Visa vs Master Card.

[Us Two]

Has anyone used Master card in europe? were leaving in 3 weeks and are planning to take our M/C withus as a back besides some cash.

Just wondering if its as acceptable as Visa, or not.

Dont want to have egg on my face when its refused for a transaction. :eek:

[HappyTvlr]

Used MC all over the UK the last few months.

[teecee60]

Has anyone used Master card in europe? were leaving in 3 weeks and are planning to take our M/C withus as a back besides some cash.

Just wondering if its as acceptable as Visa, or not.

Dont want to have egg on my face when its refused for a transaction. :eek:

 

I have used my MasterCard in London, Rome, Lisbon, Gibraltar and Sicily among others. You might want to let your bank/company know you are traveling, so they don't decline the transaction, thinking your card is being used fraudulently. :cool:

 

Do be extra careful to make sure no one gains access to it though. A lot of damage COULD be done before you realize it, because you may be out of touch during your travels. ;)

Edited September 8, 2014 by teecee60

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

In my view, it's always good to have at least two credit cards with you in case something happens to one of them.

[Algebralovr]

Besides contacting your bank to let them know where you will be, also ask how much the fee will be for using it out of the country. Is your card the new chip and Pin style? Or is it chip and signature? Or no chip at all? If it is not chip and Pin, there may be places you cannot use it.

 

I also recommend you take a debit card to use to get cash from ATM as needed. We got the best transaction rates when using our debit cards. Make sure to let the bank k now where you will be.

[alcpa1]

Hope your card(s) do not have a foreign transaction fee.

Both MasterCard and Visa are accepted but the preferred card in Europe is a chip and pin card. Even a chip and signature card is accepted in many places.

We used chip and signature cards in May in 5 countries and there was no problem.

Our regular U S issued credit cards are not accepted at toll booths and self service gas stations. If you are strictly on a cruise that won't be a problem, of course.

A debit card is much better for withdrawing local currency from an ATM machine.

[jimmyvinny]

Actually if you have a Discover card it's very well accepted throughout Europe since they bought out Diners Club. We found this to be true traveling EASTERN Europe last year. But we also carried our Capital One Mastercard because it has no transaction fees. I found all three to be widely accepted.

 

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[Phxazzcruisers]

We used our Capital One Master Card all through the UK, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Romania, Georgia, and Bulgaria without issue. We always take that card as there is no Foreign Transaction fee and they offer a great exchange rate.

[Wine-O]

Our regular U S issued credit cards are not accepted at toll booths and self service gas stations. If you are strictly on a cruise that won't be a problem, of course.

A debit card is much better for withdrawing local currency from an ATM machine.

 

I used my M/C in toll booths in both France and Italy. Can't be used at unmanned gas stations which require chip/pin or cash, but can be used at manned gas stations.

[Us Two]

thanks everyone for your input, such a great help this message board!!

 

Will lookinto some of the ideas and good to know M/C is OK.