Euro vs Credit for shore purchases ?

[CruiseRob]

My DW and I are on the Star Oct 7th and are wondering which is better for shore purchases. Should we use credit card (and pay add'l fees), convert money to Euro (trick is how much), American Express card/checks or US$. First time in the Med. Any suggestions.

 

Also first time on board and Princess so bear with me.

[BJS]

My DW and I are on the Star Oct 7th and are wondering which is better for shore purchases. Should we use credit card (and pay add'l fees), convert money to Euro (trick is how much), American Express card/checks or US$. First time in the Med. Any suggestions.Also first time on board and Princess so bear with me.

We just got our Euros today for our Med cruises on the Star Princess next month. We plan to use our credit card as much as possible. We have found that, even with the fee, we get much better rates because of the exchange rate when we use it.

 

There is some very good information on the Europe board about ATM cards, Euros and Credit Cards. Search back several pages if the search feature does not work for you.

[HighRoller]

I always use my Amex Card because the fee conversion 1.6% the lowest of any credit card and the Euro has fluctuated a lot this year.

[KAJOKG]

We prefer using a credit card, but always have Euros in small denominations for tips, a cup of coffee or tea, and for small purchases.

[CruiseRob]

I always use my Amex Card because teh fee conversion 1.6% the lowest of any credit card and the Euro has fluctuated a lot this year.

Thanks to both of you for your responses. I think the card is the best even with the conversion and additional fee. The card I have has a 1% conversion and 2% add'l. Is Amex without the additional charge ?

[relevart]

You are better off charging things on your card and getting cash out of the ATM machines. If your first country uses euros figure out roughly how many you will need for incidentals, small souvenirs etc for the trip and use the ATM at the airport to withdraw it so you won't be charged for several withdrawals throughout the trip.

 

I have heard that the ATM # should be 4 digits and not start with a zero for Europe.

 

It's always worked fine for me.

 

Have a great trip!

[HighRoller]

Yes AMEX one flat fee of 1.6% conversion on any foreign currency.

[CruiseRob]

That was what we were figuring but wanted to check. Hope to have a great time on Princess because I really like their itineraries. Only done RCCL prior to this. We like sea days (you're on a cruise to relax) and you can get some great trips if you like repositioning.

[LW1]

If you are paying more than 1% currency exchange fee when using a credit card, you're paying too much!

Call your Credit card company & ask if they charge a fee on top of the 1% Visa or MasterCard charges? You can find major CC issurers that don't charge additional fees. MBNA is one but there are others.

On a recent trip to Ireland I used ATM machines & my Visa debit card for Euros. (My bank doesn't charge an exchange fee other than the 1% emposed by VISA.

[Crowsie]

In some of the markets....like in Florence or Venice...you'll get better prices via bartering if you're willing to pay in cash....

 

When we were bartering many of the shop owners would tell us that they'd give us a better price if we paid in cash...and we did that when we were buying purses, belts or stuff for the kids.

 

Big, insurable or shipable products should always go on a CC.