Take CASH to Venice
 

FYI: I normally don't carry cash, so took only $150 which I converted to Euros ( you only get $.75 for each $1.00 - and planned to use credit cards on my trip to Italy. Big mistake! almost no place takes credit cards - restaurants, museums, souvenirs, even many hotels do not accept them. Getting cash from credit cards and ATMs is very expensive. I spent an average of $125 per day for 3, and our hotel was pre-paid. Florence was a little better. Rome was no problem using credit card.

If getting cash from an ATM is expensive, blame your own bank, Since the Italian banks aren't charging you. Usually ATMs give a better exchange rate than other sources of cash.

I had the complete opposite experience when I traveled to Venice and Almalfi coast last year. Traveled with $600 in travelers checks, debit card and credit card. Returned with $550 in travelers checks. I had no problem using credit/debit card anywhere. I found the exchange rate using the ATM "Bankomats" more cost effective than cashing a check at the hotel or bank.

I found ATMs as readily available in Venice as anywhere else in the developed world. I have paid no fee for any ATM transaction in Europe, and the conversion rate is always within about 1% of the official exchange rate. Can you describe your problems with Venice ATMs for us? Thanks.

I have had no problem whatsoever in Venice or anywhere else in Europe for the past 7 years. I normally take about $100 in Euros (obtained from my bank before I go)and use an ATM card and a credit card without any problem. ATMs are virtually everywhere and the exchange is best using the ATM - my bank charged almost no fees. Much more convenient and cheaper than travelers checks or converting cash.

We also found ATM's in abundance in Venice, and withdrew the amount we would need each day for a mere 75 cent charge from our US bank. The Italian banks didn't charge us a thing, and the max withdrawal amount was typically 800 euro. I was happy to pay 75 cents each day for the peace of mind in not having to carry a lot of cash around.

I can't comment on the credit card issue since I didn't attempt to use mine there.

If you want to find restaurants, shops etc, which take credit cards, and you're looking at midmarket places, look for the credit card symbols on stickers on the door or window.

Expensive places may not bother to display such stickers, but it would be unusual to find an expensive restaurant or relatively smart hotel which doesn't take credit cards.

Also just back from Venice. Had no problem exchanging Travelers Checks for Euros. Yes the exchange rate is bad but that is not only in Venice. Also used credit cards at hotel and shops with no problem. I informed my hotel ahead of time that I wanted to use credid card.

ProundMom,

What credit card were you trying to use? Just about everybody takes Visa and Master Card.

Curious

Good point curious - quite a lot of smaller retailers in Europe won't take American Express.

We must have gone to totally different places. We had no problems using Amex or any other cards on Venice.
And, as previously stated, most of us find the combo or ATMs and credit cards as the most economic way to travel overseas.

Just exactly what kind of credit card do you carry?

We've relied on ATMs and credit cards throughout our travels in Europe (in Venice 3 times the last 4 years) and I don't recall having had any problems using our Visa/Amex/MC nor Bank of America credit cards.

Like a dummy, I goofed and left my ATM at home, which was my first mistake. So I was stuck with a credit card as my only way to get cash - with a 45 Euro fee for a cash advance. I had Visa, MC and American Express with me, so it didn't matter which one - most places didn't take any cards, period. We ate at several different cafe's where you sit outside and they serve you and none of them took credit cards. The meals averaged $50 for 3people and a bottle of wine. The vaporetto ticket place took credit card, and I know my hotel did, but I saw in the Green Book travel guide several listed that don't.

So ProudMom - the moral of your story is NOT to take cash -- but to remember to take your ATM card . . . . . .

Ha - I guess you're right, Janis, about the moral of my story. Also, it's a warning to those who maybe don't have the extra cash in their account and need to use a credit card... When I realized that I had forgotten to put the ATM card in my travel bag after my visit to the bank before leaving, I wasn't concerned, since I knew I had the credit cards. In the US I use my debit card for for most purchases.

This is a good note to remind people to never take your credit card for cash advances or use at ATM's. It's very expensive. I used my debit card solely at ATM's and never had a problem with high fees. I did make the mistake, however, of using my debit card at a currency exchange location once, and the fee was exhorbitant.

If you don't have an ATM card and are planning a trip, be sure to get a card with a four digit pin before you leave. That way, cash is always available.

This posting also serves as a good reminder to ask an establishment if it takes credit cards BEFORE you sit down and dine!
I don't doubt ProudMom's experience, but it's the first time I ever heard of anyone patronizing so many places in Venice that didn't accept credit cards.

Me too!
Out of all the fine establishments in Venice, she ends up in those 10% that did not accept credit cards.

Good to clarify that for people!

Using credit cards w/ ATM's may be expensive as it is a "cash advance". But getting Euro w/ your ATM card attached to a checking account gives a good rate of exchange and costs only what is charged for an international transaction from your home bank ($0-3USD is typical).

So *my* moral to this story is never depend solely on credit cards - anywhere you travel. Many places in the world, smaller restaurants and local shops do not take CC's because of the high fees they must pay to accept them.

p.s. I also always carry a good amount of U.S. cash to exchange. Approx. $500 is comfortable for me for a 2-week trip. Split up in a couple places on my person or among my luggage.

I need help. Will leave for Italy in 2 weeks and I just read in Fodor's Italy 2004 (Page 56 Smart Travel Tips) that the required number of digits for the ATM's in Italy is five. Is this true?

Regarding the number of digits in your PIN. I think it depends on your bank at home. When I first went to Europe several years ago I was told that it HAD to have 4 digits, that five would not work. So I went to my bank since my PIN has 5 digits. My bank told me they no longer issue four digit PINs but that in Europe I could just enter the first four digits of my PIN. I went to another branch of the bank cause that sounded odd to me and I wanted to be sure. Same answer. Still unsure I opened another account at a different bank that would issue a 4 digit PIN and deposited $500 so I would have back up. Well in Europe I tried the "first four digits" of my five digit PIN and it did NOT work. However, when I entered the whole five digits it DID. This has happened in several different countries over the past four years. (The ATM with the other bank with the four digit PIN always works too). So now I happily have two ATMs , one with 4 digits and one with 5, and most of the time they both work. More importantly, if one were lost or stollen I would have the other one to continue with my trip. And BTW, one of my banks charges $5 for each withdrawal and the other only charges $1, so again, that depends on your home bank, not on the ATM you are using in Europe.

The other "moral" to this thread is not to believe everything you read. I'm not saying ProudMom is lying or anything, I'm sure that was her experience, but if someone were to just read her post, and not the many that followed, they would be seriously misled.

I took traveler's checks and credit cards to England/Ireland last year. My husband and I tended to share meals and our cost was below the minimum they would accept on a credit card. I finally figured out that my ATM card was the best thing. I had no fees. I would take a little cash to change when I got to a country and then use my ATM card to get cash as needed. Kathie

ProudMom, I came over here to read this thread because you wrote in another thread that you were blasted in this one. I think you are being a bit too sensitive. The fact is, you forgot to bring your ATM card and had a rough time by visiting some places that did not accept credit cards.

So, some people here learned from your experience, and that is the point of these forums. Thanks for posting.

I make it a point, like some others here, to make sure to bring TWO ATM cards with a couple thousand dollars in each account, just in case.

(((ProudMom)))

I'm a little confused. Are you complaining that with your credit card you got a bad rate - 75 euros for $100? Or that the overall exchange rate - whether for cash, credit card, ATM or anything is bad?

Also, have been to Venice 6 times and have found only a very few places that did not take some type of credi card - typically even if a less expensive place did not take AmEx it would take Visa.

And have never found any hotel that did not take all credit cards - although I assume that there are B&Bs or private hotels that don;t - but naturally anyone would check when booking them.

I was in Venice the end of April and never had a problem, but my hotel only took cash as payment, but I knew that ahead of time. I also opened a second bank account so that I would be able to get cash if one of the cards was lost or demagnatized.

Make sure to alert your bank that you will be traveling so that they do not put a hold on your account for unusual use. Also note that if you are using an ATM/Visa card, that the fraud section of your bank does not always know that you are traveling. If your Visa stops working, but the card works as an ATM, then you need to check your home voicemail to see if Visa has contacted you. When I got home there was a call for each of my ATM Visa cards. Fortunately, they did not put a hold on my cards, but they informed me of the disconnect in information sharing in the institution.

My goodness, Gunny. You must be the first person in history to dine cheaply in England and Ireland. What did you eat, one meat ball? I hope they gave you bread with it ;-)

I second taking two cards. If one bank's ATM is playing up, it's a good insurance to have a back-up.

Sorry, ProudMom, but your comment that ATMS are very expensive simply shows you didn't do it right. Perhaps if you found that to be true, you were "borrowing" money on your credit card rather than withdrawing from your personal checking account. I've heard of some US banks charging as much as $5 or so for each withdrawal, but if you're taking out 200 or 300€ at a time, even that's no big deal either. Again, it is a FACT that no European bank charges anything for using an ATM; if you incur charges at all they are from your own bank at home. My Bank of America charges nothing for withdrawing from numerous partner banks, and if you use a non-partner bank, they charge only $1.50. In Italy they have no partner banks, but that still doesn't stop me. Two days ago I got money in Naples, Italy by going to the BA partner bank Deutsche Bank (yes, they're all over Italy). Sure enough, I just checked my account on the internet and the withdrawal already shows in my account, with no fee, and an exchange rate of 1.223.

The only problem I had with ATMSs in Venice was my own inability to divide liras by the exchange rate, so I ended up taking out (true story) $500 when I meant to take out $50 (so I ended up with oodles of cash that I didn't even want to be carrying around!)

Too funny, dmlove, but I've almost had the opposite problem. At home to get $300, you enter 30000, since it requires the two places after the decimal, but in Europe it seems that you only need to enter the whole amount, in other words 300 to get 300€. At first I was angered when it said I had exceeded my limit when I quickly hit 3 and then four zeros, till I realized I was asking for 3,000 €. Gasp! Glad it didn't spit them out!

Patrick, good to hear from you. What are the other partners for B of A? Thanks for the tip on Deutschebank.

In the UK, it's Barclay's (these can sometimes be found in other countries as well). In France, it's BNP, which are found in just about any town in France. Sorry, don't remember the others for other countries, but you can call BA and they will tell you the partner banks without a service charge.