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Brother uses Cap1 in Eastern Europe (Belarus/Ukraine) and it's taken pretty much anywhere. There is no foreign transaction fees and the interesting part is the way the currency conversion goes, he actually gets better deals than if he bought stuff for cash.
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@Anonymous wrote:What’s your experience using credit card overseas?
Have you ever encountered a problem using EMV Chip & Signature credit card?
Were you ever able to use a magnetic stripe (non EMV) credit card?
Where did you use it and which credit card did you use?
And what are your favorite credit cards when traveling abroad?
Any tips you would like to share?
Thank you!
- Generally very good
- Yes, one bus ticket kiosk that required an OFFLINE PIN-capable card. Also from the opposite end, I've had to swipe my Amex card fairly often in Ireland, and once in Sweden (the Amex chip application wasn't loaded)
- Yes, it works fine the vast majority of the time
- I generally always use credit cards, anywhere that accepts them
- Amex Delta Gold and Discover - these cards have NO FTF and do NOT allow DCC. By using a card that doesn't allow DCC, you avoid the risk of being in a situation where you can't easily opt out of DCC. With Visa/MC be vigilent about DCC. Expect that some terminals will try to trick you (e.g. one in Ireland was "Amount US$XX.XX. Amount OK? Yes/No" - the correct answer, of course, was no, charging me in dollars isn't okay - but it's setup in a way you're so used to hitting yes instinct will be to hit yes. Hit no and it goes through in Euro).
The biggest tip is to be vigilent about DCC wherever you are, but it's especially bad in Ireland. If you have to hand the card over in Ireland make sure to proactively say "charge me in Euro." ANYWHERE you rent a car, be sure to READ the contract before you sign it and INSIST on crossing out any terms relating to giving up your right to be charged in the local currency - rental car contracts normally have a DCC provision in them. When you go to pay, it's too late, you've signed the contract - they get to add 3-10% to the amount they charge you and you said it's okay.
I have always been using cash only when traveling abroad.
I'm going to start using my credit cards now.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Mexico isn't overseas obviously, but I managed to use my Discover without issue there every time I went to use a CC. This ranged from using it at the airport in Guadalajra, Jalisco and in a small rural town seafood restaurant