LB2409

I am just back from two lovely weeks based in Ischia, with trips to Capri, Positano, Pompeii, Amalfi, Ravello. . . divine.

I wanted to advise that I ran into an American family in Capri who were in a bit of a pinch because so many places did not accept credit cards, preferring cash. This was a problem for them, a family of 5 -- two parents and three large teenagers -- as their bank card withdrawl limit wasn't quite enough to accommodate their daily needs.

They had to ring their bank to ask for their limit to be increased. Fortunately, equipped with the right cell phone and bank contact numbers, they were able to do this. While chatting waiting for the bus, they told me they wished someone had warned them about this bias in favour of cash!

So, please consider this in planning your holiday. Carrying around a week or two's worth of cash obviously isn't a good idea. A way around it may be to ensure than in a couple, say, both people have withdrawl access to different accounts, instead of relying on one account to fund your activities, and being hampered by its daily withdrawl limit.

I found it very easy to go through a few hundred euro in 24 hours in Capri.

P_M

Thanks for sharing this story. I can see how this would be a problem, that's why I have 2 different ATM cards from different banks. Hopefully the family you met will do the same on thier next trip.

LoveItaly

Hi LB2409, I really don't understand about so many places in Capri not accepting credit cards. Do you know what businesses would not accept credit cards? I am wondering because that has not been my experience.

Perhaps the family you ran into had run the credit card up to the limit and consequently could not charge any more on their credit card?

While you were on Capri did you have a problem using your credit card?

I do agree with having two differnt checking a/c's with an ATM card for each checking a/c. I always have that. But again, do not understand the problem that the family you ran into on Capri had unless they ran over their limit on their credit card. And again, what was your experience using your credit card on Capri? Thanks.

Patrick

It's been a couple years since I've been to Capri, but during the three days we were there, we charged virtually everything we did, including every single restaurant we went to and never had a single problem. I never tried if spending a euro or two at a little store, but otherwise it seemed to me that credit cards are widely accepted. I too would be curious what places didn't take them.

LoveItaly

Hi Patrick, without knowing I think the family that LB24098 ran into used up their credit card to the limit and consequently could not use their credit card. I do not know for sure of course, but that is what it seems to me.

lilminkey

loveitaly,this is universal, Cash is King.I have knowledge of people in this country with sucessful retail businesses running one register with no tape, this is the CASH register. That register buys the boats,trips, and the three carrot rings.lol

LoveItaly

Hey lilminkey, are you talking about Italy??? When you say "this country" which country are you referring to? Yes of course I know about the "cash" transactions in Italy. But it is not typical for tourist to not be able to use their credit card for transactions. The American family visiting Capri had a problem with their credit card IMO, probably because they had charged up to their limit. As Patrick stated, CC are excepted on Capri.

Cash transacations in Italy are generally among the residents of Italy. Believe me I know about the the cash transactions in Italy. Probably more than you do.

lilminkey

loveitaly, no need to flex ,dear the point is exactly what I said cash is king here, there,and everywhere!

Therese

No experience with Capri, but our visit to Venice two years ago did end up being problematic from a cash/credit point of view, as our hotel notified us that they required cash payment (unless we wanted to pay a fairly stiff penalty for using a credit card) only halfway through out stay. I was not able to withdraw sufficient cash per day to account for the total, and ended up having to get a cash advance from AmEx to cover it.

Many restaurants also did not accept credit cards.

I've not had this experience elsewhere in Europe recently---France, Germany, Greece, and England all very credit card friendly. Italy apparently retains the "gray market" mentality of years past. Based on personal experience only this seems to be more prevalent in tourist areas---no problem with credit cards in Bologna, Urbino, and Pesaro.

LoveItaly

Hi lilminkey, yes darlin - cash is king - but you didn't answer my question did you? Where are you? LOL.
And even though cash is king it doesn't mean that cc can't be used. Get a clue dear one!

Intrepid1

Sorry, but I plan a lot better than these people you "ran into."

Now, how about telling us something positive?

cmt

From lilminkey's post above: <<That register buys the boats,trips, and the three carrot rings.lol>>

What are carrot rings? Pastries? Carrot tempura curls?

Bob_C

We have found that some family run B&Bs take only cash. We have paid in cash in France, England and Germany. The cost of using a credit card is too high for many small B&Bs.

nytraveler

We have been to the Amalfi coast, including Capri, three times and have never had any problems with people accepting credit cards - at any restaurant or shop.

Naturally we didn;t use them for small purchases - a drink in a cafe etc - but for anything over $10 or $15 we did.

In any case, the stores always have the CC logos in the windows so you know if they'll take them before you enter.

I know some very modest hotels/B&Bs offer discounts for cash or in the latter csse don;t want CC - but then you would know that in advance.

I think we don't have the whole story.

Doble_Vergasser

When we were traveling in June, we found:
1 Albergo cash only
1 Hotel 4.0% added to bill when using a credit Card
Once in Germany (years ago) a restaurant that accepted European Visa debit type cards, but not American Visa cards (a forty euro bill and we had 42 euro on us. ha ha. )

Yes you need to know what they accept.

justretired

Taking the original poster at his or her word, I won't assume that the family hit its credit card limit. It sounds as if there are quite a few establishments that simply did not accept credit cards, period.

Why would this run counter to the experience of most of the responding Fodorites? Here's a guess: Italy is expensive, particularly in tourist areas, and a family of five might have to work hard to keep their expenditures within reason. They might be eating at very small, relatively inexpensive restaurants. And those would be precisely the ones that might not take credit cards.

Most Fodorites, perhaps, patronize somewhat higher-priced establishments, which accept credit cards without question.

- Larry

starrsville

I agree nyt.
I think LoveItaly nailed it too.
Problems can also arise with credit limits when using debit cards. Vendors can "charge" an estimated amount when the actual amount will be lower to ensure funds are there at the end of the hotel stay, return of rental car, completion of transaction at gas pump, etc. Those estimated buffers can wreck havoc on charge limits.

Doesn't seem like this family's experience in Capri was the norm.

janis

justretired: >> Most Fodorites, perhaps, patronize somewhat higher-priced establishments, which accept credit cards without question <<

First of all - just as many Fodorites travel on tight budgets as on generous ones.

2nd - many of the posts on this thread have been from folks who go to Itally all the time and know it like the back of their hand.

and 3rd - MOST places do take credit cards, SOME will discount for cash or tack on 3% or 4% extra to to charge, an a FEW don't accept cards at all.

So probably, either the OP didn't get the full story, or the 'poor' American family was exaggerating the situation.

justretired

Well, Janis, I was just trying to come up with a guess to reconcile the original poster's experience with the quite differing experience of those replying.

The OP specifically said that the problem was many places not taking credit cards. LoveItaly, I don't know why you think that experience was so incredibly unlikely that you had to assume they had hit their credit card limit, which is quite another matter. The limit the OP said they hit was the daily ATM card limit; they couldn't get enough cash in one day.

I hit a place that didn't take credit cards on my last night in ROME! It took me totally by surprise; I had stopped asking. I left my wife as ransom, and went out into the night to find an ATM (which was not very difficult).

But Janis, as you point out, the story is indeed secondhand, and could have gotten mangled on the way to us.

- Larry

Patrick

I can easily accept the idea that if the family in question was saving money and eating at very small inexpensive places then they might have problems using credit cards. But LB2409 tied their experience to the comment that "I found it very easy to go through a few hundred euro in 24 hours in Capri." That doesn't sound like inexpensive places to me.

And back to the original family. What was their ATM limit set at if they had to call and have it raised during their trip? I can't imagine it being less than $ 300 a day at the very minimum. So are they telling us they were spending more than that amount daily on things beyond their hotel (which SURELY accepted credit cards)? Don't forget we were told that their daily limit for ATM withdrawals "wasn't quite enough to accommodate their daily needs".