MzPossum

A friend of mine who I'll be travelling with soon posted a message about purchasing petrol with Visa and Mastercard and was told that's becoming increasingly difficult (we're going to Germany and Switzerland) Is that also true for using credit cards for food, hotels, general shopping? What about guesthouses and B&B's? Thanks for any input or suggestions.

Budman

This is my experience. Just about all major gas stations in Europe take Visa/Mastercard. Europeans live by the credit card. You may find an occasional Mom & Pop place with just one or two pumps that don't take credit cards, but that is the exception rather than the norm.

Just about everyone in Europe takes credit cards. Maybe some of the only exceptions are street vendors or small guest houses/B&B's. Just ask then ahead of time. If they don't then get the cash from an ATM machine. They're all over Europe.

Again, most all restaurants & shopping stores & gas stations take Visa & Mastercard. Of course, the exceptions are the Mom & Pop places.

MzPossum

Thanks, Budman I'm lifting my glass of Mosel Wine to you!

LoriNY

Allow me to add my 2 cents - I have never had a problem with Visa or Mastercard, but have found that alot of places will not accept American Express. If they do accept it, it seems to always take a long time to get the approval. In addition, i have noticed that Debit cards are used more and more by Europeans, much more so than here. So make sure the shop (particularly the small ones) realizes you are using a Credit Card, not a Debit card.

Singletail

This just goes to show what can happen when you take everything posted here as being absolutely correct...why would it be difficult to use credit cards at petrol stations??? Get real!

StCirq

I don't think your traveling companion's information is correct. AMEX is sometimes hard to use in Europe, but every European uses VISA daily, and many use Mastercard. I'vbe never seen a gas station or hotel or restaurant that didn't take a Visa or Mastercard. Don't fret.

Nidwaldner_Chris

I live in Switzerland. There have been several instances where English friends and family have had trouble using a non-swiss visa or mastercard to purchase petrol at non-autobahn service stations (i.e. Interlaken and other smaller towns). I know even the town I live in the Migrol right off the A2 does not take non-Swiss visa/mastercard. So be sure to fuel up on the autobahn, fuel up during normal opening hours, and make sure you have some cash-"just in case".

Underhill

What about US credit cards at automatic pumps in France? We weren't able to use our Visa card, apparently because the PIN wasn't in the right format.

janis

I have read several times on this forum that some European (especially French and Swiss) Visa/MCs now have special info imbedded in them that is not yet on USA based credit cards. That card readers will reject them. Maybe that is the issue and someone else has more info.

jay

we have driven all over france and italy and have never had an ounce of trouble.

Michael

We've never had problems when an attendant was available, but the machines might require a card with an imbedded chip. The same seems to be true of dispensing machines on the métro.

Kate

Yes, this problem may be casued by Chip and PIN - it's a system that's been in use for a little while in France and is being introduced very soon in the UK. It uses a chip on the card that holds certain undisclosed information (beyond just the visible card number) and requires you to use a PIN number instead of a signature. It's estimated that it cuts credit card fraud by some 85%. A good thing, and about time.

ira

>We weren't able to use our Visa card, apparently because the PIN wasn't in the right format.<

Was that a CC or a debit card? I don't have a PIN for my CC.

janis

ira: most CCs do allow for PINs - how else would one get a cash advance out of an ATM? (Not that I'm advocating cash advances). I don't have PINs for most of my CCs either but I could set one up in a matter of seconds.

janis

meant to add : How soon are the chips going to be mandatory in thr UK? When I was last there I had no problems (about 10 months ago). I'll be in the UK again in June.

Underhill

Ira,

It was a CC, and I've since learned that the problem appears to be the lack of a microchip.

In any event, we've never gotten a PIN for our credit card because we don't use it to get cash at an ATM.

MzPossum

The microchip is probably the problem as I am talking about non-European Visas and Mastercards. So, sounds like if there is a person rather than a card scanner, we should be fine, but
will be prepared and have cash, too.

StCirq

AH yes, now I understand...your friend was probably talking about using a U.S. credit card to get gas at some of the gas stations outside supermarkets on or the toll roads. It's true - they don't always work. Best to have some cash on hand when planning to need gas from such stations or plan to use stations not at grocery stores in towns.

Lewis

Yes, do have some cash just in case. It was a Q8 gas station that my Visa wouldn't work, inside or at the pump.
But it did work at all other gas stations inside the office.

Kate

Janis, don't fear, these things always take a while. It will be in use sometime in 2005. There's trials running at the moment, and all new CCs and DCs are being issued with Chips, but all the machinery isn't in place yet. I only know this because one of my clients is Lloyds TSB who have been running trials.