sicily - credit cards
 

I read that credit cards are not widely accepted there.
Anyone have experience here?
Thanks

I've been on Sicily three times, usually for about a week. I can't remember ever trying to use a credit card in a restaurant or for anything else where it wasn't accepted -- and I tend to charge everything. I do know that our hotel in Taormina (Villa Belvedere) asked if possible they'd prefer cash to credit card and we obliged because we liked them -- just took it out of the ATM at the corner. I'm certainly not aware that Sicily has any more reluctance to accept credit cards as anywhere else.

What you read is correct. Italy is not good for credit card usage, particularly in the south. It has one of the lowest credit card penetration rates of any western European country.

That last response is simply amazing to me. Not only have I been to Sicily three times, but I spent nearly three weeks in the very southern reaches of Italy two summers ago. Once again, I literally can't remember a single place that wouldn't take a credit card. I'm not denying that such places may exist, but I sure didn't find them, and that includes stopping in little non-touristy towns and eating where no one spoke any English -- yet still they tood credit cards.

Look it up then Paddy!

Why do you think that prepaid mobile phones so popular in Italy?

I will tell you - it is due to the lack of penetration of bank accounts and credit cards which mean the operators can not offer contracts to many potential customers.

I have come across numerous places where one can not use credit cards in Italy. I think most autostradas do not accept them although they may have begun to recently.

I really don't need to look it up. From personal experience having charged probably 50 or more meals in Sicily, petrol every time I bought it, and about 12 different hotels and never having been refused the credit card, I'm satisfied that it isn't an issue for me. I would always have enough cash just in case for a meal should the problem arise, but it never has. So I can't agree no matter who says it that "credit cards are not widely accecepted there."

On the other hand it may be according to what places you go to. I can see an Italian coming to the states and eating all his meals at fast food places and going home saying, "wow, you know they don't take credit cards most places in the US".

I had absolutly not a problem what so ever. I was in pretty remote areas as far as tourists go and credit cards were also accepted.I simply cannot agree with U.K on this one. Pehaps U.K has not been there for sometime???

lvitaly - I visited Italy over 20 times last year and am off there next week.

Paddy - I stand by my comment - if you buy a copy of Electronic Paymments (a fascinating read that my company subscribes to) you can see that per retail outlet the penetration of electronic payment processing terminals is well below the European average.

Huh? Who cares? I don't need a place to have an "electronic payment processing terminal" to take my credit card. So? Many of the places use the old fashioned method of copying the card and depositing at the bank. I don't care if they are "behind the times" in how they deposit or process my transaction. All I care is that they DO take the credit card, which personal experience has shown me that they DO.

At least now I know where you're coming from. But I don't see what it has to do with the original question. I don't think NeedAdvice was concerned with when he uses his credit card how it will be processed, only that it will be accepted. But I could be wrong; maybe he has some "thing" about only using his card if he is assured it will be electronically processed and deposited.

And by the way, who is Paddy?

I was very surprised that credit cards were NOT accepted at an agriturismo where I stayed in Sicily in 2000, and when I stayed there again in Nov. 2002, they were still not accepted, but at least I was prepared. I didn't expect stores to accept credit cards, but I just assumed that places that provide lodging for foreign visitors would take major credit cards. In that particular area (Nebrodi Mountains, province of Messina) there were also no ATM or Bancomat machines for miles around, but that didn't surprise me at all. I was a little surprised, though, that these machines were rather scarce in the Aeolian islands in 2000. Part of the time I traveled in Sicily on my own, and part of the time with tours. Since I didn't pay for too many things directly when I was on a tour, I can't really give good info re how widely credit cards were accepted in some of the places where I went with a group (e.g., Erice and area, Marsala, Piazza Armerina, Madonie Mts., Ragusa area). I can definitely report that in Palermo credit cards were very widely accepted in stores and restaurants, and there seemed to be ATM machines/Bancomat machines about every two blocks in the center. Credit cards also seemed to be widely accepted in Taormina, where it was also easy to find cash machines.

Some of these posts were really funny. I guess the safest bet is to always have some cash in your pocket. :)

Mellie, so true, so true. Always have enough cash in your pocket to at least take care of a decent meal.

I think this can be true of other countries also, it even happens here at home such as restaurants (usually Asian ones). Some establishments accept cash only.

I was in Sicily and southern Italy in 2002 and never had a problem using my credit card anywhere.

Let's face it, you're all wrong...UKUKUK is the only who is right...you must all have been dreaming when you used your credit cards! :)

Paddy

I forgot to include manual payment processing but it does not change the fact that credit card penetraion in Italy is low and as a result one can not use a credit card as easily as in northern Europe or the Unitred States.

FYI - There are less than 5m credit crads in Italy and Italy has a population of about 57m. This translates to a penetration of less than 10%. Contrast this with the UK where there are almost 20m credit cards for a similar population. Then compare this with the US where there are about 275m cards for a population of not much more. Obviously there are distortions in this data as some people will have ten cards and some people won't have any however, it s