Do European ports take Credit Cards?

[Got2Cruise]

Hey, I just booked my first European cruise and needless to say my head is spinning. I know that we will need a certain amount of Euros for taxis and incidentals. I have read that it is best to get them at the airport in Europe when arriving. But what about restaurants and tours. Do they accept VISA or other credit cards?

[cberge]

Hey, I just booked my first European cruise and needless to say my head is spinning. I know that we will need a certain amount of Euros for taxis and incidentals. I have read that it is best to get them at the airport in Europe when arriving. But what about restaurants and tours. Do they accept VISA or other credit cards?

Yes..they take CC just like here.Visa is best choice..AMEX not so much.Use your ATM for cash.Some tours accept cash only if doing outside the ship ones some CC..best to ask them. Make sure CC/ATM knows you will be traveling.There is a lot of info on this board re your question as well if you want to read the boards.

[nparmelee]

Some smaller restaurants and shops will only take cash, ask before you buy/eat anything. Many private tours want cash, some will take credit cards, you need to check with the operators you book with.

[CJcruzer]

Some private tour operators will accept Credit Card BUT may charge 3-5% surcharge - always ask first...Also some will accept Euro travellers cheques - again, check they don't tack on a surcharge.

 

Most restaurants will take charge card, unless it is a small luncheon place, corner trattoria, etc....stores and gift shops in museums, etc will take Credit card, as will MOST museums and venues - however, there was one place, I believe the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, that only took cash!!

[HHusky]

ATMs are easy to find and offer great exchange rates. That's what we do when we're in Europe. We usually try to use our Visa/debit card whenever we can, but also make sure to have cash on hand for those places that don't take cards. Some of our best meals have been at very small places that don't take cards.

[Keith1010]

Before you go on your cruise, be sure to contact your credit card and ATM banks to give them your travel dates and itinerary. That way they won't think there is fraud on your accounts.

 

Make a list of your bank card numbers and contact phone numbers so that you can reach them if there is an issue or a lost card.

 

As others have said, credit cards are widely accepted in Europe.

 

I'll just give you my thoughts.

 

We use credit cards in major restaurants and shops.

 

For smaller items we will just use Euros

 

We get the Euros with our ATM.

 

The trip will be great.

 

Keith

[sea-explorer]

The only other thing to mention I think is that to use an ATM here or in the rest of Europe you will need a four digit (numerical) PIN. If yours is different, your bank may be able to supply you with a new one.

[whogo]

I have read that it is best to get them at the airport in Europe when arriving.

The good advice is to get currency from an ATM at the airport. Airport exchange booths can give absolutely dreadful exchange rates. I have been quoted as high as a 28% markup!

 

Study these links if you want to save money on currency exchange. The Rick Steves link gives an excellent overview. The other link has rate comparison charts.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/moneytip.htm

http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange

[Got2Cruise]

The good advice is to get currency from an ATM at the airport. Airport exchange booths can give absolutely dreadful exchange rates. I have been quoted as high as a 28% markup!

 

Study these links if you want to save money on currency exchange. The Rick Steves link gives an excellent overview. The other link has rate comparison charts.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/moneytip.htm

http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange

 

Do you really get "ripped off" if you get some Euros before you leave the USA? I was thinking of getting them at a bank in NYC where we live, just to have enough to get us to the pier just in case. . .

[Rickey 88]

Do you really get "ripped off" if you get some Euros before you leave the USA? I was thinking of getting them at a bank in NYC where we live, just to have enough to get us to the pier just in case. . .

 

Not sure where you draw the line at getting "ripped off" but most banks in the U.S. and airport Exchange offices give you a pretty good exchange rate, but do charge a fee. However, as a matter of convenience, I mostly always use the airport bureau for small amounts of currency.

 

One thing I would caution about, since it happened to me, is to watch when your credit card is taken at a restaurant. While mine was gone some years ago, they took the time to copy it and we received a number of fraudulent charges when we got home, so now when a waiter starts to take the card, I tell him that I would like to watch as he completes the transaction. No further problems!

[CJcruzer]

About the Credit Card fraud - it appears that Europe has converted to the "CHIP" system (you enter a pin for your credit card, as opposed to signing) - which eliminates "taking the card to be processed" - a lot of places have the new portable machine and your transaction takes place tableside. I have one such credit card (VISA) especially for this purpose - my other cards will turn over to the CHIP method when they expire.

 

And this fraud with credit cards occurs just as easily at home - has nothing to do with being abroad. I also contact my CC company to let them know the countries I will be visiting and dates I will be away from home.

[Got2Cruise]

Thanks for your replies. I think I am going to get some Euros in NY and hope for a decent exchange rate, and then get more at the ATM machine at Barcelona airport. Did I read that you can get Euros on the ship?

[CathyCruises]

Do you really get "ripped off" if you get some Euros before you leave the USA? I was thinking of getting them at a bank in NYC where we live, just to have enough to get us to the pier just in case. . .

 

 

I bite the bullet and take a few hundred dollars worth of euros with me, just so I can get to my hotel and feel confident. It's not a great rate, but worth it to me for peace of mind. You are lucky that in NYC you can probably get euros at any bank. I live in the total boonies and had to order them on line from Wells Fargo; when they were delivered to the local branch, none of the tellers knew how to 'count them"--as if! I was dying laughing! Uh, 5, 10, 15, 20. . . I mean, it's a BANK! And it's just MONEY!

 

:rolleyes: Cathy

[CintiPam]

Yes, it is best to get your intial Euros from ATM's at the airport when you arrive in Europe. Why throw your money away with a ridiculous mark-up getting them ahead of time in the US? (Especially with the way the Euro is going these days.) ATM's are everywhere, and they all speak English!!!

[whogo]

Thanks for your replies. I think I am going to get some Euros in NY and hope for a decent exchange rate, and then get more at the ATM machine at Barcelona airport.

Don't just hope for a good exchange rate, do some comparison shopping. The interbank rate is published in a number of places including www.oanda.com and currently is listed as $1.3174/€.

 

Here are currency exchange rates I have found over the past year and a half:

 

0% to 3% most credit cards for purchases (not cash from an ATM!)

0% to 3.5% most debit/ATM cards for international ATM’s + $0 to $5/transaction.

1% to 28% foreign exchange kiosks in foreign countries

4% foreign currency from Chase in Chicago, on hand at 10 S. Dearborn.

5% for euros on the Legend of the Seas in December, 2007

5.5% Wells Fargo foreign currency or traveler’s checks + $8 delivery for most customers

6.5% + $15 delivery, Travelex online for foreign denominated traveler’s checks. Credit

card purchases treated as cash advance.

8.4% + $15 delivery, Travelex online for foreign currency. Credit card purchases treated as cash advance.

8.3% UK post office dollars to pounds

 

A cash advance foreign currency withdrawal with my credit card would cost 3% of the amount of the cash advance but not less than $10, plus 3% currency conversion, with interest at 22% APR.

[Mississippi1]

I'll need lots of Euros (!) to pay for tours...obviously I can't get them all in one transaction at an ATM at the airport. How would I go about getting all that I need? Can you go from ATM to ATM in the airport, to accumulate the $$? Are there ATMs on the ship?

[CathyCruises]

There are ATM's everywhere you are going to travel. If you are going on private tours, you can always ask the driver to stop--he will gladly! Or as you are wandering around looking at the sights you will find them everywhere. You do have a daily limit I imagine on your card--so you won't be able to amass all you need in one place. If you get your daily limit every day for the first few days you will end up with what you need--unless you have booked some VERY expensive tours! Also, maybe some of your tours will accept CCs.

 

The ships have ATM's but they only give you dollars and for a very high rate--$8 or something for one transaction.

[whogo]

I'll need lots of Euros (!) to pay for tours...obviously I can't get them all in one transaction at an ATM at the airport. How would I go about getting all that I need? Can you go from ATM to ATM in the airport, to accumulate the $$? Are there ATMs on the ship?

 

Your bank limits how much you can withdraw each day and can raise that fairly high for good customers. ATM's will limit how much they will dispense per transaction. It is possible to go from machine to machine or even use the same machine a second time. Transaction fees, if your bank charges them, will mount up. For "lots of Euros (!)" you may need to buy some from a bank before departure.

 

The usual US cruise lines that have ATMs will dispense US dollars. Cruise ships will sell you local currency. Their exchange rates may not be attractive. If they will tell you now what their mark up will be let the rest of us know.

 

You can also exchange dollars at foreign banks or bureaux de change. It is a crap shoot what rate your will get. Banks should charge about 5%, exchange bureaus may be a little better or much worse. I have been gun shy of exchange bureaus since being badly short changed in 1973.

[ondeckatsea]

We've had good luck with Capital One. They don't charge any conversion fees and it is accepted everywhere. Give them a call before you go and tell them where you will be and they will watch for anything unusual going on with your card. I take along my Royal Caribbean Visa for on-ship purchases and tours because of the double points but otherwise I use the Capital One. Sparingly! Things are pretty pricey overseas nowadays.

[bjrose]

I bite the bullet and take a few hundred dollars worth of euros with me, just so I can get to my hotel and feel confident. It's not a great rate, but worth it to me for peace of mind. You are lucky that in NYC you can probably get euros at any bank. I live in the total boonies and had to order them on line from Wells Fargo; when they were delivered to the local branch, none of the tellers knew how to 'count them"--as if! I was dying laughing! Uh, 5, 10, 15, 20. . . I mean, it's a BANK! And it's just MONEY!

 

:rolleyes: Cathy

Hi Cathy,

Just wanted to ask again...you got euros ahead of time, right? That's what I plan to do for a 10-day cruise to many different ports. Tell me though, for the first night and last night in Europe (Venice and Roma), what did you give the hotel bellhops, concierge, waiters at restaurants for tips in euros??? I am asking b/c I have heard so many different responses and want to hear one that is more up-to-date.

Thanks.

bjrose;)

[chipmaster]

Hey, I just booked my first European cruise and needless to say my head is spinning. I know that we will need a certain amount of Euros for taxis and incidentals. I have read that it is best to get them at the airport in Europe when arriving. But what about restaurants and tours. Do they accept VISA or other credit cards?

 

 

Congrats, you'll have a blast. Now the fun or head spining part planning your time in port :eek:

 

As others have said CC is accept at most larger vendors. Everywhere except Istanbul our lunch was by CC, but YMMV. Beware that many cards charge a currency conversion. We ended up getting a Capital One for their no exchange policy. If you use AMEX or many other cards you can often find another 2-3% added to the value of your charge. Not a lot but just be mindeful it is going to be there

 

Taxis, private local tours, small streetside vendors and many attractions entrance places take cash only, so be prepared to have some Euros or whatever is the local currency.

 

If you are using ship tours ( highly discouraged ) they will simply post to your cruise account. Almost all the private tours I used or considered wanted cash.

 

Only if you have really big daily cash outlays ( tours etc. ) you are likely to be able to survive just get what you need once you get off the plane. I had a multi thousand euro need, for that you likely need to exchange prior to your departure.

 

ATMs are the best deal for a few hundred/day. They give you best exchange rate and then the 2-5$ network fee. Assume you pull the maximum out 200-300 euros that works out to less then 2%. This will be better then what you can get converting on ship or the robbery conversion booths you find ;)

 

Happy planning