Just remember Discover cards aren't generally accepted in Europe .

Good point!

Good web site.

Thanks Deb, looks like a good resource!

Notice that besides one Chase card, with $95 annual fee, and Discover, which is unknown outside of the US, the rest of the cards is issued by Capital One. Seems Capital One is the only bank left that doesn't charge 3% fee for foreign transactions. However the exchange rate the bank is using is at least sometimes ridiculous, I asked them once where did they find such exchange rate at that particular date. Didn't get a straight answer, but seems they are using their own. Still better than 3% though

Here's another list that includes both credit and debit/ATM cards http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange

That guide is not current. Cap One no longer offers a 0% fee Debit card. I don't know what else is out of date, just a heads up.

My Capital One transactions always matched the interbank exchange for that day, or within a very minute point. My Debit card also charged 0% foreign currency but did occasionally charge $1.50 atm fee. I have since joined a credit union which will pass 0% on both the Visa cc and the Debit/atm card, and not sure what atm withdrawal fee I'll get.

Now we just need to get Capital One to offer a card with a chip so we can use it in the many places in Europe that we can't use the current card. I'm in Italy right now, and while my card has been accepted where ever there is a person to run the card, it does NOT work in automated machines (such as in train stations). Right now it's not that much of a problem, but in Europe, just as in the US, more and more is being automated and I can see this will be a problem in the future. On this trip I mostly noticed it in train stations - there are tons of 'fast ticket' machines, some of which accept cash, but many only accept cards and my cap one card would not work in those. While there are more and more fast ticket machines, there are fewer and fewer manned ticket windows.

you need a card with the chip, especially for the train ticket dispensers. Some US banks, inclduing Chase, issue those, but not CapitalOne.

We were just discussing this on another forum.There are a few credit card issuing banks announcing the cessation of foreign transaction fees, usually but not always on theirt premium cards along with issuing emv chip card (but always chip and signature not chip and pin). It is surprising that Capital One has not issued any emv chip cards as their general (probably greater than some of the other banks at least up till now) policy of no foreign transaction ees has greatly enhanced the size of their credit card portfolio. And throughout the years here on this forum, everybody's advice has always been get a Capital One credit card which doesn't charge any additional foreign transaction fees and even eats the visa/mc 1% fee..I'm not sure if this was ever true on their debit cards. Also I'm not sure with a couple of debit cards I have, from my Fidelity Brokerage account and Charlges Schwab Bank (not the brokerage) which I got because they re-imburse the transaction fees if you have the nerve, within the US, to use another ban's ATM. But interesstingly enough although credit cards are required to show a breakdown of fees for foreign currency exchange, the debit cards are not required to do so apparently nor when I've pulled money from ATM's in Europe, it seems but I can't really prove it they pass along the 1% mc/visa foreign currency exchange fee but these days I spend so little cash, even on holiday, that it hardly matters. I can go a week with a single €20 withdrawal or £10 as the golden rule of travel is to use your credit card everywhere it's taken for all purchases no matter the size.

Having said all that, it has come to my attention in the last day or two, even though it has been out there for a while, that Bank of America is beginning to issue emv (but again chip and signature not chip and pin) chip cards for many of their cards. While most of their free cards have the near criminal 3% foreign transaction fee, it just so happens that I have their cash rewards card which was issued after Charles Schwab sold their 2% rebate no foreign transaction fee from FIA to Bank of America (which is really moving from the left pocket to the right pocket as FIA is Bank of America), the people holding that card, at least for the time being, were exempted from the 3% foreign transaction fee imposed on other cards so.....I called Bank of America yesterday and was told indeed the emv cards will be available in August. Great so I'll have a chip and signature card, with no annual fee, no foreign transaction fee and a 1% (2% on groceries, wonder if that applies say in London) reward...I think though this might be an indicaion that emv chip cards are cming to a US bank near you.

Now the question becomes just how much functionality is lost because the cards are chip and signature rather than chip and pin. As has been noted elsewhere, in theory Andrews FCU issues, so they claim, a true chip and pin card (1% foreign transaction fee) but my experience in using it for a few small purchases in London (I can afford on a £3 charge losing 3p for a fforeign transaction fee, magnanimous of me don't you think) is that it by default is a chip and signature card. Not once was I asked for my pin. Others have reported mixed acceptance..I did try to use it in the RER machine at CDG airport and it didn't work but it did work in an RATP machine at an unmanned (or unwomanned) metro station.

The consensus is Cap One has blown it as more and more cards will come out with no foreign transaction fees . (BTW my experience with the Capital One credit caqrd is they absolutely do use the interbank rate with no markup. To the poster who reported a poor rate, is it possible you got nailed with a dcc transacton and didn't know it?

I'll stick to my credit union cards--ATM and Visa.

xyz, maybe you can use a credit card for almost all your travel, but that hasn't been my experience. Especially in my recent trip to Greece. However that may have been a special case.

mimar....yes, it is country dependent, I do agree. The countries I visit, the UK and France they take credit cards for most everything. Unfortunately, there are still places in the world that haven't entered the 21st century yet, even in Europe.

I am currently in the Netherlands - have also been to Belgium, Italy and Slovenia on this trip and credit cards are not accepted in as many places as in the US and the UK. In the US (and UK) I charge everything, even a coffee. But not so much in most of Europe. For purchases they are accepted and certainly for hotels, but not always for train tickets (even at ticket windows), food (except in 'nice' restaurants), etc. The major inconvenience is in buying train tickets, and probably also at gas stations (I'm not using cars this trip, but you can see that the gas stations are same as in the US where more and more pumps are card operated).

And to add, US cards, which are chip-less and pin-less, won't work in self-service gas stations and in most train ticket machines in Europe.

Agree that US CC's will not work at self service gas stations. But our experience is, there is usually an attendant at these stations and will run your card through a machine that works. You just have to make sure there is an attendant available.

Just to add to the mix, I am currently looking for a chip and PIN card for our September trip to Europe. B of A is now offering a free, no foreign transaction fee chip card, but it's chip and signature. At Chase Bank, they told me they didn't have one yet. I didn't ask about the British Airways card, but will go back and ask about that. Anyone else find a chip and PIN in the US, that I didnn't mention?

susncrg.....look at Andrews FCU....they have a chip and pin credit card...no annual fee but a 1% foreign transaction fee...but many of us have found the card although advertised as chip and pin by default is chip and signature but it is claimed it will operate as chip and pin wherever chip and signature is not taken. Reports up till now have been spotty as most places take chip & signature. It looks like the US banks have sort of decided on chip and signature as their primary chipped card.

Thanks xyz. I had read about that card and the somewhat negative experiences some people had with a lengthy approval process. So when B of A had a 0% transaction fee it sounded better, though I have never been a huge fan of that bank.

Follow up- Andrews FCU ch and pin card:

It worked in machines to get train tickets in southern France on SNCF trains.

It did NOT work for tolls driving from Nice to Apt. Used cash.

My Cap One credit card ( which worked in restaurants and other places) did NOT work in interMarche supermarkets in either Nice nor Apt but the Andrews worked fine instead.. Not sure why Cap One wouldn't work in only those 2 stores.

Thanks for your follow-up.

Just wondering about the Intermarché stores - did they have the ability to swipe your Cap One card, or was the problem that they only had equipment to read a chipped card?

I ran into this in a few grocery stores in Paris where the checkout clerk said they were unable to swipe. They had no problem using my chipped US Bank Visa, and giving me a slip to sign instead of requesting a PIN.

Were you able to use your Andrews card in fuel pumps? How about parking garages? My chipped Visa would not work in fuel pumps, but did work as a chip and PIN card in two parking garages (in Troyes and Reims).

The cash register at interMarche was equipped to swipe. They tried both my card and my husbands card (different acct) and neither worked.

Haven't needed to buy gas yet, will report back on that attempt. Same for paid parking.

Hr

The Andrews FCU pin and chip card worked perfectly at gas station and used in a parking station. Very pleased with the card.

Great! It sounds like this is the best performance by a US-issued chipped card so far.

My husband, brother and myself had a Capital One card each last trip to Paris. At the Montparnasse station ticket window, mine worked, my brother's did not. At a restaurant, his worked, mine didn't. At a pharmacy, mine didn't work in the first machine, but went through fine in the other. Usually, the message was "Invalid Card", not meaning that the card was invalid but that the machine could not read it. Sometimes, the waiter would "clean" the strip and it would work, other times not.

Just found on another travel site a link to a list of EMV (chip & pin) cards available in the US-
http://tinyurl.com/9gmv5zw