Credit Cards and ATM's in Italy

Old May 29th, 2003, 12:48 PM
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Credit Cards and ATM's in Italy

A local friend warned against using my credit card in Italy. Said his number was stolen while there and 6 months later he was disputing charges. The hotels all require cash, no credit cards accepted. Are the ATM's readily accessable? Suggestions, please. Thanks!
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Old May 29th, 2003, 12:52 PM
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Hi annie,

There are a numer of posts on this that you can search.

ATM's seem to be as ubiquitous as mushrooms after a rain.

Your credit card number can be stolen anywhere. It's not an Italian problem.
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Old May 29th, 2003, 12:52 PM
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While it's possible your friend had a problem with his credit card number in Italy, it's patently ridiculous to say the hotels all require cash. I've never paid cash for a hotel in Italy in something like 10 trips. And yes, there are ATMs around every corner.
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Old May 29th, 2003, 01:04 PM
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I didn't mean to imply that "all hotels in Italy" require cash payment, but the four I have booked operate exactly that way...no credit cards! They each took my card when I made the reservation, but will not accept it for payment. Strange, eh? Glad to know that the ATM's are plenitful.
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Old May 29th, 2003, 01:45 PM
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Your credit card is as safe in Italy as elsewhere, despite your friend's experience. Someone used my Amex number two months ago and charged $5,000 worth of merchandise. Does that mean that I shouldn't use a card in the US anymore? (Amex caught it and I never got involved.)
As previously mentioned, ATM machines are ubiquitous in Italy. A combination of money from ATMs and credit cards is the best and most cost-efficient way to go.














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Old May 29th, 2003, 07:29 PM
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ATMS are not as common as they are in the US, but still are prevalent. As for CC theft, just look at your reciept when you get it.
In the US, many reciepts print out your entire number while others pnly have the last four digits. Any reciept with all the numbers is worth hanging on to.
Also, let your bank know that you are leaving if you are planning on using ATMs often. A fellow traveler on my trip did not, and his bank put a freeze on his account mid trip. Good
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Old May 29th, 2003, 08:37 PM
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I don't think your credit card # is any more likely to be stolen in Italy than in the US. (Actually I think it's a lot MORE likley to be stolen in the US.)

In my last few trips to Italy I have USUAALLY been able to pay for hotels by credit card with absolutely no problem. The exceptions were a small hotel in Lucca where I think the peson was just being difficult, and a simple agriturismo in the Nebrodi Mountains of Sicily where things were still done the old fashioned way and credit cards were not accepted.

I would definitely not say that ATMs are available ALL over Italy. It will definitely depend where you are. In Florence and many medium sized towns in the north and central Italy (e.g., Cortona, Assisi, Bergamo), I remember that the ATMs were very plentiful and they all worked, and the same was true in Palermo. I'd assume the same would be true in all other major centers of commerce and/or tourism. However, I don't rememeber seeing any ATMs at all in Basilicata except perhaps in Potenza, and saw not too many in many of the quieter parts of Sicily. Even in the Aeolian Islands, which are a tourist attraction, I think ATMs were not easy to find, though I don't remember looking or one. In some really small towns in Sicily it would be far-fetched to expect to pay by credit card, though I was a little surprised that even the agriturismo didn't except credit cards.

In general, I had a lot less trouble with ATMs and credit cards in Italy than in France. In Provence, there were many ATM machines that didn't work, and there also seemed to be problems with getting credit card payments to go through succcessfully.
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