant is refusing to accept the non-chip card rather than that they're unable to process the card (I think the fraud liability is different for the two types). I've had problems in France with automated ticket machines only taking chip cards but the wireless machines restaurants use for cards still have the mag stripe reader on them.

[Hlitner]

In October I filled at one UK station that said "Chip and PIN cards only" which wasn't a problem since there was also an ATM just outside the building. But then the ATM malfunctioned and didn't dispense any cash.

I went inside and told the clerk that all I had was a card with a mag stripe but no chip and he let me swipe and sign after I showed some ID.

I think for now it's more that the merchant is refusing to accept the non-chip card rather than that they're unable to process the card (I think the fraud liability is different for the two types). I've had problems in France with automated ticket machines only taking chip cards but the wireless machines restaurants use for cards still have the mag stripe reader on them.

 

We do a lot of international travel and our US magnetic strip cards are now "hit and miss" as to whether they work. You mentioned gas stations...and a big problem is if you need to get gas at night (or on holidays) when many gas stations do not have attendants. The auto gas pumps only accept Chip/PIN cards and some also except cash (but they do not give change). On our trip to Belgium (this past May) we arrived at our B&B in Bruges and the owner immediately told us that his new credit card reader does not work with magnetic strip cards. Fortunately we had enough warning (and a high enough withdrawal limit) that we could get enough Euros out of an ATM. We also visited one restaurant that would not accept US magnetic strip cards (other restaurants had no problem with our cards).

 

As an aside, we are long time AMEX card holders and are somewhat miffed that, although AMEX charges pretty high annual fees and promotes their card as being welcomed around the world (not true) that they (so far) refuse to issue a Chip/PIN card to Americans. We noticed that CapitalOne (our favorite international card because there are no foreign exchange fees) only issued Chip/PIN cards to Canadians (strange policy).

 

Hank

[Underwatr]

Interestingly, American Express is the only non-chip card that works in the Velib bike rental kiosks in Paris.

[rimau]

There was just something on tv about how easy it is to steal your account number and expo date from a chip card. They had to be really close, but in a crowded area or even a restaurant it can be done. The device used is as small as a netbook. You can buy card holders made with aluminium to stop this.

[Underwatr]

There was just something on tv about how easy it is to steal your account number and expo date from a chip card. They had to be really close, but in a crowded area or even a restaurant it can be done. The device used is as small as a netbook. You can buy card holders made with aluminium to stop this.

The European cards don't work the same way the US proximity cards work. The European cards have to be inserted into a slot (so the card must be electrically connected) and then the user has to enter a PIN (so stealing the card shouldn't benefit the thief).