Do train stations take credit cards?
 

I hate carrying too much cash, are credit cards accepted in most places? (train stations, restaurants, shops???)

yes...we have hardly ever carried cash in ten years of visiting europe at least once per year... one exception may be smaller b&b's

Great - I wanted to be sure. Thank you!

No though most stations do some won't if the sum is below a certain figure. But in most countries even supermarkets and some McDonalds take credit cards. Smaller hotels often take them but charge you an addition 3-5% it seems to use them, charging you the fee they must pay to the bank for cards.

I did find that machines wouldn't accept our credit cards in Amsterdam and in a couple of other places. I was told it was because most US cards aren't the "micro chip" variety which the machines require. But they will take them at the windows.

In London and Scandinavia I found that small merchants at inexpensive eateries did not want credit cards.

russ, it would help to know which countries you are going to, and whether you will be in large cities or in the countryside. E.g., many small restaurants in small towns in Italy do not take credit cards.

Paris metro stops took credit cards; most shops, restaurants did as well. exception would be outdoor markets, small pastry shops I think

I, too, am curious about train ticketing using credit cards. I am arriving Rome FCO and immediately taking the express to Rome Termini and then immediately going to La Spezia. Can I pay these two legs by credit card at the airport???

Thanks,

Yes, train stations take AMEX, MC, Visa as forms of payment (that is the only way I bought my train tickets last month!) Restaurants everywhere accept Visa and MC; however, the number of restaurants (and some places) accepting AMEX is fewer because of the fee merchants have to pay to AMEX. Generally, I take out 100 euros in cash for my trip and pay everything else with credit card.

Must places take credit cards in Europe, but with country differences,
while in France the use of credit cards is very common, in switzerland is less common, I don't mean they won't take them, but in certain restaurants or coffee shops they will send you to a nearby ATM machine.
As a general rule payments under 20 euros are done in cash.
Something else to think about is how much credit you have in your credit card. And this depends not only in the country you are, but also the specific bank that owns the ATM machine.
So carry at least two credit cards and check with the issuer if they are good for europe. If you are going to travel to countries off the track, ie
Ukrania, Moldavia,Roumania, Bulgaria,
better check before or carry travel checks.

A cautionary note if you use your credit card (or ATM debit card with a Visa or MC logo) to buy train tickets in Belgium and are keeping an eye on your balance--the train stations in Belgium "double dip" on the amount. That is, the hold for the amount charged sticks around for several days after the charge itself has gone through. That is, if you buy train tickets worth $500, you'll find that even after the charge has been processed, there will still be an additional $500 hold on your account for several more days. We don't have this problem with train tickets bought with credit cards (or ATM debit cards) in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland or the Netherlands. It can be annoying.

Last year, we ran into several places in Germany that did not accept either Visa or MasterCard--including two gasoline stations. These places were mostly away from the normal tourist areas.

Interestingly enough, the Paris Metro used to have a rule that they wouldn't accept credit cards for less than 40 French Francs which is about 7 Euro. Then came the strike where banks started running out of cash as the drivers would not deliver cash to the banks. So they began accepting credit cards for as little as 1 Euro and guess what...everything went beautifully. So much so that the stupid rule about minimum charges was never reinstated. You can now use credit cards for as little as 1 Euro in the Paris Metro.

Why merchants have that moronic rule is beyond me. If even one person makes a purchase he or she wouldn't have because the merchant takes credit cards makes up for the fee merchants have to pay to credit card companies.

It is interesting to note that in the US, contracts that merchants sign with MC/Visa clearly state that no minimums are allowed and surcharges cannot be applied to credit card sales; although for years gasoline companies circumvented this by calling their credit card surcharges cash discounts.

It galls me when people talk about such stupidities as how long credit card transactions take. Every day at the supermarket, I get behind some person who when they hear the bill is $7.43, give the clerk paper currency and then go into their wallet and start counting out 43 cents....when a swipe of the credit cards take about 3 seconds!

xyz123
You're wrong

Whatever conditions US card operators apply in the US, those you cite don't apply in many other countries. They'd be illegal in the UK, for example.

A merchant transaction fee in the UK is typically at least 50p. More than the gross margin on many transactions - and a lot more than the net.

The point at which a merchant actually gets his account credited can be anything up to 4 weeks. And chargebacks are a rackret in which the bank has all the weaponry over the merchant.

Small retailers aren't in business to act as a charity for feckless tourists. Nor are larger businesses - like post offices -that work on micromargins.

If, in your country, it's normal to expect small businesses to subsidise bigger ones, don't expect similar economic illiteracy elsewhere

Please read the post...I made the point the rules I quoted apply in the US.

I do understand that, for example, in the UK merchants are allowed to set minimums and to surcharge credit card purchases.

I don't think the fee is as much as 5% for MC/Visa although I admit I could be wrong.

What I do know is the acceptance of credit cards is built into the prices so that merchants that take credit cards have to raise prices somewhat (not to the point of the fee) as a cost of doing business so in effect in many cases those who pay cash are subsidizing those who use credit cards.

What I do think should be universally agreed is that if a merchant chooses to impose a minimum, again a practice that is illegal in the US but not in the UK, there should be a sign to that effect.

Last month, I got into a hassle with a restaurant in London. They clearly have credit card signs in the window and I did check the menu. When the bill came for about £18, they tried to tell me they only took credit cards for amounts of £30 and above. I said there has to be a sign. They said sorry but that's the policy. I said sorry, but I don't walk around with that kind of cash. They said I should go out to a cashpoint..I said my credit card would charge a ridiculous amount for a cash advance fee.

Guess what...they took the credit card. Such a hassle for nothing; ;they should have taken it in the first place or put up a sign. I probably would not have gone to the restaurant unless they took credit cards.

My point is that such rules are dumb. Credit card transactions, properly authorised, are safer for merchants. No cash to lay around, no cash to lose. I don't know of any merchant accounts that take 4 weeks to credit. In most cases as part of establishing a banking relationship, you accept credit cards and deposit the slips into your account.

Again, I apologize..I am not one who knocks the way other countries do their business. My thought is just about efficiency and fairness.

Regards

xyz123

This past summer, as I was paying my toll charge in France, I thought I had added the credit change, but the machine kept asking for another 10 cent euro. Since, I didn't have any change, I inserted my credit card expecting to have to pay my 2.50 euro toll all over again.
When I got home, I found that I was only charged the 10 cent euro difference, which turned out to be 11 cents American.
Bottom line--You never know what will go through.

Some merchants have Visa and MasterCard logos in the window, but then require you to punch in a special pin at the register. I found this out at a candy store in Denmark when the store refused to accept my card for a purchase and then tried to get me to pay for the merchandise in US dollars at an outrageous exchange rate. (I had run out of Danish currency) Now I always ask what type of cards they accept before I buy.

Gino...

Just out of curiosity, why didn't you use the credit card in the first place? No worrying about change, coins, etc.

By the way, one possible reason for a minimum charge requirement on a credit card has to do with the way the store, restaurant, etc is charged by the credit card company.

In the US, the rate paid by a business to the credit card company for using their service is based on the average amount of the transaction. So, for example, lots of small transactions ends up costing the business more in fees. I don't know if it is the same in Europe, but I would guess so.

xyz123
It was only a 2.50euro charge and I thought I had the correct coins. My point was that tolls in France obviously will take charges as low as a dime.

Compared to the US credit cards are not nearly so widely accepted in Europe.

There are many places in Italy and Greece where you can not use them.

The UK and the Scandinavian countries are probably the most advanced when it comes to credit card acceptance.

In places like Germany, Switzerland and Spain they are widely accepted but often refused for small purchases (this happens in the UK a lot too). You can insist on the store accepting them but they may add a small charge to cover the bank's administration/processing fee.

But in general, if you stick to the touristy places you will have few problems as they are widely accepted in these kinds of places. It is only when you get a bit of the beaten track or if you try and eat/stay in a slightly budget place that you are likely to encounter problems.

My point is that it is much easier to swipe the credit card through the machine than to start finding the proper change. As I tried to say, credit card technology is such today that it is far quicker to use a credit card than to start fumbling for cash even for 2.50 Euro.

Depends where you are going.
If the train station is a large one, they might take credit cards.
In Livorno, Italy, they would only take our cash.
In Monaco, they took our credit cards at the ticket office. The regular machines would only take our credit cards if they were FRENCH credit cards. I don't know what that means, but that's what the machine said.
Some train stations are too small for ticket offices and you can only buy the tickets with EUR at the machines.
Make sure you validate your tickets in Italy! We got fined by the train personnel for not validating. It cost us another 5 EUR!
We just did 5 countries and found that we wound up paying cash at most, even though I prefer using a credit card.

russk007! i am having to eat my words! we just came back from our third trip to italy and i guess the third time is the charm....because we had trouble with our american express the whole trip....be sure to bring more than one card and cash.....we had to pay poor exchange rates and waste a lot of time at american express offices and on the internet/phones...the card worked in zurich fine and would not in venice or florence. it was supposedly resolved on two occasions which was not the case. i think i will always bring a few travelers cheques in euros just in case from now on. also this was our first time on the cinque terre and many places took cash only! we have been to at least 20 foreign cities and this was our first problem, but it was a doozy. hope you haven't left yet and do heed this advice!

Yes, credit cards are accepted at most places, but it may not be YOUR credit card that is accepted, and there are still many places that won;t take cc's at all. Mastercard and Visa are more widely accepted than AMEX, but in smaller European towns it is much more likely that you will need to pay in cash (particularly at small B&B's, I've found).

I know for a fact that the ticket machines at the train stations in Norway, Italy and Switzerland take Visa, MC and Amex, while in some stations in Spain and Holland you're pretty much SOL--they might take a Mastercard, but that seems to vary. So always have cash backup.

Just a hint - you can make train reservations her via the internet, pay by cc, and pick up your tickets at the departure terminal in most of France Try www.sncf.com....they have an English version of the site and will provide guidance on ticket pick up.

xyz123

How can you say that it is quicker to pay with a credit card than cash.

This is simply not true. I have several credit cards and I avoid using them except for very large purchases as they take up so much time when using them. Granted - they are quicker than writing a check/cheque but cash is far quicker.

Next time you are in a shop or gas/petrol station watch whop pays more quickly. It is always the cash payers unless they are offering say a hundred dollar bill for something that costa a quarter.

As for why business owners in the UK don't mention that, despite the logos being displayed, they won't accept CCs below a given amount amount, I suppose it's for the same reason they do the same here : it's "common knowledge" that CCs aren't accepted for small purchases, and it would take a very unusual local customer (or more likely a lot of bad faith) to try paying say, a cup of coffee with a CC.


I noticed recently that here in France (at least some)large stores recently began accepting CC for any amount. As a general rule of thumb, CCC aren't accepted below 15 euros or so, but it may vary depending on the shop/restaurant. "Above which amount do you accept plastic?" or "Would you take a CC for this amount?" are usual and basic questions around here before making a small purchase.