Clarabelle

We are thinking about touring in Europe next Spring with on a tandem (France, Netherlands, Denmark) and was wondering about using our credit card and ATM card for cash. We plan on going through smaller towns and villages when possible, and I know when we were in Sicily many merchants didn't take plastic and ATM machines were scarce. I've always used ATM cards for cash in other parts of Europe, but those were in larger cities; it's the smaller towns that are a concern. Any advice would be appreciated.

imi

You'll find ATM's everywhere, Almost every shop, restaurant and campsite accepts them as well. This is not an issue in the countries you mentioned.
Carry a few days worth of cash for small expenses, and top up when needed.
Have a great trip!

chasm54

Yeah, if anything ATMs are more numerous in those European countries than in rural USA. Don't worry about it at all

fietsbob

I used my Debit card all the time, in '97.. do note: cash advance fees using credit cards,
are not charged when using a Debit card.

I tended to go into the Bank, as I wore a moneybelt for security, so had to take off my raingear to get to it.

imi

Check with your bank regarding charges for cash withdrawala. Debit and credit cards may have different charges (credit usually more).

edit: fietsbob beat me to it

Machka 

We had no trouble at all either paying for purchases with cards or getting money from ATMs in Europe, and we were there for 3 months from July - September last year. In Europe (and Canada and Australia, etc), you've just got to look for ATMs that have the same symbols above them as are on the back of your card.

In fact, we had a whole lot more difficulty trying to use our cards to pay for things in the US. For some reason, some of the US places didn't want to accept a valid, current VISA card ... issued in Australia. I had to use my Canadian cards. Very weird.

However, if you are from the US and you've got US cards, you'll need to have them updated to the type of cards used in Europe, Canada, Australia, and much of the rest of the world ... the ones with little chips in them.

And it is not a bad idea to take out the amount of money you think you'll need for the next few days or next week so you've got it in cash, just in case.

nun

Use your regular ATM card for cash and get a CapitalOne Credit card for everything else as it has no fee for non-US transactions.

dorkypants

I've used CapitalOne for many years. They haven't moved to chip-and-PIN cards yet. The mag-stripe-only cards don't work in automated self-serve service stations or highway toll gates. BofA is issuing Travel Rewards VISA cards with chip-and-PIN that have no annual fee or foreign transaction charges.

For cash, I use Schwab. They have no monthly minimums or service charges for checking, and will rebate a reasonable amount monthly in ATM use fees worldwide (since they have no ATMs of their own). In France and Italy, I find ATMs do not charge you for using a card not issued by the bank operating the ATM. Daily cash withdrawal maximums can vary widely, tending to be more restrictive in smaller villages and more generous in bigger cities. Occasionally in small Italian villages I've run into all the ATMs simultaneously being either temporarily off-network or out of cash to dispense. Worst is when it happens on a weekend or a long holiday weekend.

MichaelW

My brothers US cards lack chip and pin. This is essential in Europe. You can also get small, calculator-like security number generators for online banking.
My rule is to only withdraw cash from an ATM at a bank. If the card gets swallowed, you can retrieve it easily. If the ATM is unattended, you may have to wait for days.

Philly Tandem

+1 on the CapitalOne card. We've used one for years, specifically because they don't charge foreign conversion fees.

We travel to Europe just about every year, sometimes twice a year, for both business and vacation, including bike tours (Germany and Austria last year, but have also spent time in France and Netherlands). Our style of travel is to stay in small local B&Bs or pensions and to eat in small local restaurants. It's uncommon for a B&B to take anything but cash, and restaurants are hit or miss. For credit cards, Europe has largely moved to chip and pin, but I had no trouble last year using my "dumb" US credit card in nearly a month's worth of traveling in Austria, Germany and France. As DorkyPants wrote, though, at unattended locations (gas stations, etc.), you'll need the chip and pin.

As others have noted, ATM cards are just about everywhere, so I wouldn't worry about that at all. Research local banks to find one that charges little to no foreign withdrawal fees. These can really add up. We have an account set up with one bank locally that we use almost exclusively for travel. That way it's not linked to our main bank account at all. Plus, we still have our main account at a different bank as a backup ATM card in case of issues.

imi

+1 on making ATM cash withdrawals at a bank during opening hours.

My card got eaten once on a friday evening in Thailand - Had to wait till monday morning to get it back :/

Small islands in Greece might not have ATM's.

MichaelW

Whilst we are on the topic of ATMs, do you have the problem of card reading gadgets on ATMs in the USA? Its a big problem in the UK; criminal gangs fit card skimming overlays on top of the ATM that look normal. They also fix a small pinhole camera to a strip at the top, looking down onto the keyboard.

pepox369

Just a heads up, if you are planning on using credit cards here, in Holland, MANY (90%+) stores and restaurants only take a card with a little chip. like this one https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6052/6...b124825c_m.jpg

So, when you are here be sure to get euros out at ATMs and hide them around in the bags.

Tourist in MSN

I also have found that ATM machines in continental Europe are more scarce than in USA. For that reason, I carry more cash there than when in USA.

Most credit card issuing banks will not provide an chip and pin card (or EMV card) if you ask. One major bank told me that they would if I upgraded my account to one with a $485 annual fee. (And they wonder why people are angry at banks.)

But, Bank of America sent me a card that has the little electrical contacts on the front of it when I asked. The contacts do not look the same as those on most EMV cards that I have seen, but instead look more like a SIM card for a cell phone. Thus, I do not know if this is a real EMV card or not. But I know that my other cards are not EMV cards, so although I am not really sure if it is, this is an improvement. That is the sum of my current knowledge on obtaining credit cards issued in USA that are EMV cards.

I recently commented on Europe and cash on a different thread, those posts are at:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post15484063
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post15501965

Tourist in MSN

Yup. Problem here too. I do not get charged when I go to a bank teller instead of to an ATM and my bank is only a 10 minute walk from my condo, so I use an ATM machine in USA maybe three times a year.

I think it is less of a problem when you try to only use ATM machines at banks and financial institutions. In USA there often are ATM machines in small retail stores and shopping areas, those are more likely to be suspect.

djyak

We live in Germany, and of all the traveling we've done, they're the only country that doesn't take "American" credit cards, but all the ATM's accept our debit/credit cards.