4 countries; 4 currencies - what do people do?

[ilikeanswers]

12 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

The statement above isn't true -- most machines have the ability to process both types of cards -- however the person 'behind the counter' may not always know it or how to run a card with a magnetic strip.

 

Also, in Europe they have mostly accommodated to the US refusal to go to chip and pin issued cards en masse; in most places where the transaction is manned, you can use a chip and signature card. It is the unmanned terminals that cause issues if you don't have a chip and pin card (e.g., ticket kiosks and the like).

When I travelled around Scandinavia if I presented my card without chip they would always ask if I had an alternative card with chip, especially in Denmark or Norway🙄. However I do look back and realise I was visiting a lot of places that either had few international visitors or few American visitors so this might have coloured my experience🤔. Though in saying that I always found travelling Europe it is just less of a hassle to match their expectations of technology than hoping they will be able to meet mine😋. Not that I have a choice in the matter anymore as my country now is the same as Europe in card tech😂.

Edited January 2, 2019 by ilikeanswers

[Joanne G.]

17 hours ago, SRF said:

BTW, if you stay on land someplace, the trick I use to get rid of excess local currency is to use it to pay on my hotel bill. 

 

What a great idea - thank you!  

 

And thanks to everyone for the useful information.  It's good to know that credit cards are likely to be accepted for even small purchases.

 

[Velvetwater]

 

Random  related question for you US folk but are Contactless  card payments becoming more mainstream now?

 

Here in the UK they seem to have taken over....and in many places in Europe too.

[ilikeanswers]

9 hours ago, Velvetwater said:

 

Random  related question for you US folk but are Contactless  card payments becoming more mainstream now?

 

Here in the UK they seem to have taken over....and in many places in Europe too.

 

I travelled around America 2017 and it was pretty rare then. But I know what you mean, in Australia they too have taken over. Even market stalls now have a little device you can (as we call it) tap and a lot of festivals have started going cashless. I went to butcher recently and I handed him cash and he gave me this weird look and told me no one has given him cash in a month 🤣. 

[Twickenham]

I was in the US last week. I would say that for the majority of my  purchases I used contactless payment, a few times I did the chip-and-pin thing, and only a couple of times did I have to actually sign.

[GeezerCouple]

9 minutes ago, Twickenham said:

I was in the US last week. I would say that for the majority of my  purchases I used contactless payment, a few times I did the chip-and-pin thing, and only a couple of times did I have to actually sign.

 

In the US, did you really have to use a Chip & PIN charge card, that is, enter the PIN?

Or did it just work without a signature?

 

We've found more and more places where we don't have to sign on a Chip card, but they are all Chip & Signature cards (unfortunately); there isn't any PIN to use IF we had been required to do so.

 

(I don't know if Debit cards still use a PIN when used to "charge" (vs. ATM), as we haven't used a Debit card to charge something in... decades.  But those *do* have a PIN required, whereas the "Chip & Signature" charge cards just don't have that yet, or at least, none of ours do.)

 

Thanks.

We are waiting for those Chip & PIN charge cards.  So far, we've never been to some kiosk where there is no person to assist, at a place where we "must" go (e.g., toll booth, or unattended train ticket station).

 

GC

[SRF]

I have had a number of places, US and outside the US, not bother with signature on a chip and sign card.

 

Since the charge slips are no longer sent to the card company, it would only be an issue if you contested the charge, and they asked the vendor for the signed slip.