I´m going to Europe for a month next week and, as I don´t wanna carry too much cash with me, I was thinking of taking a Visa debt card, wich would be used both for shopping or taking money from atms.´I´m just concerned about its acceptance in Europe. Is it a good choice? Do restaurants and shops accept this type of card, just as they accept Visa credit card? How about the atms, are there enough in cities like Rome, Prague, Budapest, Berlin and Amsterdan?

It will be a roaring success at ATMs which you will find on nearly every block or two in all the cities you mention.

I'm not too sure about how a debit card works for purchases in Europe.

A debit card for purchases works the same on both sides of the Atlantic.

Except there's never any interest because you forgot to pay your bill

The Visa debit card (Electron) is usually accepted here in Spain. You can find some places where they just don't want debit cards , though.
All the machines for cash accept it and there are plenty of them (I said on another thread that I have 3 machines just one block from my home and that is on a little city).
I know in Italy is more or less the same. Not sure about your other destinations.

While in London, Paris and Amsterdam last month, my daughter went shopping in each city and had no problem whatsoever using her Visa debit card. They didn't need her PIN number, either. And I used our Visa debit ATM card for cash, with no problem in those cities this June, as well as in Prague last June. It's much too easy to spend money nowadays!

Yes, Maureen, that's why we spend waaaay too much when travelling, because it's easier !!

We've used ours in Italy and all over England. Works just like a credit card. Have fun!

Hi

Just returned from Spain and yes Visa is accepted but on occasions I was asked for my passport for proof of identity. This may be the case for other European destinations although it never used to be.

Have a fun trip

In Germany credit cards are not well accepted. The shop owners do not like the extra fee's and therefore they prefere cash payment for small purchases or maestro card. Also several small restaurants do not accept credit cards for payment. Better you ask before you start to order.

But all major hotel chains & car rental companies accept the VISA-credit card.

For ATM's take a look into
http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/...SearchPage.jsp

I forgot to mention that, while Visa cards are accepted in Amsterdam for purchases over about 25 EU, they prefer cash for smaller purchases. We found that true in shops and cafes, so have EUs on hand, too. There are plenty of ATMs in Amsterdam, too.

I found my VISA to be very easy to use. As others have stated, the pin number wasn't needed for transactions for purchases. I did see several places saying that 20 or 25 euros was the minimum purchase for card purchases though.

We did find AMEX wasn't accepted at several places. VISA was always our easiest to use card.

Just some personal curiosity here. The reason I'm unfamiliar with a debit card is that I have never used one. I have no idea what the advantage is of buying things and immediately having the cost of those things deducted from my checking account, as opposed to buying them on a credit card, waiting a couple weeks for it to be billed, and then up to three more weeks before having to take out the funds to pay for it. Also, I guess I've never understood whether you have the same buyer's protection with a debit card that you have with a credit card. I guess I just don't get any advantages of a debit card over a credit card. Am I missing something here?

Advantages of a debit card:

1. No monthly billing to perform. Unless you draw interest on your checking account, having the money a few weeks longer is moot. And even if you did, I don't think it would outweigh the convenience factors.

2. Spending limited only by your bank balance - no arbitrary ceiling imposed by a credit card issuer.

3. Work in ATMs without "cash advance" fees.

4. Your bank balance is always how much money you have available to spend (without having to keep track of outstanding liabilities).

5. The Consumer Credit Trap is inoperative.

Debit cards benefit from all the same consumer protections that apply to credit cards.

Isn't an ATM card almost always a debit card? Otherwise you pay exorbitant cash advance fees from the credit card use, non?

I set up a "trip account" with my credit union and use the Visa debit card attached to it almost exclusively when I travel.

While I also bring along a couple of regular credit cards just in case, I can't recall the last time I used them during a trip.

I like the restrictions of being confined to whatever's in my travel account - I've never drained it completely yet - and that I never get an unpleasant surprise in the mail (in the form of an unexpectedly high credit card bill) when I return.

Hmmm. OK, Robespierre, I'm reading those reasons.

#1: I do draw interest on my checking account, but hardly enough to worry about. But it seems to me with a debit card I need to constantly mark down what I spend to make sure I know what my new balance is, and make sure I don't use the card before a major automatic deposit into my account takes place. Once a month billing by credit card means I don't have to keep track.

#2: My monthly limit on my credit card is currently $19,000. That's a lot more than my checking account balance is likely to ever be -- so no issue there.

#3: My ATM card does the same thing (I just don't use it as a debit card -- only for ATMs).

#4: I have other sources to draw from if need be, so I wouldn't like being limited to my checking account balance. If I spend more a month than what is there -- I can easily draw it out and put it in to write my monthly check. I couldn't do that with my checking account automatically being billed -- maybe before automatic deposits happen on a certain day of the month. (Although I have an automatic overdraft protection joined to my equity credit line, doing a debit amount over my current checking account balance would bring that into play, causing an immediate (but slight) interest charge.

#5: ?? I don't understand this one.


I guess they're fine for some. I still don't see a single advantageous of a debit card for ME.

And to Maureen. For a couple years my ATM card was NOT also a debit card, until I had a few problems in Europe using it at ATMs because it wasn't a debit card also. Now my ATM is also a debit card, but that doesn't mean you have to use it as one; I only use mine as at ATM card.

Patrick, the reason why debit cards are more popular here in Spain it's because banks give it to you for free to operate the machines to have money They charge you for the credit ones, annually. And they don't give it to you so easily , you need to give them guarantees and they study if they "trust" you and the amount of credit they give you. In many, many cases they only give you 500 euros credit each month

Wow, kenderina, with those restrictions, I don't blame you. I do know I see a ton of debit cards being used by locals in Europe. I can understand why. I just don't get the point when most of our banks offer credit cards with far better options.

I have to say "gotcha" to Patrick--
because I do think you have contradicted yourself, dear helpful and otherwise sage fodorite.

Re-read your last two graphs: you say you 'don't see a single advantage of a debit card', yet next you very helpfully went on to tell me why having a debit card HELPS you in Europe.

So, GOTCHA! As you say, "Now my ATM is also a debit card, but that doesn't mean you have to use it as one; I only use mine as at ATM card."

And that's how I use my 'debit' card, too-- solely as an ATM card. My college-age daughter, however, uses her debit card for both cash and purchases because it helps her (and us) keep a lid on her monthly budget. Other posters have cited this same reason for their use of a debit card.

So, don't feel bad, Patrick, we all have our off days now and then... you'll be better tomorrow!

Lully, I use my Mastercard debit everywhere, and have had no problems. As it is not as widely used or accepted as the VISA, I'm sure you will encounter no difficulties whatsoever. It's very convenient to use one card for cash and purchases, although I do carry a regular credit card, too, just in case I need it. That card is kept separate from my often used debit/atm MC card.

One caveat, though: in restaurants, I sometimes use the credit card OR simply pay cash. When a waiter takes the card out of your sight to run it through, he or she may make an impression of it or copy down the numbers and then use it (or sell it). If you've used a debit card, your bank balance drains instantly. It can be recovered, but NOT instantly. With this same scenario with a credit card you are not out any cold, hard cash, and you can dispute the charges in writing upon your return with no loss of spending power on your trip. Just a thought---