Our recent trip to Europe kept us asking our local friends, “Do you mind if we borrow some cash, they won’t take our credit card.” It wasn’t currency exchange uncertainty that made retailers refuse us in Germany and the UK – it was our lack of chip’n'pin technology.
Europe seems to be scared about being ripped off and if you go with an old fashioned credit card (i.e. US) then you’re increasingly likely to be refused. Our plastic was refused at a grocers in Victoria Station in London, a supermarket in Hamburg and a pizza restaurant in Munich.
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Try to pay with a German credit card in Denmark, it’s the same problem. Money being “on hold” on bank accounts doesn’t help anyone. By the way: not everyone has a chip on his card in Europe, it’s only starting to become the standard.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:06 am
But hey, this is not about rejecting Yankee Credit Cards, it’s just that credit card payments in general are not as wide spread as in the US.
In bespoke Pizza Restaurant or supermarket they wouldn’t have accepted my German credit card either. It’s just a different culture of payment round here. Cash or Electronic Cash (sometimes). I think it has more to do with credit card machine fees for the retailers/restaurant owner than security reasons.
You don’t need a chip on your card to pay either, your plain bank card with the magnet stripe and pin or signature is enough.
http://www.electronic-cash.de/index_en.html
June 18th, 2008 at 2:48 am
It didn’t used to be this way – or so it seems. The pizza restaurant wouldn’t take my card (debit or credit), Matthias, because I didn’t chip and pin. The supermarket didn’t take my card (debit or credit) because they wanted chip and pin.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:28 am
the chip on the bank card in Germany is used as an electronic wallet that can be prepaid with up to 200 EUR. You can use it for buying bus tickets etc. It can also contain age-verification so you can buy cigarettes on public cigarette machines. I have never used it though.
Sometimes you can pay just with signature and bank card, sometimes you need the bank card and a pin. In the supermarket e.g. I paid with my card and signature.
I don’t know how the system works in other EU countries.
June 18th, 2008 at 8:28 am
At least you can use cards in Europe. I’m amazed at the amount of places here in New York that simply don’t accept cards.
We should all have payment chips in our hands anyway, we’re way behind schedule.
June 18th, 2008 at 8:36 am
The most convenient payment system for micro and medium payment I saw so far is the Octopus Card in Hong Kong.
http://www.psfk.com/2008/04/hong-kong-smart-card-service-in-its-11th-year.html
June 18th, 2008 at 8:51 am
Having just returned from Europe and had major problems with my credit card, I relate to everything said here.
Anyone thought of sharing this conversation with Mastercard (”getting your card accepted at European establishments…priceless!”) or Visa?? They need this info!
June 19th, 2008 at 4:52 am
I third pragzz comment: exact thing happened to us this summer. Our credit card would not work in train ticket vending machines, and sometimes not at the ticket counters.
I have been on hold with Bank of America for 30 minutes so far: they know nothing! Will be going back to the travelers check backup for next trip!
August 10th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
yep, something is wrong with that credit card stuff. It is very difficult to find USA online store accpepting European credit cards, they usually demand wire transfer.
Visa suppose to be world wide accepted, but in reality it is quite different. I plan to do something about that. Using my scissor I can eliminate further frustrations and start to lead much healthier life.
August 12th, 2008 at 2:35 pm