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New Member |
My wife and I are planning a SPACE A trip to
Ramstein. We want to rent a car or camper there and make our way to Naples ( We were stationed there for 4 years in the 70's). We have a couple questions and are hoping that some of you good people will have some answers  .Question #1: How do American travelers in Europe pay for things, i.e. cash, travelers checks or credit cards ? Question #2: Are American credit cards (Visa) readily accepted at gas stations, hotels..etc. Any advise or travel experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. John & Nancy |
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Member |
1- Cash and credit cards.
2- Hotels yes, gas stations maybe. European credit cards often have a chip in them, while American ones don't. Therefore, they do not always work in the credit card machines at the pump. Sometimes you can get around this problem by paying inside the shop. |
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Pumps that take credit cards are rarer in Europe than the US, so apart from major services you'll probably have to pay in the shop anyway.
Make sure you've got some cash with you (your route is Euros all the way) and perhaps talk to your bank and see if they do a card that's compatible with the European "Chip'n'PIN" system. I'd be surprised if VISA didn't. |
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Lead Moderator, Veterans Issues Forums davem-milcom @cinci.rr.com Founding Member DVG  |
Be aware that there is a surcharge for exchanging euros to dollars on all major credit cards. Pick your card for one that has the lowest cost of use.
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Member |
Credit cards are widely accepted, but it is always good to have cash on hand for the smaller purchases. Given that fuel will be roughly 1.45 euro/liter (translates to about $8.00/gallon US), you should have no trouble buying fuel with your credit card.
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New Member |
don't bring travelers checks unless you know someone over here with a bank account already and they are willing to sing for the checks on their account. Our in laws learned this the hard way our bank was the only one that would cash them and that is only because we signed that we would take the hit if there was a problem. They were a huge pain and a huge waste of time. Every other time they have used credit cards and cash. Just make sure you warn your credit card company first or they may freeze the card thinking it is fraudulent activity. GL and have fun.
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New Member |
We returned from Bamberg on Aug.8. There were times that the restaurants would not except credit cards. They would say, we are not excepting cards today. We got to asking before we sit down IF they were accepting cards that day. We never figured out exactly why. It could have been the exchange rate at the time.
Take more cash than you planned to I would say. The bank on the Base said "Bank of America" but we couldn't get cash on a Bank of america credit card because they said that wasn't the same Bank of America. Ha. Go figure. The eru exchange was not very good at the time but I think it is better now. Don't forget to call your credit card account and let them know that you will be in Europe. BSK |
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New Member |
When I first moved here I used my Bank of America debit card and withdrew my maximum allowed per day because of the extra charges for international transactions. Now that I've lived in Europe (Sweden) for a year I have a local bank account and card. My card is a Visa, and it's accepted almost everywhere here. I've never used travelers checks... |
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New Member |
We used Master Card and when that didn't work tried Discover. When they said they didn't except credit cards thats just what they meant. None! At some resturants you would never know. One nice Italian place in downtown Bamberg was the worse. We wanted to go back there before leaving but didn't because by the end of the trip, we were trying to save cash. My son that is stationed there say's it is still the same way. You have to ask before you are seated, that day.
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New Member |
Hi. Will they take American cash, ie Dollar Bills?
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New Member |
oh yes,
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New Member |
Thank you
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That rather depends where you are, touristy areas and those on or near bases might where they get enough to make the exchange fees worth it but I wouldn't rely on being able to pay with US currency so I'd get hold of some Euros if I were you. Bear in mind that many Europeans can be suspicious of American notes because they all look very similar. |
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New Member |
I thought this was the same topic I posted "Dreaming of traveling to Europe". Anyways, I'm taking the advice...
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New Member |
When traveling, I've found the best way to get local cash is to use your debit card at an atm, the fee's are much less than using your CC
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New Member |
My parents and I will be traveling to Germany in Sept or Oct. Could someone tell me the best place to rent an automatic transmission small motorhome?
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Where are you intending to arrive? Anyway you might be well advised to consult a travel agent in the US or trawl US websites, they're more likely to be able to specifically source autos. You'll probably pay through the nose for it though because the chassis they tend to build that sort of thing on in Europe are usually <3.5t light commercials with diesel engines that tend not to like slacker 'boxes very much. Biting the bullet and learning to drive properly will probably save you a fortune (in fuel costs as well as vehicle hire). |
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Try:
reisemobile.com motorhomebookers.com/germany/mcrent autoeurope.com |
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New Member |
My wife and I are planning on going to germany in September and want to visit Munich and Garmish while we are there. I was wondering if there is still a military base or military housing in Augsburg or Munich still. Does anyone know.
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