Norway bound!!!

[RebelHawk]

I had wondered if it was better to get some local currency here or wait until we got there! How much would you recommend we take? I hate to get a bunch and then have to re-exchange it!!

We always do a couple hundred local value just in case. We've only needed it for one trip, once in France when we got off at the wrong stop and had to get a taxi to the next town over. We were able to negotiate the fare as we were paying cash. Since that was our only "emergency" use we tend to use cash if in a smaller or non touristy spot for incidentals (water, beer or coffees) or tips. But we'll continue to get some cash until the day that cash is obsolete as I really like to have a "just in case" option.

 

[OhanaCuz]

I had wondered if it was better to get some local currency here or wait until we got there! How much would you recommend we take? I hate to get a bunch and then have to re-exchange it!!

We did approx $100 per person and that worked out well. The plan was to use credit cards everywhere we could and have that be our cushion. Chase only took a few days to get us Hungarian Forints, which impressed me.

 

[sayhello]

We did approx $100 per person and that worked out well. The plan was to use credit cards everywhere we could and have that be our cushion. Chase only took a few days to get us Hungarian Forints, which impressed me.

Same here. I like to always arrive somewhere with about $100 in local currency on me. For just in case. You just never know what you might need, and better safe than sorry.

Sayhello

 

[puppymom]

Perfect! I'll add ordering some currency to my to do list! I got the chip and pin thing handled, so got to tick one thing off as done

 

[Woodview]

Perfect! I'll add ordering some currency to my to do list! I got the chip and pin thing handled, so got to tick one thing off as done

Well done on getting your Chip & Pin cards You will use them everywhere & be like a real European

 

[puppymom]

Oh I wish!! I think everything about me is going to scream "American" but hopefully not in an ugly way

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

CHIP & PIN CARDS IN EUROPE

As a person who lives in Ireland & Travels in Mainland Europe

You will need a Chip & Pin card AND as a lot of people just use their mobile / cell phones to pay for

everyday spending . Very few places will accept Cheques ........ Swiping your card is a thing of the past


This morning .... Grocery shopping ... Diesel for car ... Phone Top up ...... ALL paid by Chip & Pin OR CASH


YOU MUST HAVE A CHIP & PIN CARD ..... your USA ones ...... Should work

Sorry, this is is NOT true. Please do not post this misinformation. My husband and I travel extensively and it is not mandatory to have a chip and pin card in Europe. Yes, it is convenient and you do need it for the uses already mentioned in other comments, but you can get by with a chip and signature card.

 

[sayhello]

Sorry, this is is NOT true. Please do not post this misinformation. My husband and I travel extensively and it is not mandatory to have a chip and pin card in Europe. Yes, it is convenient and you do need it for the uses already mentioned in other comments, but you can get by with a chip and signature card.

I totally agree with this. I do not have chip and pin, only chip and signature. And I have never had an issue using my credit cards in Europe or in China.

Sayhello

 

[Woodview]

ALL I CAN SAY is I hope that it works for you ... I am in Amsterdam ( Good Friday ) & Chip & pin is the

way to pay.

Maybe this does not apply to USA BANK CARDS ...... Why O Why do you people let your Credit Cards be

taken away out of your sight ?

 

[OhanaCuz]

ALL I CAN SAY is I hope that it works for you ... I am in Amsterdam ( Good Friday ) & Chip & pin is the

way to pay.

Maybe this does not apply to USA BANK CARDS ...... Why O Why do you people let your Credit Cards be

taken away out of your sight ?

I think that's the big difference. Chip and pin for a credit card is very rare in the USA (at least where I am). I was in Amsterdam less than a year ago and didn't have a problem using my cards.

I wish we didn't have the archaic system of letting the server take your card. I'd much rather be able to use Apple Pay at a kiosk!

 

[Woodview]

I have asked many people here today ..( Easter Sunday ) and asked about this signing for buying goods &

they laughed ...... Contactless with your card is now the European way

( Tap Press your card onto pay point ) No money OR PIN needed

 

[sayhello]

I have asked many people here today ..( Easter Sunday ) and asked about this signing for buying goods &

they laughed ...... Contactless with your card is now the European way

( Tap Press your card onto pay point ) No money OR PIN needed

Well, we're not from Europe, and our credit cards haven't caught up with Europe's yet. You are wrong. Just accept it and stop passing wrong information.

Sayhello

 

[Chirple]

Our chip and signature cards worked perfectly in Copenhagen (2015) and in Barcelona (2017). The restaurant in Copenhagen had us insert the card into the reader and allowed us to bypass the pin requirement. When I shopped in Barcelona, I encountered the same. The machines were programmed to allow a bypass of the pin (as well as being able to choose to pay in Euros vs US dollars).

Maybe Woodview does not encounter this action because the reader knows the card being used has a pin.

 

[OhanaCuz]

(as well as being able to choose to pay in Euros vs US dollars).

That reminds me! On my first trip to Europe I had no idea what to pick when the merchant asked if I wanted to pay in Euros or Dollars when I used my credit card. This explains why selecting the local currency is a good choice if your card doesn't have foreign transaction fees.

https://www.businessinsider.com/should-you-pay-in-dollars-or-euros-2015-7

 

[carpenta]

I have asked many people here today ..( Easter Sunday ) and asked about this signing for buying goods &

they laughed ...... Contactless with your card is now the European way

( Tap Press your card onto pay point ) No money OR PIN needed

........Yea now criminals are cruising around with a reader taping peoples pockets. I suggest getting a new frequency blocking wallet or card holder. Build a new mouse trap and you get a smarter mouse.

 

[sayhello]

That reminds me! On my first trip to Europe I had no idea what to pick when the merchant asked if I wanted to pay in Euros or Dollars when I used my credit card. This explains why selecting the local currency is a good choice if your card doesn't have foreign transaction fees.

https://www.businessinsider.com/should-you-pay-in-dollars-or-euros-2015-7

Yep, that's what I always tell people. If you let them convert to dollars, you can get stuck with extra fees, and almost certainly will not get as favorable an exchange rate as your credit card company will give you. If you have a card with no foreign transaction fees, there is absolutely *no* benefit to letting them convert the charge to dollars.

Sayhello

 

[OhanaCuz]

Yep, that's what I always tell people. If you let them convert to dollars, you can get stuck with extra fees, and almost certainly will not get as favorable an exchange rate as your credit card company will give you. If you have a card with no foreign transaction fees, there is absolutely *no* benefit to letting them convert the charge to dollars.

I was in Budapest buying a t-shirt and I picked dollars (with no clue what to pick). To her credit the cashier asked me if I was sure.

 

[sayhello]

I was in Budapest buying a t-shirt and I picked dollars (with no clue what to pick). To her credit the cashier asked me if I was sure.

I did the same thing when I was buying a scarf in Paris. They did not ask me if I was sure. I researched it when I got back so I knew not to do that again!

Sayhello

 

[OhanaCuz]

I did the same thing when I was buying a scarf in Paris. They did not ask me if I was sure. I researched it when I got back so I knew not to do that again!

At the time I was all "ah ha! you didn't get me" in my head. Then I researched the topic and did a "Doh!"

 

[puppymom]

That is great to know! My credit card doesn't have foreign transaction fees (I did ask), but I would have had no idea what was better! So I want to charge as their currency, not US, correct?? Y'all are life savers!!! And I should look into a RFID blocking wallet, added to the list!