Jordan - If you have a chip and PIN card which you would need, please let us know as they don’t make them in the US yet
George
no pin. just a few Chase cards with the chip. BA and Hyatt to name a couple
Yep. As stated above they most likely won’t work in gas stations, train tickets etc.
George
Without the chip now, any number of places offer problems, with trains (in Switzerland) being the biggest issue. Other places would not take the card directly (I had to leave my hotel in Montpellier without paying)…
Just got an AndrewsFCU chip and PIN card for my upcoming trip to France. I hope to be able to use it in automated kiosks in the Metro and train stations and on the autoroute. I’ll test it out and report back. But given this feedback from Portugal, I’ll be prepared to wait in the long line at the train station.
In France, and most of Europe, without a chip/PIN card you will have issues at some (not all) self-serve gas stations, toll booths, and all SNCF automated train ticket machines (you will have to go to the counter to get your ticket from the person, which means waiting on a sometimes long line). In Paris, the Metro machines sometimes work with US CCs, but I’ve heard of people having some issues. I have a French Visa CC with a Chip/PIN which I’ve used in the US (it has a magnetic stripe so they can swipe it), but frankly if you’re staying within European urban areas you shouldn’t need one. What you really won’t need is your AMEX, most places don’t take it (unless they cater to tourists or are higher-end). But before I got the French card, I used a US MasterCard with almost no issues. ATMs can sometimes be scary using a US card because if the machine doesn’t like your card it keeps it (unlike in the US, their machines actually take the card and hold it while doing the transaction).
But using a US swipe Visa/MasterCard is usually no problem, the machines that take the Euro chip card have swipe/sign capabilities. Discover, however, doesn’t work at all as far as I know (haven’t used one since I was at university, so YMMV).
So I have an American Citi debit/ATM card with the MC logo. Swipe only (no chip) and I am going to be in Paris (and maybe Reims). Do I need to get something else? Use my MC card?
Just take cash too.
I’ve had good luck with the Hyatt card in Paris/Lyon/Munich/Switzerland at all metro and train machines when others were standing around wondering why their US cc was not working. Only time the chip/sign did not appear to work was with the train attendant’s reader on the train to the Lyon airport when we were running late and just jumped on to pay on the way. Had to use cash for that.
I’ve read on other forums that USAA’s World Master Card can now be had with actual chip and pin but have not seen one in person.
Just tried to use a regular swipe credit card (Visa) twice in Switzerland to buy a train ticket. Failed both times…
It will fail every time unfortunately. ![[soap.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/a/a7ea1fffd3ef237e8f19d17a83270ad8452218ca.gif "soap"){kind=small}
In the automated machines that is.
George
MC= MasterCard, correct? Then it should not be an issue, though you’ll be dinged of course for exchange rate and foreign transaction fees. You should not have an issue in the Metro (I’ll check, hopping on the subway in a few minutes) to buy tickets/passes, and in restaurants. But if you’re going to Reims via TGV you’ll have to pick up or buy your tickets at the counter, which might mean a line, so plan accordingly in terms of time. If you’re driving, then bring cash, as the toll booths last time I checked won’t take US CCs, though I did encounter a few that took AMEX (!).
Best Bet= always have cash on hand as well as the MC/Visa CC. Cash always works. ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
As a couple of people have mentioned, Bank ATMs work with swipe card, but if you have a PIN longer than 4 digits, change it now to a 4 char PIN. I learned this the hard way a few years ago.
Neal
I came back from Paris a couple of weeks ago. Used my Wachovia chipless ATM card with no problem and had no problems with my chipless VISA card at all restaurants, train tickets TGV to Reims, Musee d’Orsay, etc. Good luck.
Alan, the last time I tried buying a TGV ticket with my chipless card I couldn’t do it in the machine, but could at the ticket window. Are the machines now accepting chipless cards?
I’d rather not read the entire thread what CC has the chip embedded that I can procure here, please.
No, if you want to purchase or pick up a TGV/SNCF ticket, you have to wait on line and deal with someone behind the counter.
Okay, that was my last experience a couple of years ago. Just checking to see if Alan was saying that had changed.
Thanks,
K
Ken/Michel
I bought my TGV tickets on line and printed them. No problem with my credit card!
Yep, that’s the other option, but I travel a lot in France and stay in places with no printer so it’s not a choice I can use usually.