Handing over credit card to waitress in Italy

It's been a while since I've been to Italy, but I would imagine it's similar to most other countries in Europe, where they bring the card reader to your table, wait for you to run the card through, and then take the card reader away. I don't think I've ever been asked for my card (although I usually use Apple Wallet).

There are more restaurants in the U.S. that are starting this practice, which I think is a good thing. The two times I've had my credit card compromised took place several hours after I had eaten at a restaurant and given my card to a server.

In the spring , 2025, in Italy, we used tap pay from our phone- we never even got our credit card out. We used this mode all through Italy.
Have a great trip.

be Italian and when it is time to go, get up and walk over to the reception and pay. They will know who you are, where you sat and what you had. Tap and pay and go. If you want to use cash, give them cash and go.

Look elsewhere on the Forum for the ongoing tip battles - I tip not at all or a little.

will I need to hand over my credit card to our server to get processed (like here in America) and then wait to get it back a few minutes later?

Surely that’s not a thing?

I only pay with my phone; would you hand your unlocked phone over to someone to take away into a back office?

It is a thing in the US but it's slowly changing. Yesterday I ate breakfast at a restaurant where the server brought the card reader to the table. And the restaurant where my son works uses a system where you can scan a QR code on your table and pay on your phone. There are still plenty of places where you hand your card over to the server, however.

"Surely that’s not a thing?"

It depends where you are. It's a lot less common than it was, but it still happens sometimes here in Singapore for example at places where you dont pay at the counter. They bring the bill, you give them your card, and they bring it back with your receipt. They're chip and signature so they don't need a PIN.

"would you hand your unlocked phone over to someone to take away into a back office?"

No, you give them your card.

Surely that’s not a thing?

Yes, very common here in the US. Just did that when out for dinner with friends this past week. They bring the bill, you give them your card, and they bring it back with your receipt.

Hi, I’ve been in Italy several years in a row. Load your credit card on ApplePay and you never need to have your physical card out of your money belt. This applies to all sizes of cities there.

When you’re ready to pay, if you’re eating outdoors, walk to the cashier just inside the restaurant. And give them your table number. If that’s confusing to you, just motion that you’re writing in the air when your server sees you, and they will bring a bill that you can take to the cashier…but that becomes an extra step for them.

When you go to a gelato shop, it’s common to pay at the register, first (Apple Pay or cash), telling them which size cup or cone you’re wanting. Then your slip of paper is given to the person who is scooping the gelato, so you tell them your flavors.

I will add this comment, too. Try to eat at non-tourist restaurants away from main sites for a much better meal. When the server comes to take your order, ask them what dishes are local. Each region & city has their own food, and I’ve never regretted one of their recommendations! This is at any level of restaurant.

The US is the only country I've been to in the past 20 years that I've had to hand over my credit card and watch it leave my sight. I couldn't believe it was still that way 2 years ago when I was in Florida.

chrism, add your credit and/or debit cards to your Apple or Google wallet even if you never use your phone to pay.

Should your card get compromised, when you call Visa or MasterCard or whoever to cancel the card, they will update your wallet with the new card number before you even hang up. You'll have access to your new card on your phone even if the old card was lost or stolen.

Also, if you have the bank's app, you can get an alert instantly to any new charge. Most times I received the alert while the card was still in my hand.

Surprisingly, I've never had a problem giving my card to a waiter. There have been a few times my card had fraudulent charges and had to be reissued but it never occurred when I had recently been to a restaurant. I think one occasion was the result of buying something at one of those pop-up kiosks they used to have in malls, but no idea about the other two occasions because I hadn't done anything unusual.

As others are saying, you will either be brought a POS unit to tap, or you go up to the cashier/counter and pay, especially if you are finished and no waiter brings a check.

Reminds me of a place in Palermo, good restaurant, nice small local menu, they had a slip on the table, you order, sometimes they would put an indecipherable scribble on it some times not, end of the evening, you take it to the owner at the cash register, he stares at the slip, you can see his wheels turning, he slaps the ticket on the counter and writes a sum, you pay. I never figured out the system, but in my head, the sum always seemed close, or at least it was a fair price for the meal.

Yes, very common here in the US. Just did that when out for dinner with friends this past week. They bring the bill, you give them your card, and they bring it back with your receipt.

Maybe card cloning is the thing that isn’t a thing there.

I was told it was an EU regulation that restaurants could not take your card out of your sight. Maybe someone can confirm.

A few years ago, my SIL had credit card fraud here in the US. The local police told her that they were suspicious of a local restaurant (that she had patronized) and that all someone had to do was take a photo of the card front and back in order to duplicate it.

Most restaurants I visit still take your card. When I ask about it, I'm told that management doesn't want to pay for the new technology. Now. I think some are starting to skip that step and going for the pay-by-QR code method.

That EU regulation isn't always followed, sadly. When we visited the Azores last fall, most restaurants brought the machine to our table. But we ate at one that took my card away, and within an hour, Bank of America was asking me about a possibly fraudulent charge (and yup, it had been compromised.) I hadn't been real alert to that concern because in the US it's still fairly common to send your card away. But I am alert now.