Mastercard Accepted in Europe
 

I am travelling for the first time to Europe, and will be in Germany, France and Spain. I have assumed that my MasterCard would be accepted anywhere, but my research is suggesting that this may not be the case. Does anyone know whether Visa is more widely accepted in Europe than Mastercard? I don't mind paying with cash or ATM if I have to, but I am mostly concerned that I may have difficulty making hotel reservations if they don't accept MasterCard. I don't want to apply for another credit card unless I have no other choice.

In Versallie right now. Yes they work.

I saw more signs for Mastercard than for Visa, but most places who showed the Mastercard sign also took Visa. However. most places we ate at did not take either, usually "cash" only. Also small hotels and guesthouses often took only cash. We had our ATM card withdrawel limit raised temporarily just in case we needed more cash to pay for both food and rooms.

Both Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted in Europe, with Visa having a slight advantage. But, don't let that discourage you. MasterCard is indeed widely accepted.
Of course, if you want to have great assurance of credit-card acceptance, why don't you just get a Visa card as well. This will also mean that you'll have two cards to use, giving you more "security" in case one is lost, stolen or rejected.

Yes, both Mastercard and Visa are widely accepted in Germany, France and Spain, except for the smaller villages.

My wife & I spend 2 months each year vacationing in Europe - mostly France & Italy. We have been doing this since '99.

This past June, one restaurant in Italy did not take MC, but they took Visa.

One very upscale restaurant in Tuscany said that their machine was broken & we would have to pay in cash.

We've charged hundreds of things - and these were the only two problems. About 1 in 30 restaurants only take cash. Of course, we pay cash for pizza by the slice, Panini for lunch, sandwiches, etc.

We stay in Gites (houses), so we don't use hotels that often & we've never stayed in a B&B.

Stu Dudley

Both MC and VISA are common as noted. Seriously consider raising your ATM limit and perhaps getting a debit card as well. Many hotels that accept cards will give a discount of up to 10% if you pay cash.