Credit card use

I need to sort out all the information I%26#39;ve gleened about credit card use in France. I understand that Visa cards work, but maybe no mastercard? Is there supposed to be a micro chip in the card to be used in France? Do you need a pin for all crdit card transactions? Not even my bank can tell me if I can get a microchiped card, so any help you all can give me will be greatly appriciated! Thanks.

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Both visa and mastercard(including co-branded Diners Club cards) from the USA work in France, without the need of a microchip or PIN.

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%26gt;%26gt;without the need of a ... PIN

For in-store purchases, that is. Obviously you need a PIN if you are taking cash advance from the ATM

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You might want to check with your credit card company about using it overseas. One I was using last year was frozen because they saw the overseas charges and called to see if they were valid. Since I could not answer, the card was frozen.

It seems that most cafes use those wireless credit card devices. Occassionally your charge will not go through. If this happens, ask them to re-try it. They will usually do this anyway, but they might not.

Pjk

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Is there really such a thing as a microchipped credit card? My bank said they hadn%26#39;t heard of that.

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to add to Pjk%26#39;s advice, call your cc company before you leave and alert them of your travel plans.....then, all will be fine for you to use the card. You will only get frozen if you don%26#39;t call and they find the activity suspicious.

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The microchipped (%26quot;chip %26amp; PIN%26quot;) cards aren%26#39;t in North America yet, but your cards will work. I used mine a lot in both Paris %26amp; the UK, and several clerks would roll their eyes (chip %26amp; PIN is the latest in security on credit cards), but they just get me to sign %26amp; the transaction is done.

A few points on credit card use in Europe:

- call your bank ahead of time %26amp; tell them which countries you will be in and which dates you%26#39;ll be there. If the person answering the phone tells you it%26#39;s not necessary, insist that a note be tagged to your file. The first time I went, I believed the girl who told me it didn%26#39;t need to be done... and that card was frozen for suspected fraud! Luckily, I travel with 2 cards and the other employs smart enough people to have tagged it properly.

- Sign the back of your card. If it%26#39;s not signed, many shops will require photo ID, and some even insist that it must be a passport. Since many people are phobic about carrying their passport, be aware of it.

- Your non-chip%26amp;PIN card won%26#39;t work in machines! I%26#39;m talking about machines where you stick your card in to pay for something (like parking, train tickets, metro fares), then it just goes through. It just doesn%26#39;t work, there%26#39;s no way around it. You%26#39;ll either have to talk to a real person in a ticket booth (who should have no problem processing your card), or you%26#39;ll have to use cash in the machine.

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Can americans request a chiped card?

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yes, but the chip will not work in Paris. Some issuers like AMEX do issue them, but it%26#39;s rather pointless at this time because the functionality is not there. It just has a chip on it.

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Yes, you have been able to get a Micro-chipped American Express Blue credit card since 1995. It has no annual fees.

The only problem with it is that not very many places in France accept the American Express Blue or any other American Express Cards. I noticed that more hotels are accepting it this past summer.

But still another problem with the American Express Blue or otherAE CC is the 2-3% per transaction that you are going to be charged.

I got a Capital One CC right before I left for France . They eat the 3% visa charge! So you can use it with out a per transaction fee.

You can use Mastercharge and Visa in France but most of these companies charge the 2-3% per transaction.

You need the pin number for your debit card ATM ( 4 numbers only). Debit card transactions in France are deducted from your checking savings is not an option. If you have B Of A debit card there is no fee for using the debit card at PNB sister bank ATM in France.

Make sure you call the fraud departments on all your CC and debit cards and let them know the dates you will be using your cards in France.

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USA, just got back couple of weeks ago from Paris, and I used both my Mastercard and Visa cards with no problems or hassles. My Visa card is actually a debit card so the charges come out of my checking account, but it%26#39;s ran through like a Visa charge. My credit union only charges 1% transaction fee. Mastercard on the other hand charges 3% so I only used it once.

You should call your credit card companies and ask how much their transaction fees are and also have them flag your account that you%26#39;ll be overseas. I never used an ATM though, so can%26#39;t comment on that. Have fun on your trip and eat a couple of pain au chocolates for me!!