Some tips when travelling in the United Kingdom.....

[gnome12]

Unfortunately, the visa card that I have that doesn't charge a foreign exchange fee (there are currently only 2 cards in Canada that don't) doesn't have contactless (which I use here all the time on my regular credit card) nor does it work with Apple Pay.

 

I might change the card before my trip next summer.

[LHT28]

Unfortunately, the visa card that I have that doesn't charge a foreign exchange fee (there are currently only 2 cards in Canada that don't) doesn't have contactless (which I use here all the time on my regular credit card) nor does it work with Apple Pay.

 

I might change the card before my trip next summer.

 

What card do you have that does not charge a foreign transactions fee?

The only one I found was Home Trust Visa

[gnome12]

What card do you have that does not charge a foreign transactions fee?

The only one I found was Home Trust Visa

That is the one that I have. The other is the new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card.

[LHT28]

That is the one that I have. The other is the new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card.

Thanks for the info

Scotia has a high annual fee :(

[gnome12]

Yes it does. But it also has some nice perks.

 

 

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[Globaliser]

However, if you want to be speedy and run like a local, the easiest thing for an American is to set up Apple Pay or Android Pay with the US credit card and use contactless. It is wonderfully fast (hold phone to terminal, touch fingerprint sensor, and not even need to launch an app) ...

It’s definitely the way forward; I hardly ever even bother taking my purse out now, just my phone & pay with Apple Pay on my watch.

If you really were a local using the Tube, you'd know just how fast phone payments are not. The most frustrating thing in a queue to get through a Tube gate is to be following someone who it turns out insists on using their phone to pay. You will often be standing behind them while they try for two or three seconds (or more) to get the reader to read their phone, while the queue comes to a halt behind them. In contrast, a queue of Oyster users will usually be flowing through the gate in an unbroken stream, with nobody even having to break their stride as they walk through the gate, because the read/write cycle on an Oyster is so much faster (IIRC, the design was for that cycle to take no more than 30 milliseconds).

[Chester & Brewster]

This helps if the CC you have are actually registered for Android pay. We have an ASDA and Capital One Mastercard, neither are registered for Android pay.:mad::mad:

Oh how annoying!! I assumed all banks etc would have it set up by now.

[newport dave]

Oh how annoying!! I assumed all banks etc would have it set up by now.

The banks have, it's other card issuers like above who haven't.

 

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[gnome12]

The banks have, it's other card issuers like above who haven't.

 

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Not necessarily true in the US, where there are lots of small banks.

 

However, I'm in Canada and unfortunately, the only one of my cards that doesn't charge foreign currency fees doesn't have contactless payment or Apple pay (although they told me today that they are working on it).

[newport dave]

Not necessarily true in the US, where there are lots of small banks.

 

However, I'm in Canada and unfortunately, the only one of my cards that doesn't charge foreign currency fees doesn't have contactless payment or Apple pay (although they told me today that they are working on it).

 

Sorry, was on about the UK.

 

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[gnome12]

Sorry, was on about the UK.

 

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No problem! The banking world can be very different in different countries.

[colliercruiser]

Called Amex, and they are sending me a contactless card to replace my existing platinum card overnight delivery... no problem... but not sure how widely accepted it will be in Europe. Then called Bank of America regarding my “travel” credit card, and they never heard of it. Go figure. [emoji15]

 

 

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[LHT28]

Called Amex, and they are sending me a contactless card to replace my existing platinum card overnight delivery... no problem... but not sure how widely accepted it will be in Europe.

AMEX is not widely accepted in any Country

 

good luck

[gnome12]

I find it surprising how many Americans don't seem to know about contactless payment since it does exist in the US. My sister lives near Rochester, NY and I frequently shop at a nearby mall. The Macy's has had contactless payment for over 2 years I think, although it won't work with my Canadian credit cards. (It would probably work with my Visa Debit card, but since the fee for foreign currency recently went up from 2.5% to 3.5% I would never use it in a foreign country unless I were desperate.)

[newport dave]

AMEX is not widely accepted in any Country

 

good luck

Fees for shopkeepers are high, so not many will accept.

 

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[wowzz]

Fees for shopkeepers are high, so not many will accept.

 

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Actually all the major UK food retailers, with the exception of Lidl accept AmEx.

 

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[Globaliser]

AMEX is not widely accepted in any Country

This is absolutely untrue so far as the UK is concerned. My primary credit card is an Amex, and I use it for more than 9 out of 10 credit transactions that I make in person.

 

There are also few other countries that I've visited in which Amex acceptance has been a major problem.

 

I would agree that acceptance is not universal, so you'll always need either a Mastercard or a Visa for the places that don't take Amex. But those are relatively few and far between, and are usually smaller independent businesses.

[itsanita]

After following this thread, I decided to ask for chip and pin cards. But no luck. My Venture One (Capital One mastercard) does not have a chip and pin card....I went all the way to a supervisor. My Delta Sky Miles American Express card does not offer chip and pin cards either. Both are chip and signature. So I guess it is what it is.

 

I will see if either of them can be used via Apple pay.

 

Last year in Paris, London, Iceland, Norway we had no issues using our chip and signature.

[TheOldBear]

After following this thread, I decided to ask for chip and pin cards. But no luck. My Venture One (Capital One mastercard) does not have a chip and pin card....I went all the way to a supervisor. My Delta Sky Miles American Express card does not offer chip and pin cards either. Both are chip and signature. So I guess it is what it is.

 

I will see if either of them can be used via Apple pay.

 

Last year in Paris, London, Iceland, Norway we had no issues using our chip and signature.

 

The Barclaycard [Visa] Apple uses for their special financing is a chip & pin card. It needs to be used *once* with a signature to enable the PIN feature.

[LHT28]

Fees for shopkeepers are high, so not many will accept.

 

I agree

[newport dave]

Actually all the major UK food retailers, with the exception of Lidl accept AmEx.

 

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Was on about small shops, not major food retailers. Cruisers are more likely to use a small local shop or store to someone lime ASDA, Tescos etc.

 

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[Canugess]

Fair enough - I have had issues in central London when buying from high-speed-transaction stores that aren't used to as many tourists (e.g. an M&S Simply Food near our apartment in Vauxhall). There were cashiers, but they definitely considered a signature card odd, and even a little suspicious. They actually almost denied me because my signature wasn't close enough to the one on my card (to their liking). Needed was too strong a word. But I definitely got the feeling in several places that things would have gone more smoothly with a chip+PIN or contactless. Mainly places that did not expect travelers.

Signing printouts hasn't been used here for about 20 years. That's why, most stores no longer have the technology to print the the visa receipts to facilitate this.

[newport dave]

Signing printouts hasn't been used here for about 20 years. That's why, most stores no longer have the technology to print the the visa receipts to facilitate this.

All machines still have the facility, the staff just don't know how to use it.

 

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[newport dave]

Signing printouts hasn't been used here for about 20 years. That's why, most stores no longer have the technology to print the the visa receipts to facilitate this.

Feb 2006 was the start of compulsory chip & pin.

 

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[gnome12]

The Barclaycard [Visa] Apple uses for their special financing is a chip & pin card. It needs to be used *once* with a signature to enable the PIN feature.

I think that is true for all of them; I think I have always had to sign once before the PIN gets activated.