What is the best credit card to have over in Ireland..is there one that is more widely accepted. What about Travelers checks?? FIrst time traveler not sure what is best Thanks in advance for your informative advice

Hi

There is heaps written on this topic. Just do a search in this forum. The general consensus is traveller's checks are a thing of the past. They are more expensive to process and are not widely accepted. I use two seperate Visa and ATM savings cards displaying the Maestro and Cirrus symbol. No problems to date. There has been quite a lot of discussion on the dynamic conversion issue (search this forum) so be wary of this scam. Please note for security reasons if you do intend to use ATM and credit cards notify your bank prior to departure.

Hope this helps.

Skip the travelers checks, unless you can get them for no fee and can just cash them in when you get back from you trip; otherwise, use them for an emergency only. Credit and debit cards will due just fine.

It's best to have at least two credit cards from different companies, in the remote chance that one isn't acceped, but note that the cards charge from 1% to 3% conversion fee on every transaction. Call your credit card companies and ask what their fee is. My credit union's visa was only 1% so I used that most everywhere on my last trip to Europe in September.

Also take some US dollars with you just in case.

Andrew

Safety and risk factors ought be considered rather than 'best credit card'. Visa and Master cards are generally accepted. Merchant fees are low. American Express merchant fees are higher and many do not accept them. However AX usually offers more personal service. Credit cards can be used to withdraw local currency. Find out what the interest charge will be. Debit cards usually are used to obtain local currency at a lower cost. Any withdrawal is charged the same machine fee. There is nothing wrong with Traveler's checks. Converting them is time consuming. They can be replaced if lost or stolen. Note record requirements. USA cash is an option. Check prices at the airport. Airport and hotel conversions net less cash than High Street dealers. Many banks offer ATMs inside, off the street.

Visa & MasterCard are widely accepted but many B&B's are strictly cash: no B&B vouchers and no credit cards. If you have a Credit Union 'Check Card' you get 'no fee' ATM withdrawals (at least that's what my CU says). I have used my CU Visa Check Card extensively in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe.

Hotels will often offer to charge your Credit Card in US Dollars "as a convenience to our guestsquot; That's a scam! It's better (and saves you money) to go to the nearest ATM, withdraw cash, and pay in the 'coin of the realm' (i.e., Euros).

ttt

>Hotels will often offer to charge your Credit Card in US Dollars "as a convenience to our guestsquot; That's a scam! It's better (and saves you money) to go to the nearest ATM, withdraw cash, and pay in the 'coin of the realm' (i.e., Euros). <

OR Insist that you will not accept a charge in dollars. If they tell you that they cannot charge in euros, write "Local currency option not offered" on the slip and file a complaint with Visa, MC or Amex.

Regardless of the merchant fees, as of September 2005, Citibank charged a 3% conversion fee (probably 1% from Visa/MC and 2% their own), American Express charged only 2%, and my credit union only passed on the 1% visa fee. Obviously I didn't use the Citibank card in Europe - no reason to.

Andrew

don't bother with traveler checks go with credit cards.
have a great time.

Use a debit card - NOT a credit card - to get cash from ATMs.

Look for cards that give you interbank rate and absorb the V/MC 1%. They're out there.

I agree that travelers chqs are yesterdays news. We bought Euro travelers cheques when we went to Southern France a few years back and had a difficult time finding hotels, restaurants, stores and even the bank in Arles did not want to exchange them. When we did find an exchange booth we paid a very large service fee for the transaction. It was the last time I've purchased travelers cheques. My huband and I both bring our ATM cards, I bring a Mastercard, American Express and some Euro cash. My husband brings his Visa. That will cover all the bases and if one ATM gets swallowed by a machine we have a back up. We have never had a problem finding ATM's even in the most remote locations.

I used a debit card with a MasterCard logo, and a VISA credit card last summer and had no problems traveling throughout Switzerland and France. ATMs need at least a 4 digit pin to withdraw cash. It is important to notify your banking institution prior to your trip, or you might get cut off, as happened to one of my fellow travelers when his credit card company thought someone had stolen his card.

I also found it VERY helpful to purchase a few euro from your local bank so that you have cash ready when you hit the streets, especially if you're traveling on the weekend. Saves time looking for an ATM or exchange office, and you'll probably get a better rate.

Don't even think about travelers checks!

Melissa

I didn't take any traveler's checks on my last trip to Europe, but they aren't a bad idea for emergencies, and my credit union gives them to me for no fee (so does AAA I think). I also didn't take any local currency, as I was in four countries (Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, UK) that use four different currencies. My ATM card work just fine everywhere. Note that I called all my credit card companies prior to my trip to let them know about my trip, but my Credit Union said they had no way to record this information(!) which was surprising. But I used my CC's visa and debit card for almost everything and was never cut off.

Andrew

While I agree with Melissa above about getting some currency ahead of time, it is highly unlikely that it would be at a better rate of exchange at your local bank than what you will receive from an ATM after you arrive Europe.

HORROR STORY: I had a trip to Ireland planned starting the weekend FirstUnion was scheduled to take over CoreStates Bank. I called CoreStates and they assured me that there would no problem for me to continue using my CoreStates ATM card until I received a new one from First Union Bank. That may have been the case in the U.S., but I specifically told the Customer Service rep that I would be traveling outside the U.S.

There was a problem; and it was BIG! None of the ATM's I tried to use in Ireland would alow me to complete a transaction. The CoreStates Bank routing codes had been discontinued and removed from the System. The person I had spoken with at CoreStates Customer Service gave me bad information!!

If there's anything like that going on with your Bank be sure you have a 'Plan B' to fall back on.

My (very expensive) 'fallback' was to use my Visa Credit Card with a pin # to borrow cash at a usurous rate.

The idea that if you use your credit card for a cash advance, you are going to get zapped with huge fees could be true or could be false, depending upon your bank and your credit card interest rate.

For example, USAA only charges the 1% conversion rate and has a 9% cash advance rate. So if I pay it off when I return, it will cost me less than 1% for the cash advance.

From what I have been reading here, some US Banks are charging ATM fees per transaction, plus up to 3% conversion fees. That could amount to up to 6% on a $100 ATM transaction.

Search for a credit card that doesn't charge fees, and an ATM card that doesn't charge fees. They're out there.

ATM card for getting cash. Many European ATM's wil only take a 4 digit pin number so make sure yours is 4 numbers, not more not less.

VISA and MASTERCARD are taken everywhere that a credit card is taken

Don;t mess with Travelers checks

This is all great info--can anyone tell me what the symbols on the back of the ATM card should be for Ireland--I have 2 ATM cards and they have different symbols on the back Cirrus Maestro Coop and 2 others I think...

"Plus" is another common network symbol -- that's what my VISA ATM card is networked to. Most of the banks will take both Cirrus & Plus and other networks (most banks post on the outside of the machine which cards/networks they accept), but I did find only one bank on my last trip to Ireland that did not accept the Plus, so I just went across the street to the other bank.

BTW, my M/C is Cirrus, and my VISA is Plus.

You can always get an ATM card directly from Mastercard or Visa ... I have a prepaid Mastercard account in which my student loans are deposited onto. I'll be using this card when traveling to Europe for the first time in May. I assume less fees are associated with this type of account.