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

[englishteacha]

It was 11 years ago when I was in Europe, but my advice is to have some cash on hand, and a credit card. I got pick pocketed on my university campus in the computer lab (I knew who did it but couldn't "prove" it...grrrr.), and I'd just been to the ATM, so I lost my cash and my debit card. Thank goodness I had my credit card in a different pocket. Keep the cash and cards separate! (I now recommend a money belt or neck wallet.) Then, at a train station a few days later, my now-DH had his debit card "eaten" at an ATM, so we had no access to cash at all, only my credit card, unless I got cash back or a cash advance. Luckily we only had a few days left abroad.

We were in Europe (mainly the UK at university) for 3 months, so my dad paid my CC bills for me from my bank account so I never accrued any interest. If you're only traveling for a short while, that's probably not a worry.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

It has been 10 years since I last traveled to Europe and I know the credit card thing has changed since then (the chip in the CC). We bank with USAA and they are used to people traveling all over the world with it being a bank that services military. We never had any foreign transaction fees and we found that we got much better exchange rates withdrawing money from ATM's there than taking them to an exchange place. We paid cash for most things. We'd take out a certain amount every few days to cover meals, sight seeing things and souvenirs that were cheap. We made a few purchases that were over $100 and had no problems using credit cards on those. We also paid by credit card for our hotel rooms too.

My husband last traveled for military work a few years ago to Germany and had no problems using his government CC or his personal credit card and neither had a chip.

 

[Tamar]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet.....but restrooms are not free when you are sightseeing. It's no fun to be in Paris with just a credit card and large bills--make sure that your travelers carry some coins.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet.....but restrooms are not free when you are sightseeing. It's no fun to be in Paris with just a credit card and large bills--make sure that your travelers carry some coins.

There are many free restrooms in Paris. Just stop in at any major store; Bon Marche, Printemps, Galleries Layfayette; all free, although some are unisex! Some of the stores have pay toilets, but these are special ones sponsored by some company; can't remember which one. There are also free standing street toilets called sanisettes.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

It has been 10 years since I last traveled to Europe and I know the credit card thing has changed since then (the chip in the CC). We bank with USAA and they are used to people traveling all over the world with it being a bank that services military. We never had any foreign transaction fees and we found that we got much better exchange rates withdrawing money from ATM's there than taking them to an exchange place. We paid cash for most things. We'd take out a certain amount every few days to cover meals, sight seeing things and souvenirs that were cheap. We made a few purchases that were over $100 and had no problems using credit cards on those. We also paid by credit card for our hotel rooms too.

My husband last traveled for military work a few years ago to Germany and had no problems using his government CC or his personal credit card and neither had a chip.

USAA charges a 1% foreign transaction fee for ATM withdrawals outside of the US.

Yes, you usually have no trouble using a cc without a chip and pin in Europe in major cities at larger stores and hotels. The problem lies in trying to buy train and subway tickets from machines and shopping in some grocery and smaller stores. Many require a chip and pin card or will refuse to accept your magnetic card (even if they are supposed to).

If you are a USAA member, you can now get a MasterCard with both a magnetic strip and a chip and pin.

 

[rewok]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet.....but restrooms are not free when you are sightseeing. It's no fun to be in Paris with just a credit card and large bills--make sure that your travelers carry some coins.

Yes, absolutely no fun when you need to use the restroom & you have no coins! BTDT, as you imagine... And it wasn't our first paid restroom, just a coincidence of having used our last coins for something else, like the bus. Sad thing is, no currency exchange here has coins, so I ask around friends coming back for € (or £ if going to UK) coins, or try to get small change quickly on arrival. Just to have 1-2€ on hand for these occasions.

When travelling, I always carry as much money as I feel comfortable (which varies on the country & places I'm visiting). Then I replenish in that same chunk size at the ATM if needed. I also have a credit card (chip'n pin) for large purchases. It would be a great idea for your DD to get one, at least "just in case".

And yes, do call your bank & credit card issuer beforehand, saving you the trouble of a possible denied transaction while overseas.