An American Credit Card in Paris

Old Sep 13th, 2008, 12:15 AM
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An American Credit Card in Paris

Last week I learned I was going to the UK (Portsmouth) for a 9-day business trip. Miraculously, I was able to get an air ticket for my wife using FF miles. She will arrive when work is done and we decided to spend a week in Paris. It is my first visit to France, though my wife spent several years of her childhood there, a visited Paris a handfuk of times (late 1950's).

Currently we are booked on a Eurostar Chunnel train 27 Sept. Hopefully we will be able to make that connection, given current events. We are keeping an eye on that.

Anyway, my question is regarding using American credit cards in Paris. Today, I was told by a coworker that they are useless if they do not have "the chip". Is that true, and if so, does it mean that I can't, for example, pay my hotel bill with my card? What about restaurants?

Or does this chip only affect certain public machines like purchasing Metro tickets. We most likely will buy a 5-day Paris Visite train pass, as well as a museum pass.

I purchased some guidebooks and heve been digging through the web to come up with a hotel, and our all too many options to spend our week's time. Is the chipless card an issue?

Looking forward to it!
Thanks, Nelson
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 12:52 AM
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Nelson,
You can use your credit card for restaurants, hotels, and stores without a problem. (be aware that a lot of places don't take American Express)

The place where the lack of a chip is an issue is in the machines for buying metro passes and that sort of thing, and for the self-serve pumps at gas stations, which shouldn't be an issue for you in Paris.

You might search here on this site for information about the Navigo decouverte instead of the Paris VIsite pass for the metro and bus.

Have a terrific trip!
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 01:31 AM
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I've used my American credit cards all the time in France (and elsewhere in Europe) and the only time I had a problem is buying gas with it; I couldn't swip it in the gas pump but went inside the building and the person keyed in the number and it worked fine. Your co-worker is definitely incorrect. Has she/he ever been to France? I wouldn't be taking any more advice from this person.

You're leaving in 2 weeks so you have to book a hotel room this weekend. September is a very busy time in Paris.

As the previous poster said forget the Paris Visite pass. I think the Decouverte begins on Monday and is good through Sunday and you need a photo. You probably only need to buy a "carnet" of metro passes which means 10 tickets at a price that is less expensive than the single ticket price. You ask at the ticket window in the metro station or buy from a machine. The carnet is 11 Euro (I think the single ticket price is 2 Euro) and the machines take cash if your credit card doesn't work. Since Paris is a city for walking you might not need to get the Navigo Decouverte pass as you won't be able to use it for your first two days and you'll find you walk from sight to sight rather than take the metro or bus.

Here's a link for further info on the Decouverte.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=35118951

Good for you for looking through guidebooks to get you started. I find so many people don't do that anymore and therefore don't have any grounding for their trip.

Bon voyage!
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 02:15 AM
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Your credit cards will be fine, but be aware that they will charge you btween 1% and 3% for transaction fees. The only card that dows not is Capital One..we all use CapOne for travel!! I am in Paris now, for a month....

Have a good trip....
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 02:35 AM
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Nelson - this is a stupid question, but what current events are you referring to?

"Currently we are booked on a Eurostar Chunnel train 27 Sept. Hopefully we will be able to make that connection, given current events. We are keeping an eye on that."
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 02:37 AM
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Scratch that. Google shows a major fire in the chunnel. I am very sorry to hear that.
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 04:22 AM
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I was in Paris this past May and could not use my credit card(s) at the ticket machines in the metro stops. I also could not use my ATM card. I had to go to the ticket agent and pay cash.

I was able to use my credit card at the shops and my ATM at the Monoprix. I did however try to use my Gap Visa at the Gap. The guy wouldn't take it. I found that strange as it really is a Visa card and says so on the front of the card.
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 05:03 AM
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One of the tunnels in the Channel Tunnel is now open.,
According to the BBC

"The Channel Tunnel has reopened to trains after Thursday's fire, with some lorry shuttles and a reduced Eurostar passenger service operating"

By the 27th, you should have no problems.
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 06:42 AM
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Two obvious tourist related places where you need a "chip" card are RATP (Paris Metro/bus) and SNCF (suburbun/long distance) train vending machines.

For RATP, since what I usually buy is a Carnet of 10 discounted tickets, I wait for a machine (there is usually at least one somewhere in the row of ticket machines) with a bill slot. The ticket window guy would not sell me the tickets; instead he motioned me to wait behind a long line of people waiting for the only one bill-taking machine. Sigh...

For SNCF, I have to go to ticket windows if I want to use a non "chip" card; they do take swipe-only cards in person.
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 06:51 AM
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Thanks everyone for your replies! This forum is great, really appreciate it.

My coworker who gave me the information about the chip was in Paris two weeks ago. I'm glad to hear that it really will not be an issue.

Thanks very much for the info about the Navigo decouverte, which I was unaware of. That seems to be the way to go, as we can use it Monday - Saturday after we arrive on a Saturday. For that first Sunday I understand that roads along the Seine are closed to traffic then. That will likely be a walking day anyway, so it works out perfect. I like the convenience of the card. I'll pack some photos along.

We can try to pick up the card and our museum pass at Gare du Nord upon arrival, before going to the hotel. (Presumably we can buy a Navigo on Saturday, and it starts working on Monday, correct?)

Here is the hotel I wound up booking:
http://www.hotel-paris-lademeure.com/
It is in the 13th, near the border of the 5th, not far from the Jarden Des Plantes. It was a challenge finding one that was not too expensive, got decent online reviews, AND was not fully booked on short notice. Our rate through booking.com was 975 Euros for 7 nights, standard double. We enjoy walking so the location should be fine for us. It is also close to the Les Gobelins station.

Eurostar is sending trains through again, but with limited service. A Eurotunnel spokesperson said repairs to the damaged tunnel will take "weeks", so this still could affect us, but I'm less concerned than I was yesterday.

Thanks again everyone!

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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 07:56 AM
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I'm sorry, but your co-worker is either blowing smoke (or perhaps inhaling) or is dumber than a rock. As the others have said - your credit cards are good everywhere except a few machines like in train/metro stations. And in those cases there will be a ticket window nearby where a real live person can run your credit card.

I am REALLY curious what happened w/ your co-worker. Maybe he didn't tell his cc issuer he would be out of the country so they put a block on the card for fraud prevention.
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 07:59 AM
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Oh - and in case you hadn't already realized it - you'll do better if you take any other advice from that co-worker w/ a grain of salt.
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 09:04 AM
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Hi janisj, Good to hear from you. You helped me a lot with Scotland advice a couple of years ago.

Not sure what was up with my coworker's information, but it was almost to the point of leave your card home if it doesn't have "the chip". It did seem odd that they would make it difficult to take my money!

The other advice she gave was to carry coins for using the pay public toilets, as there are no free ones like we are used to here in the States. But another coworker independently suggested to keep an eye out for the "golden arches" and use their facilities. Buy a drink or something if you feel guilty. Now that seemed like good advice.

gracejoan, I just found the thread where you are offering up lots of Paris advice. I'm packing now (I leave for England on Tuesday), but will spend some more time there later. Thanks.
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 10:34 AM
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I don't agree that a lot of places don't take American Express. I use it almost exclusively - and it's taken by any hotel and most moderate and above restaurants/stores/museums etc.

In more modest places they may prefer a Visa - and in any case - I would never go with just one credit card.
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 11:27 AM
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Sometimes people who have been to Paris once for a couple days give erroneous information because they've only done something one way and thus say that is true in all of Paris or all of France or something.

For example, I was getting some ID photos from a cheap photo machine in a mall near me a few years ago as I planned to buy a Carte Orange in Paris and new I needed them. I started chatting with a young woman by the booth about where I was going, etc., and why I needed the photo and she insisted that you did not need a photo for a metro pass in Paris. I said, excuse me, I've been there about every year for extended time for over a decade and I know you do. Of course, all she knew was that she had bought the tourist pass (the Paris Visite) and that you don't need a photo for that so she presumed to just make up information about general Paris metro passes, which she knew nothing about.

Your coworker maybe tried to use her CC in a metro or train machine and couldn't so just made that up. Or maybe she encounted some strange situation in a single cafe or restaurant where the waiter said you couldn't -- sometimes staff don't know what they are doing, as you can override that and use a machine. I think a few people on Fodors have mentioned times at occasional places in Paris where they wouldn't take a card without a chip, but it's very rare.

As for the public toilets, another erroneous statement. The public toilets on the streets of Paris are now completely free and have been for a couple years--at least as far as I know, unless they changed that very recently, I haven't been there this year. They are often free in museums and dept. stores, also, although I think occasionally some of those require a small coin, as do some in train stations, etc. You cannot just use the McDonalds toilets if you aren't a customer in some locations in Paris where a lot of tourists congregate, either. YOu need to buy something and then they give you a code to use. Ones in the outer areas are generally open to the public.
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 12:00 PM
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bookmarking
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Old Sep 13th, 2008, 03:13 PM
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I , as nytraveler, also use AmExp exclusively and don't have a problem with it. This comment, about Visa and MC being easy to use, but not AmExp, comes up over and over again. I've had my card for 28 years and have been vacationing in Paris, almost annually, since the mid 70s. Before my AmExp card, I used basically cash/traveler's checks.
In the 70s and 80s, it could be problematic with the AmExp card so I just took more cash/traveler's checks along. But, back then any credit card could be a problem as people used cash a lot back then. I think my old hotel...Welcome Hotel, in the 6th still only accepts cash. It definitely was still only accepting cash when I last stayed at it in the mid-late 90s, I think it was. Happy Travels!
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Old Sep 14th, 2008, 08:48 AM
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The sanisette toilets in Paris were still free as of last month.

And as Christina noted... if you use a MacDonalds to use their facilities keep your receipt because the unlock code for the washroom door is on there.

Also, don't be surprised when you discover the washroom is unisex as well.

Rob
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Old Sep 14th, 2008, 02:35 PM
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Thanks again for the replies and further info. Glad to hear none of this will be an issue.

The Chunnel incident, however, could have an impact on us. The damaged tube will now be closed for months, they say. And they continue to push out the date when full refunds are offered. First it was Sept. 13, then the 17th, now out to the 21st.

Presumably it will all work out.

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Old Sep 16th, 2008, 08:47 AM
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An update on the Chunnel situation. As of this morning Eurostar is now advising:

Unless your journey is absolutely essential, we advise that you avoid travelling, particularly if you are travelling over the weekends of Friday 19th to Sunday 21st September and Friday 26th September to Sunday 28th September.

Our train was booked for Sept 27, right in the middle of the avoid travel period! So, I have just booked a flight on Air France. Fortunately they were still available at a reasonable price. Our Eurostar tickets were non-refundable, but given the situation we should be able to obtain a refund.

I photocopied some maps from our Paris guidebook and am now redlining the sights that we "must" visit, with secondary options also noted. Then we can make best use of our time as we walk from one to the other. Of course, we are leaving plenty of time for simply sitting around in a cafe, club, park bench.

Looking forward to it. I leave in a few hours for England.

Thanks again for your help!
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