Students travelling to Europe...is a credit card best for spending money???

[busy mom]

My DD's will be travelling to Europe soon. They are thinking of getting a "student" credit card rather than worry about the exchange of cash in every country they will be visiting.

Any personal experience and/or opinions welcome. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[disney1990]

My DD's will be travelling to Europe soon. They are thinking of getting a "student" credit card rather than worry about the exchange of cash in every country they will be visiting.

Any personal experience and/or opinions welcome. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I found that, unlike in the US, lots of places outside the country will not accept a credit card for a small purchases under $25.00.

 

[jgreco]

Some cards will charge a foreign transaction fee outside of the US, so check into that.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I have been through Europe with my college class and you will definitely find a LARGE charge adding up with the use of the card, the PP is also correct about the minimum purchase. There is no hassle to changing money at all, everywhere you go there is a place to change and if they are travelling from Country to Country as I did, there will be change houses in the airports, train stations and usually surrounding them. Not difficult and never crowded.

I did have a combination of Credit, Debit and Cash, simply because if something DOES get stolen, you still have a backup.

 

[2mom]

Also notify the CC company that u will be using it in another country. Friend learned that one the hard way!

 

[Minnie Momma]

Credit cards can be a very useful way to travel and somewhat convenient -- except for the minimums at some places and some fees. The backing of a CC company in the case of theft is also a big bonus. You can also use the card to get cash at ATMs.

A debit card is also a good way to travel --- our bank's card has a 1.5% fee.

In either card case --- be sure to let them know you are traveling.

Your bank, local AmEx office and airport can also trade currency ahead of time.

Happy Travels!

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Most credit cards issued in Europe have an embedded security chip in addition to the magnetic stripe. Most cards issued in the US or Canada do not, so far.

Some travelers find their North American issued cards will not work at certain European merchants due to the lack of the security chip. This is particularly the case with unattended automated credit card readers such as at train station kiosks or gas stations.

See article from Discovery News
Why Your Credit Card Won't Work In Europe

Of course much of Europe is on the Euro, so there may not be so much currency exchange depending upon which countries the OP's DD is traveling to and through.

 

[wdw_girl_18]

you should look into the hyatt credit card. I used this card when I went a few weeks ago. It has NO foreign transaction fee and has the chip on the front so it is easy and hassle free to use. There is a $75 annual fee, but you get 2 free nights at a hyatt hotel. We used those in Paris where the rooms were over $1000 a night! There are several other no foreign transaction fee cards that do not have a annual fee. I would make sure it has a chip though. You could open the account and just add your daughters as users so they each have their own card.

I just got back from europe and cash will definitely be needed. At the mall by our house there is a currency exchange that you can get money from all over the world. If it is not all spent they will exchange it back to usd for you.

If they ever ask you if you want the purchase to be converted to USD tell them no. They automatically tack on 3%, which is not needed if you have a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. I did this a few times and did not realize it until I got home and was looking at the receipts.

Oh and I could not get the hyatt card to work in london at all (our first stop in Europe)! If you have a card with a chip you put it in the slot and do not remove it until it tells you to. We stood in the train station for 20 minutes trying to get our credit card to work & someone finally showed us how to do it! I'm so used to sliding the credit card through quickly and having it process, but its much slower in Europe.

Hope this helps! I just got back a few weeks ago and had so much fun!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

There are many threads discussing this on the Cruise Boards regarding DCL's Med cruises. You can get a lot of info there too.

If you belong to AAA, you can buy Euros before leaving to have a starter supply. They also offer a preloaded Visa debit card to tap an ATM for cash.

 

[eliza61]

My DD's will be travelling to Europe soon. They are thinking of getting a "student" credit card rather than worry about the exchange of cash in every country they will be visiting.

Any personal experience and/or opinions welcome. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) hunt around for credit cards with no transaction fees. capital one has a boat load of them and some airline cards do also.

2) I generally arm myself with a few euros from the first country I land in. When we went to Paris, my girlfriend didn't have any cash and sorry we did not find ATM's all over the place like many people say you do? Now since it was our first time in Paris, she ended up asking the concierge at the hotel to exchange some but the way some travelers described it I thought there would be one on every street corner. they were not.

 

[distherapy]

1) hunt around for credit cards with no transaction fees. capital one has a boat load of them and some airline cards do also.
.

Ditto. We use Capital One cards (none of their cards have foreign transaction fees) and save a bundle that way. we have not had trouble not having the "chip and pin" style card except with some self-serve kiosks at train stations. We just use the person at the ticket window. Also do remember to tell the credit card company when it will be used overseas.

 

[pearlieq]

Most credit cards issued in Europe have an embedded security chip in addition to the magnetic stripe. Most cards issued in the US or Canada do not, so far.

Some travelers find their North American issued cards will not work at certain European merchants due to the lack of the security chip. This is particularly the case with unattended automated credit card readers such as at train station kiosks or gas stations.

This is similar to my experience. I wasn't able to use my card at the train/public transport stations and some smaller merchants/restaurants. And sometimes, even when they could, they weren't super thrilled about having to go get the card swiper.

Still, if you can get a Capital One or another card that doesn't have a foreign transaction fee, it's not bad to have. I'd still just rely on ATMs to get cash when they need it. Since ING was bought by CapOne I was able to use my ATM card in the UK, France, and Italy without a fee from them.

 

[mrslur]

I know at PHL you can buy a chip and pin prepaid credit card. I'm guessing it would be the same at any international airport.

 

[zurgswife]

I debit card with a visa logo was what my kids used. They didn't charge but one or two things about they got money out of ATMs without issue.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I know at PHL you can buy a chip and pin prepaid credit card. I'm guessing it would be the same at any international airport.

Travelex offered one, but they are discontinuing this program this month.

 

[clh2]

Definitely get some foreign currency in advance. My bank does this, so does AAA. (I'm not advocating $1000's this way - a lot less like $50 or $100) This way - you at least have cab fare to get to a hotel.

When we went to Germany (and when DD went to Spain) we took money out of an ATM about every other day. Yes there was a fee, but we found that to be minimal.

DD was in Madrid, we were in Berlin, so ATM's were readily available.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Definitely get some foreign currency in advance. My bank does this, so does AAA. (I'm not advocating $1000's this way - a lot less like $50 or $100) This way - you at least have cab fare to get to a hotel.

You can do this, but it is unnecessary. Just find an ATM in the airport when you arrive. They are in every airport. The fee charged depends upon your bank and the ATM.

 

[clh2]

You can do this, but it is unnecessary. Just find an ATM in the airport when you arrive. They are in every airport. The fee charged depends upon your bank and the ATM.

We wanted to limit how much money we carried. To be honest - we were so tired when we arrived in Amsterdam, and then our subsequent flight to Berlin -that we really just wanted to check into the hotel when we arrived at our destination. And - I would not have left our 14 year old DD with our luggage (she was sleeping) while I went on the hunt for cash.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

My DD's will be travelling to Europe soon. They are thinking of getting a "student" credit card rather than worry about the exchange of cash in every country they will be visiting.

Most countries in Western Europe use the same currency- UK, and I think Sweden and Denmark excluded. Assuming that's where they are going, they won't have to change in each country.

They should definately have a credit card for emergencies and cash access. Not all places will accept credit cards. Major cities, sure, but smaller places may not.

 

[kaseyC]

I debit card with a visa logo was what my kids used. They didn't charge but one or two things about they got money out of ATMs without issue.

That's what we did with DD17 last year when she went on a school trip to Ireland and the UK. We opened up a High School checking account for her with a Visa logo debit card. It was linked to one of our accounts so I could transfer more funds into it as needed. My DH who travels internationally often for work gave her some Pounds and Euro that he keeps on hand. My DD said that having some currency when they landed was great because they didn't get to an ATM until later in the day.