Credit card use

[saz25]

Hi,

Since we are from the USA and have never traveled to the Baltic countries, could we expect our US credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, AmEx) to work in shops and restaurants?

 

I thought that Europe uses the new chip and pin credit cards.

 

Can anyone answer this question regarding credit cards? Otherwise, we will probably plan to bring additional cash, Euros, etc.

 

The countries we plan to visit are:

UK, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Finland, and Estonia.

 

Thanks,

Steve

[Sauer-kraut]

They'll work at about 90% of the places you will go. They might not work in a train ticket machine, nor in a parking garage machine. Other than that you shouldn't really have any problems.

 

Its always a good idea to have small amounts of cash, for little purchases or street meat kiosks. Also if you are taking private tours the operators might request to be paid in cash.

 

Have a great trip!

[Giantfan13]

Hi,

Since we are from the USA and have never traveled to the Baltic countries, could we expect our US credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, AmEx) to work in shops and restaurants?

 

I thought that Europe uses the new chip and pin credit cards.

 

Can anyone answer this question regarding credit cards? Otherwise, we will probably plan to bring additional cash, Euros, etc.

 

The countries we plan to visit are:

UK, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Finland, and Estonia.

 

Thanks,

Steve

 

Yes, as was just said, MasterCard and Visa will work in most places that have a person to take the charge. AMEX may be another story as they are hit and miss with businesses. We charged as much as we could, small amounts and large amounts.

We opted for the CapitalOne card because they don't charge any foreign transaction fees. Most MC and Visa charge about 3% of you purchase and it can add up. There are several other cards out there that also have 0 foreign transaction fees, so check with your bank. You should also have a debit card to use at an ATM if necessary.

 

Have a great trip

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Hlitner]

Unfortunately, we have seen an increasing trend where US magnetic strip cards are not accepted in more and more places. When we go in a restaurant and want to use a US issued card we will either ask (in advance) if they can take our card...or we will have sufficient cash to cover the tab in case our card is rejected. 2 years ago, while staying at an upscale B&B in Bruges, we were surprised when the owner told us (u

[cdnphotogirl]

I would recommend contacting your bank and trying to get at least one credit card switched over to chip with a 4 digit number attached. Just to be on the safe side. Chip and bank cards have to be no more than 4 digits as that is what is used in Europe and you don't want to be caught without any way to access cash.

[hal2008]

90% of the places cards from 4th world countries (just kidding) like USA will work. Keeping Euro cash helps.

 

Thanks to Target fiasco US will enter 21st century with reference to credit cards technology soon.

 

But safest option is to use Andrews Visa card that has no foreign currency charges (and even gives reward points). I have used it in 20+ counbtries without any hassles including at toll booths, parking lots and rural train station ticket machines (even at 5 am on Sunday).

 

It worked in Russia too earlier this week.

[sippican]

Two years ago we had two different stores in Copenhagen refuse our card because it was not a chip and pin card. We had no trouble in the main tourist areas, but off the beaten path was a different story. These were both manned cash registers, not unmanned kiosks. We used the chip and pin almost exclusively in the smaller villages of Switzerland. That being said, regular credit cards will be fine most of the time,

A chip and signature card with a bank issued pin is not the same thing. Getting a four-digit pin for a regular swipe card will not work. The chip & pin card is inserted into the machine by the short end, not swiped. We have also been told that the chip embedded cards available from most banks in the US are not compatible with the European machines whether you have a PIN number or not.

BOA has tried to tell us they have a chip and pin - they do not.

Edited May 15, 2014 by sippican

[SparkleBee]

I'm just back... my card is not chip/pin. I was able to use my card to buy any major things like city cards, department store, etc. I was not able to use it at one bakery or at a train ticket machine. next time I go to Europe I will get a chipped card.

[Markanddonna]

Just returned from: Portugal (Azores), England, Sweden, Denmark and Poland. I was able to use a magnetic strip card about 80-90% of the time. Be sure to ask ahead of time and not assume. In Copenhagen, our first taxi driver accepted it and then the final driver to the airport refused saying that the first driver "must have been new (stupid)". Also, tell the person, store, company that your card is a magnetic strip because sometimes they assume it is chip and pin and then have to process it differently for a signature.

 

There are some stores that accept NO cards at all, so always have a back up plan (close by ATM).

[spbstan]

Unless you plan to spend a lot on shopping you will not need much money on shore excursions, either cash or cards. I find that chip and pin are so common now in Europe, Scandinavia and Russia that within a year or so nothing else will be accepted. I suggest bringing more then one card, if one does not work the other might. I get by with only one Citibank card and it is chip and pin so have never had it not accepted.

There are 3 cost factors in card purchases; currency exchange costs(your transaction will settle at the worst rate of the day), foreign bank fees(fees charged by your bank for charges outside the system) and local merchants often add 3-5% to the charge to cover the merchant discount rate. Merchant Agreements in the US do not allow charging more for card purchases but here it is common. If you combine the various fees, small purchases are a bad deal with cards. A $10 charge might end up being $15-16 on your statement.

A $100 charge might be $106 on the statement. So the general rule, use cash for minor incidentals like food, transportation and items that are not durable items. For more expensive items such as a $200 painting or $500 amber necklace, a credit card, not debit or travel card, protects you if the item turns out to be not what represented since you can contest the charge.

 

Don't keep your cards in your wallet worn in a pocket, it is safer to just have a loose card in a pocket than in a wallet. Wallets are prime targets for pickpockets because they can get cash for an hour or so before it is blocked and quality camera lenses which safely generate much more than a card does.

Contrary to popular myth, thieves have no interest in your passport. That is why the majority lost are recovered within a few days. Leave the wallet in the ship, there is nothing in it that is easy to replace and nothing in it that is needed in a foreign country. So why present a target for pickpockets that have only downside risk for you and no benefit at all to you for carrying it. A passport in one pocket, a card in another and some cash in another and you are essentially pickpocket-proof and have the exact same options off the ship as you would if carrying a wallet full of id's and DL, and photos that only mean something to you.

[sippican]

I'm just back... my card is not chip/pin. I was able to use my card to buy any major things like city cards, department store, etc. I was not able to use it at one bakery or at a train ticket machine. next time I go to Europe I will get a chipped card.

 

Just make sure it's a true chip & pin, not just the chip & signature that some banks are trying to pass off by assigning a four-digit number for ATM withdrawals.

[micruiser12]

So our bank just issued us a chip and signature card vs. the magnetic strip and signature. Is this better or will we still have problems in general in the Baltics? I understand that if we are at a place where no one can let you sign something that could be a problem, but otherwise will chip and signature be accepted in most cases?

[sippican]

So our bank just issued us a chip and signature card vs. the magnetic strip and signature. Is this better or will we still have problems in general in the Baltics? I understand that if we are at a place where no one can let you sign something that could be a problem, but otherwise will chip and signature be accepted in most cases?

 

In our personal experience, the chip and signature was treated no differently than a regular magnetic strip card. Some would accept it, some would not. It seems to come down to the technology in the card readers.

In most cases, a regular card will be accepted whether it has a chip or not.

[Jonza]

In our personal experience, the chip and signature was treated no differently than a regular magnetic strip card. Some would accept it, some would not. It seems to come down to the technology in the card readers.

In most cases, a regular card will be accepted whether it has a chip or not.

Very true. I have not come across a manned point of sales terminal that did not have the magnetic stripe reader in them. Even the newest ones featuring NFC that are currently rolling out here have the reader for the magnetic stripe. Many stores still utilize the magnetic stripe for their loyalty cards etc.

 

Just be prepared to show a government issued photo ID when paying without a PIN especially if the sum is large.

[seaofwonder]

In Europe now (not Baltics) and no problems. Travel here every summer and only problem has been at very small shops that don't accept credit cards period, and the Amsterdam train station. Most places have it where you swipe yourself and then you just have to sign.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[CI66774]

My US non-chip/no PIN card (VISA) worked in every single location. I had local currency, too, but used the card in a couple of instances. Trust me, Europe wants your money. I can't tell you the times where they said we'll take local currency, Euros, dollars - basically anything I had. The economies over there are hurting and they need all of the tourist money they can get. Don't worry OP, your non-CHIP card will be fine (as long as it's a VISA or MasterCard).

[Hlitner]

Ok, guess we have no clue although we are currently in Paris and have been running around various European places for the past couple of weeks. DW and I currently reside in our Paris apartment rental and are out on the streets every day, eating 2 meals a day in restaurants, using public transportation, etc. A Chip/PIN or a Chip/Signature card is fine in just about all places, but we have personally watched the frustration of some fellow Americans as they discovered their magnetic strip cards do not work in many places. We were just in the Paris Metro an hour ago and had to buy some tickets (a Carnet). No problem as our Chip/PIN card works in all the ticket machines. Magentic strip cards do not work and Chip/Signature cards are hit and miss in machines since if they require a PIN (they do on many transactions) they will not function. Of course this is not an issue if you have Euros (the Metro machines also accept cash). 2 weeks ago we needed to buy train tickets at South Queensferry (to get to Edinburgh) and the ticket window was closed. The only way to get a ticket was to use a Chip/PIN card in the auto ticket machine (these do not accept US magnetic strip cards). Otherwise, you could just get on the train and plead your case to the conductor (this usually works).

 

We have also noticed that many of the newer portable credit card machines (which is want they use in cafes, restaurants, etc. no longer have a swipe slot for magnetic strip cards. Some of these places will still accept magnetic strip cards (which they must process manually) and other places just say No!

 

So the bottom line for fellow Americans without a Chip card is that you might run into times when your card is not going to be accepted. Just be aware of this issue and act accordingly.

 

As to ATM cards, we have had no problems using the usual US magnetic strip cards in the machines.

 

Hank

Edited May 28, 2014 by Hlitner

[QueScaisJe]

Just to confuse matters, here is our recent experience in Copenhagen. We have a chip & PIN card (as all cards issued in Canada are). There was no problem using it anywhere we went. The unmanned ticket machines at train/metro stations accepted the card and approved purchases without needing a PIN--a bit surprising as I was expecting to enter a PIN--so perhaps only the stripe was read. Also merchants that had clear signage that they would charge extra (up to 4%) for foreign credit card transactions did not do so. I just checked my online statement and the amounts in DKK had no surcharges.

[spbstan]

I bought a pair of shoes yesterday in St Petersburg and noticed the terminal had no slot for swiping. I thought it was mostly kiosks, grocery stores and gas stations that no longer took mag or signature cards but major retail stores like in the gigantic Galleria shopping center in St Petersburg. I was in Finland on 2 weeks ago for shopping and the restaurant I have gone to for 12 years had the new required terminals plus an old one with a slot. I asked about it and the waitress said it was for tourists who did not have a "normal card" but then she added they do not have the wire any more to connect it.

The rest of the world has moved to more secure card systems it appears.

[grandma*knows*best]

My husband and I travel internationally several times a year and I have found that it's pretty hit and miss as to what cards will work where.

 

I have a chip and pin card issued by USAA which works fine everywhere, except in the places where they will not accept US credit cards, which was a post office in Oslo last week. This is the first time anywhere I have not had a US card accepted.

 

You can generally use a card with only a magnetic strip, although some places do not want to accept them and you can't usually use them in ticket machines (such as in the Paris Metro, as another poster mentioned), gas pumps, at smaller businesses, etc.

 

Always have cash on hand; your magnetic strip debit or credit card and 4 digit pin will work fine in ATMs.

 

Use a card which doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee and always notify your card issuer of your travel plans.