Foreign currency

[DJVKN]

I recently got one with chip and pin through Andrews Federal Credit Union. Had to join the American Consumer Counsel to qualify, but that was painless and easy. Then I had to open a savings account with a $5 deposit to become a member of the credit union. So I had to jump through some hoops but it was easy and they walked me through all the steps. No annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. https://www.andrewsfcu.org/credit_cards_and_loans/credit_cards/platinum_rewards.html

 

 

Haven't used it yet as we don't travel until September but I have no doubts that it will work fine in Europe.

 

I also got this credit card last year to use on our Baltic's cruise. Worked like a charm :)

[pompeii]

I also got this credit card last year to use on our Baltic's cruise. Worked like a charm :)

 

Good to know - thank you!

[Corfe Mixture]

Not quite accurate - all you have to do is say you don't have a PIN, and the purchase will be processed normally. I shopped in Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg without a PIN or even a CHIP card and never had one issue.

 

Love the reference to 'the purchase will be processed normally'. Actually your card worked in Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg because, from the point of view of the folks who live in those cities, the trader processed the purchase 'abnormally' .

 

Only teasing, but seriously when in these places, do try to be discrete when processing transactions in a non Chip & Pin manner. PIN-less North American credit cards are highly prized by opportunist thieves in at least one of the above cities, simply because, as long as they have a sufficiently passable US accent to fool a non-English speaking sales assistant (not that difficult given the many opportunities many folks in Europe have to watch US TV programmes/films in the original version), once they have your card, they can go shopping without the need for a PIN.

Edited April 20, 2015 by Corfe Mixture
Auto spell correction went mad

[juniper berries]

Hi there chip credit and debit card in Canada. the non chip have been fazed out for the last couple of years.:)

[WeeCountyMan]

"150GBP doesn't get you very far"

 

That raised my eyebows !!! :confused:

 

150 quid is more than enough ready cash for pocket money/routine purchases to cover several days.

 

Otherwise pay for larger amount outlays (ie meals) with a credit card or debit card

[WeeCountyMan]

"150GBP doesn't get you very far"

 

That raised my eyebows !!! :confused:

 

150 quid is more than enough ready cash for pocket money/routine purchases to cover several days.

 

Otherwise pay for larger amount outlays (ie meals) with a credit card or debit card.

 

This should help anybody in the USA looking for a Chip & Pin credit card for Europe.

 

http://creditcardforum.com/blog/chip-and-pin-credit-cards-usa/

[Colo Cruiser]

"150GBP doesn't get you very far"

 

That raised my eyebows !!! :confused:

 

150 quid is more than enough ready cash for pocket money/routine purchases to cover several days.

 

Otherwise pay for larger amount outlays (ie meals) with a credit card or debit card

 

"150GBP doesn't get you very far"

 

That raised my eyebows !!! :confused:

 

150 quid is more than enough ready cash for pocket money/routine purchases to cover several days.

 

Otherwise pay for larger amount outlays (ie meals) with a credit card or debit card.

 

This should help anybody in the USA looking for a Chip & Pin credit card for Europe.

 

http://creditcardforum.com/blog/chip-and-pin-credit-cards-usa/

 

 

Yes and yes. :p

[Times Prince]

For our upcoming Baltic Cruise, was able to get both a Chip & Pin Visa card and foreign currency from Wells Fargo. The website advertises 2 business days for most currencies.

Our son lives in The Netherlands, and this is what we have done as well. We found previously that even some gas stations will not honor the magnetic stripe cards, and it can be embarrassing to realize one does not have the cash to pay for the gas just pumped into your rental car. The same went for a restaurant that honored Visa, but not the magnetic stripe card (supposedly illegal per terms of use, but it is hard argue or to give back a meal once ingested).

 

The Chip & PIN Visa from WFB was easy to get, but came with a different pin number than we used to have on the card.

 

As far as money goes, we were able this week to go to a local Wells Fargo bank and buy Euros for a great rate with no conversion fees.

 

We plan on using the new card if we buy anything in the UK, but still have a couple of GBP left from our last transatlantic.

[Thrak]

Our son lives in The Netherlands, and this is what we have done as well. We found previously that even some gas stations will not honor the magnetic stripe cards, and it can be embarrassing to realize one does not have the cash to pay for the gas just pumped into your rental car. The same went for a restaurant that honored Visa, but not the magnetic stripe card (supposedly illegal per terms of use, but it is hard argue or to give back a meal once ingested).

 

The Chip & PIN Visa from WFB was easy to get, but came with a different pin number than we used to have on the card.

As far as money goes, we were able this week to go to a local Wells Fargo bank and buy Euros for a great rate with no conversion fees.

 

We plan on using the new card if we buy anything in the UK, but still have a couple of GBP left from our last transatlantic.

 

I'm guessing WFB is Wells Fargo Bank? I looked into their Signature Visa card but balked at the 3% foreign transaction fee. These are totally outdated "gotcha" fees that there is no reason for a bank to charge. I'm glad to hear you got a chip and pin card though as US cards are going to chip but many (most?) are going to the chip and sign cards. I don't know why we have to be so freaking far behind the rest of the world on this.

 

My Discover card has a chip and zero foreign transaction fees but I'd feel better with a Visa as Discover (while now accepted in far, far, far more places than it used to be) is not as universally accepted as Visa.

Edited April 20, 2015 by Thrak

[Shogun]

Hi All why do folks not just use preloaded local currency cards come with good rates and insurance yours Shogun

[Kineticoh20]

We are doing private tours on our Med cruise coming up and are sharing with a fellow cc member. All tour operators asked for payment in Euros following each tour. I don't want to be looking for ATMs so I will just pay what my banks exchange rate is and take the Euros with me.

[Hlitner]

Hi All why do folks not just use preloaded local currency cards come with good rates and insurance yours Shogun

 

Good question. On our side of the pond (USA) it is possible to get preloaded cards, but they are almost always an awful deal! Here is why. If I want to get a preloaded Visa compatible card I can go to a AAA (similar to AA in Europe) and I will have to accept an awful exchange rate (often 7-10% off the real rate) plus you sometimes have to pay an additional fee. If you return home and still have a balance on the card you would again have to accept an awful exchange rate to get it converted back to dollars. And since these cards are not Chip/PIN EMV compatible they do not work in most ticket vending machines, gas stations, parking machines, etc.

 

In the USA there is still tremendous resistance to moving towards a Chip/PIN system because the banks (and MC....Visa) do not want to deal with the cost of such a system. And we now wonder if the even newer smart phone based systems such as Apple Pay will make Chip/PINs obsolete before they are ever adopted in the US. The phone-based systems are apparently even more secure then the Chip/PIN system. For example, my Apple PAY system can only be activated with my own fingerprint on my own phone, and there is no information regarding my credit card, name, etc. even given to the merchant. I just have to hold my finger on the fingerprint sensor and swipe the phone next to a terminal. The transaction is done in about 1 second with no hassles, no cards changing hands, etc. The future is here and we like it! The actual charge is then processed by my registered credit card and I maintain all our Federal credit card protections (which protects me from any fraud).

 

Hank

Edited April 20, 2015 by Hlitner

[Colo Cruiser]

We are doing private tours on our Med cruise coming up and are sharing with a fellow cc member. All tour operators asked for payment in Euros following each tour. I don't want to be looking for ATMs so I will just pay what my banks exchange rate is and take the Euros with me.

 

 

I guess we were lucky, most took Euro/US$$/or credit cards.

[Go-Bucks!]

One time I got a few Euros from my local bank before I went to Europe, but usually I just get some from European ATM's - they're everywhere over there. I now bring some Euros or Pounds (or other currency) back home with me so that I will always have some cash with me when I return overseas.

 

I also got a Charles Schwab checking acct with debit card so I won't have any ATM fees or foreign transactions fees - really nice! And it's a chip and pin card too. That checking acct is where I keep my "vacation money." :)

[RDC1]

One time I got a few Euros from my local bank before I went to Europe, but usually I just get some from European ATM's - they're everywhere over there. I now bring some Euros or Pounds (or other currency) back home with me so that I will always have some cash with me when I return overseas.

 

I also got a Charles Schwab checking acct with debit card so I won't have any ATM fees or foreign transactions fees - really nice! And it's a chip and pin card too. That checking acct is where I keep my "vacation money." :)

 

 

One thing to watch for in Europe is that you often have third party ATMs located close to the major bank ATMs. Much better to use the major Bank ones.

 

I also use a Charles Schwab account as my primary. Carry an Ally debit card which also does not charge foreign transaction fees as a backup in case something goes wrong with my Schwab card. Ally rebates US atm fees, but not international ones, so it is not quite as good as Schwab.

 

One little trick is when you are getting ready to return, if you can find a Starbucks in whatever country you are in, you can load your Starbucks card with the local currency and it will automatically get converted back to US dollars at the current exchange rate without any additional fees.

 

For major currencies I just bring any left over home for use on the next trip.

Edited April 21, 2015 by RDC1