Cards for trip to Europe

[Mailak]

I'm thinking of going to Europe in the summer - specifically, Norway and Germany (or Netherlands - Amsterdam). I have a CSP - so I have a chip-sig card with no FTF. But I have no other easy backup - only other cards I have are Discover and BCP (no chip, FTF, and so on).

1) Does anybody know how easy it will be to get by without chip-and-pin in those countries? My research of the forum indicates southern Europe is no problem, northern Europe is slightly harder. I might need to take transport, pay at restaurants, hotels, etc. - just toursity stuff but probably no driving / toll booths.

2) Is it worth getting a BOA travel card - I understand it has a chip... but the pin part seems hazy. BOA site said you can get an ATM pin assigned to the card after you have it? The FlyerTalk board lists the BOA card as chip and signature?

3) Is it worth getting the Travelex prepaid multi currency cash passport card? I understand it needs to be loaded in increments of $250 and FT lists it as having $3/month no-use fee. (Is the fee still assessed if balance is 0? So, if you spend everything you have on it and come back home and SD the card, are they still charging the fee?)

Should one risk going with only one no-FTF card? I went through Dubai with my CSP and used the chip as well as swipe there but am typically nervous of my one card failing me.

[Anonymous]

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@Mailak wrote:

I'm thinking of going to Europe in the summer - specifically, Norway and Germany (or Netherlands - Amsterdam). I have a CSP - so I have a chip-sig card with no FTF. But I have no other easy backup - only other cards I have are Discover and BCP (no chip, FTF, and so on).

1) Does anybody know how easy it will be to get by without chip-and-pin in those countries? My research of the forum indicates southern Europe is no problem, northern Europe is slightly harder. I might need to take transport, pay at restaurants, hotels, etc. - just toursity stuff but probably no driving / toll booths.

2) Is it worth getting a BOA travel card - I understand it has a chip... but the pin part seems hazy. BOA site said you can get an ATM pin assigned to the card after you have it? The FlyerTalk board lists the BOA card as chip and signature?

3) Is it worth getting the Travelex prepaid multi currency cash passport card? I understand it needs to be loaded in increments of $250 and FT lists it as having $3/month no-use fee. (Is the fee still assessed if balance is 0? So, if you spend everything you have on it and come back home and SD the card, are they still charging the fee?)

Should one risk going with only one no-FTF card? I went through Dubai with my CSP and used the chip as well as swipe there but am typically nervous of my one card failing me.

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Especially if you travel in places where they see a lot of US visitors, swipe cards will be fine as backup for your CSP.   Sometimes things like buying tickets may be harder, having to wait in line rather than using automated machines.    It is still rare to absolutely need a chip card (and rarer still to NEED chip&pin).   (But in the nature of things, that store where you absolutely need to buy that [whatever], will need chip &pin!)

Travelex is very expensive, look at what is available via ATM as a backup.

[R2Recovery]

I live in Germany and just left Amsterdam.  Your CSP should get you almost anything.  Might as well leave the Amex and Discover at home.  The only place I ran across in Amsterdam that REQUIRED and CHIP and PIN was the train station at Schipol to pay for train tickets at the window, with a person.  I just used cash.  Didn't try the train ticket machines.  I was able to use the ATM just fine with my no chip debit card.

[ficobgtx]

Hopefully by summer, CSP will be chip-and-pin. That is one of the cards Chase announced would be available as chip-and-pin "later this year."

I used the BOA card in a number of countries in Europe last year - Switzerland, France, Italy - with no real issues. Train station in France had automated machines that I couldn't use, so had to buy at the window (could use chip-and-sig there). Other than that, no issues. Personally, I don't think I would app for it specifically for that though. 

[CreditUnionFan]

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@ficobgtx wrote:

Hopefully by summer, CSP will be chip-and-pin. That is one of the cards Chase announced would be available as chip-and-pin "later this year."

I used the BOA card in a number of countries in Europe last year - Switzerland, France, Italy - with no real issues. Train station in France had automated machines that I couldn't use, so had to buy at the window (could use chip-and-sig there). Other than that, no issues. Personally, I don't think I would app for it specifically for that though. 

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There's a ton of old card stock that has to be used up first, and then it'll become chip & pin.

The CSP seems to work fine with most systems even without the pin. Discover and Amex will be harder to use. Discover, FYI, now offers FTF-free on at least some of their cards. If you have the CSP, that should be fine for primary everything, give them travel notification information, and go.  Use Discover as secondary, and Amex as tertiary.

[ficobgtx]

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@CreditUnionFan wrote:

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@ficobgtx wrote:

Hopefully by summer, CSP will be chip-and-pin. That is one of the cards Chase announced would be available as chip-and-pin "later this year."

I used the BOA card in a number of countries in Europe last year - Switzerland, France, Italy - with no real issues. Train station in France had automated machines that I couldn't use, so had to buy at the window (could use chip-and-sig there). Other than that, no issues. Personally, I don't think I would app for it specifically for that though. 

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There's a ton of old card stock that has to be used up first, and then it'll become chip & pin.

The CSP seems to work fine with most systems even without the pin. Discover and Amex will be harder to use. Discover, FYI, now offers FTF-free on at least some of their cards. If you have the CSP, that should be fine for primary everything, give them travel notification information, and go.  Use Discover as secondary, and Amex as tertiary.

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Isn't the chip just a sticker on the card anyway? Hard to tell on mine, but I think people are having an issue with it peeling off. 

[trumpet-205]

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@ficobgtx wrote:

Isn't the chip just a sticker on the card anyway? Hard to tell on mine, but I think people are having an issue with it peeling off. 

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 Plastic card are drilled to create a rectangular hole, which housed the chip itself.

[Mailak]

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@R2Recovery wrote:

I live in Germany and just left Amsterdam.  Your CSP should get you almost anything.  Might as well leave the Amex and Discover at home.  The only place I ran across in Amsterdam that REQUIRED and CHIP and PIN was the train station at Schipol to pay for train tickets at the window, with a person.  I just used cash.  Didn't try the train ticket machines.  I was able to use the ATM just fine with my no chip debit card.

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Well, that's good to know! I had some friends travel to some of the northern countries and they came back with horror stories of not being able to use their cards - this was about two years ago. But since you live over there and are coming from Amsterdam that gives me peace of mind!

Now, just wondering about not knowing Dutch and German....

[Mailak]

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@CreditUnionFan wrote:

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@ficobgtx wrote:

Hopefully by summer, CSP will be chip-and-pin. That is one of the cards Chase announced would be available as chip-and-pin "later this year."

I used the BOA card in a number of countries in Europe last year - Switzerland, France, Italy - with no real issues. Train station in France had automated machines that I couldn't use, so had to buy at the window (could use chip-and-sig there). Other than that, no issues. Personally, I don't think I would app for it specifically for that though. 

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There's a ton of old card stock that has to be used up first, and then it'll become chip & pin.

The CSP seems to work fine with most systems even without the pin. Discover and Amex will be harder to use. Discover, FYI, now offers FTF-free on at least some of their cards. If you have the CSP, that should be fine for primary everything, give them travel notification information, and go.  Use Discover as secondary, and Amex as tertiary.

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So, that BOA card is just chip and sig? I couldn't make that out with their website saying you could get an ATM pin but I suspected that if they were throwing the word ATM in there then it wasn't chip and pin.

I did see articles about CSP being chip and pin "later" in 2014. Hope it happens soon... it just seems silly to worry about being able to use our cards, of all things.

When I was in Dubai, some people just swiped my card and some used the chip (I got very excited by the chip usage.... conversely, the guy at the airport was excited in seeing the CSP... I remember his comment: "no name... james bond!"). Anyway, so, was able to use it there in the chip reader easily.

[Anonymous]

One possibility on the cash side of things would be to get an online checking account with Fidelity, Schwab, USAA, or similar.

They have debit cards with ATM surcharge rebates, and would be a useful option for withdrawing cash from ATMs.