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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.