Kim

My husband & I leave for our belated honeymoon on friday (we got married in July) for 10 days. We will be flying in and out of Zurich and renting a car to see Munich, Fussen, Salzburg, Venice, & Lake Como. We plan on bringing along a few traveler's checks for back-up, but mostly relying on our ATM/debit card for cash. Our hotels in Munich and Venice do not take credit cards. How much in traveler's checks should we bring? We just don't want to be left in a lurch. Also, do the gas stations in Europe have pay at the pump? Did anyone have a problem using their ATM card? We are bringing a backup card, just in case. Thanks for all your help! <BR> <BR>Kim

Mary Ann

Last year we had no problems at all with out ATM card. However, the couple we were with did have sporadic (twice) problems with theirs, which caused them to go inside the bank rather than use the machine. We did take $500 in travelers checks for back up, never used them, the other couple used them for a major purchase which made it cheaper that credit cards. We ususally try to have 2 ATMs that way you have a back up. We traveled by car through Germany, Austria, Czech, Venice and France. I really cannot remember a pay at the pump but we did use credit cards at all of them. Our hotel in Venice also did not take credit cards. The day before check out we just went to the ATM and took out the cash we needed. If you travel by Toll roads (not in Germany but extensive in Italy) some of the stations accept credit cards, some multiple currency, one we hit would not take francs, marks, US, or credit cards. Fortunately it was a small toll (under $4US). I think they were so frustrated with us, they just let us go through! Be sure to take a good map and if you need route planning and distance guides, check out www.cwlease.com the routeplanner. Also, the Swiss require a sticker, since you are picking up the car in Zurich, it should already be tagged. have a wonderful trip! Oh, check with your hotel in Venice about a discount coupon for parking. We parked in the Tronchetto car park (structure). There were ATMs nearby and then we took the Vaporetto (water bus) to our hotel. If you use the vaporetto be sure to buy your ticket before you go on board, be sure to count your change. A couple (not even americans) figured they would buy the ticket on board, and were severly fined (I think it was about $80 US).

Bob Brown

My experience with credit cards, debit cards, and travelers checks is very similar to Mary Ann's. Only once have we been forced to convert a travelers check because the ATM was out of order. <BR>I have found that in some cases my standard ATM card (not a check card or debit card) will NOT work while my debit/check card was accepted. <BR>Also have two different credit cards. <BR>This past trip in Paris we tried to pay for dinner with my Visa card, but for some reason it would not work. The waiter could not explain it to us in English and I did not understand enough of his French to identify the problem. Fortunately, I have a Master Card as well, and that one was acceptable. <BR>ALSO if you drive in Austria you need something called a "pickerl" which is a sticker that says you paid the road tax. <BR>I understand that the Austrians have fun catching tourists with no vignette or pickerl properly displayed because it is a very profitable business. Just think, you have the power of the state behind you, there is no inventory to carry, no debt structure, and a steady flow of cash customers from many different directions. <BR> <BR>Here is my foreign currency strategy: <BR>1. Before leaving home, I acquire a little (minimum purchase) currency for the first country visited. That way I can go on to the hotel or whatever without hunting up an ATM. (This past year I had a little Austrian currency as well as French currency because we arrived in Austria at night and I did not want to have to look for an ATM machine in the dark before we found a cab to our hotel.) <BR>2. Have two credit cards, different issues, preferably carried separately. <BR>3. Have both my ATM card and my debit/check card. <BR>4. Have a reserve, emergency supply of travelers checks in US$ so I can easily convert the unused ones at home. <BR>I got back this year will my collection of American Express checks untouched. <BR>We relied exclusively on credit cards and cash withdrawals from ATMs in France, Switzerland, and Austria. <BR> <BR>However, if your bank charges a fee for each ATM transactions, converting travelers checks might be just as cheap. I get two free usages per month at "foreign" banks; thereafter I am charged $1.50 per transaction. If you are in a major city, there will be American Express offices, and my general finding has been that they convert their own checks into the local currency as a reasonable exchange rate with no extra fee. If I am withdrawing a large amount of local currency, such as 600 ff to pay my rental bill, the $1.50 fee is about at the breakeven point when compared to cashing a travelers check at a bank. The ATM gives you about the best exchange rate you will find. <BR>Where you really take a "hit" is when you go to a bank and convert small amounts. This past year we stuck away over 200 ff and did not realize we still had it until we got to Lausanne. So I changed the francs at a local bank. <BR>The "clip" was more than 2%. So if I got $400 converted at once, I would lose more on the conversion than the cost of the $1.50 fee for using an ATM for the third time in a month. <BR>So charge as much as you can because you get the bank rate, and use your ATM for local currency. But, have a safety net in the form of travelers checks and hope you don't have to use it.

AC

Hi Kim: <BR>Good luck and congratulations!! I have found from my past experiences that ATM cards and Credit Cards are the way to travel. I carry my debit card from one bank and a regular ATM from my credit union which did not charge me for ATM use. The debit Card can also be used as a Mastercard which helped in London recently when I was not able to use my Visa Card (A call to Visa explained something about a lot of fraud in London so that Visa was not being honored??) My debit card worked fine there. I also carry more than one credit card and carry them separately. I have had the same 300 USD in traveler checks forever. I always carry them "just in case" but I have not had to use them. I go to the ATM in the Airport and take out what I need. There ATM everywhere now and if you find your card does not work in one try another company's ATM. In Scotland the Royal Bank's ATM would not honor my card but the Bank of Scotland would...go figure.. Also, some ATM only deduct from your checking acount (no choices) so keep that in mind. Have a wonderful time!

Kim

Thank you everyone! I think we will only bring about $250 in travelers checks and will use the ATM's & credit card for the rest. I spoke with my bank and they require a minimum $300 order to get foreign currency, although the only charge for the ATM transaction is $1.50. So we will just hit the ATM at the Zurich airport. The last time I was in Europe (1994), ATM's were not so common and we used traveler's checks and credit cards almost exclusively. What a difference 6 years makes! Thanks again! We can't wait for friday to get here! <BR> <BR>Kim