Cashless in real time—an unintentional experiment

Best of luck , have an enjoyable trip ! I'm looking forward to your reports .

If Spain is anything like the UK, you’ll be fine. There were restaurants that didn’t accept cash at all, and even the public pay toilet at Regents Park took tap credit cards (I had a 35 cent charge on my card for this). I heard they even have a nonprofit group giving card readers to homeless so people can give them change, but on a card. Not sure how that works but you may come back with that 75. Good luck!

Looking forward to your experiences .

If you do have to take a cash advance on your card, can’t you just log onto your credit card company and pay off the cash advance from your bank?

Take out €100 using the cash advance from your Visa, then right afterwards make a payment for $125 or so. Maybe you’d get hit with a day of interest or so, but that’s nothing in the context of a European vacation for a few dollars.

Might also want to go to the Spain forum to see where it falls on the cash vs contactless spectrum, sorry I don’t have recent experience to share. I was almost completely cashless in my U.K. trip in May, but the U.K. isn’t Spain.

I should have mentioned that this is my 4th trip to Spain since November, concentrated in Madrid. My experience suggests that I’ll be able to fly home with the majority of that 75€ in my pocket.

Dale- I think there’s an up-front % fee, as well as a higher interest rate? I’ve never taken a cash advance on a card, so really don’t know the details. I just know it’s a last resort.

If you have an AmEx card, there is usually an AmEx office in major European cities that you may be able to get a cash advance on your card if you need it.

Regarding cash advances. Look at what your card offers. The typical deal is a flat minimum fee/Percentage, then interest starts accruing right away, at about 24% APR. Sounds dreadful, but with one of my cards to get $200 would incur a $10 fee, so 5%...no different than many people who travel with big bank ATM cards that charge a use fee plus 3% Foreign Transaction fee.

You can go on and pay off the balance on your card immediately and avoid interest, but even if you waited the month to pay, it would be a whole $4. The only caveat is that most cards take payment on regular purchases first, then cash advances, so if you carry a balance month to month, it can get expensive, but then you probably waste money in interest payments anyway, what's a little more.

My main card for travel has only a 2% fee for cash advances, never used it, but nice to know I have the option.

good luck! i happily survived 6 days on intense sightseeing and activities in Madrid/Lisbon with only my apple watch and 50 euros

Using cash advances from my credit card is always my back up plan. I have had no international travel since Covid, but there is no need for cash here at home anymore. I am sure you will be fine! Enjoy your research!

With the exchange rate currently, I would get as many euros as possible from your friends and bring them home for future trips. This rate is as low as I have seen it in a long time.

"... and bring them home for future trips"

I'm not sure I understand the logic when businesses are moving further and further away from Transactional Cash to Contactless Pay and besides, just how much actual cash are you prepared to carry on your person as you navigate your way through a 3-4 week holiday in Europe.

If your trip is like my May trip, you won’t have any problem. We only came across two places in Zaragoza and one in Burgos that didn’t take cards.

@periscope, I think its low level currency speculation.

"I would get as many euros as possible ... and bring them home for future trips"

You can't do much currency speculation, this side of the Atlantic, at the buy/sell spreads available here

Our family of 4 was in Europe for 3+ weeks in May / June. We spent a little over 2 weeks in Italy, 3 days in Amsterdam and 6 days in London. I really do not think we needed euros, but used what we had. We never even purchased British pounds.

Can you call your bank and have them express a debit card to you? With two weeks it should come while your are still there.

This forum is so full of people willing to help solve problems that they go into problem solving mode full tilt!

I am pretty sure Scudder is simply sharing a situation that has presented that gives him an opportunity to test the cashless society premise up close and personal. Scudder, I know you won't have any difficulties you can't deal with and I hope your trip is going well.

Scudder, I make it that you half through.... how's it been going?

It is always good and advisable to bring home extra cash especially if future trips are part of your travel plans. I always have extra cash in Euro earmarked for future trips in Austria and Germany. Unlike in France and other Euro countries, I usually make an exception in Germany paying in cash even if the establishment accepts the credit card.

¡Hola! 10 days in, 4 remaining, and I’ll give a little update—

As I mentioned, I’m staying with a friend in Madrid. We’d planned a three night trip to Granada and a couple months ago I paid for the train and Alhambra tickets, leaving him owing me money. Using this reimbursement as a source of cash hadn’t occurred to me earlier, but it left me with 150€ more in my pocket. That’s made me feel flush, and less tight with my cash than I was expecting to be. I’m still making the vast majority of my spending on cards, but there have been a couple times when cash just felt easier. (Like splitting the check after an 8 person meal.)

I’ve spent about 40€ cash so far, and don’t anticipate using much more. That will leave me for when flush when I land in Brussels in September. (And I’ll be sure to have my debit card then, too!)

I just checked my foreign cash sandwich baggie - I have 3€ 53¢ to hit the ground running, on my next visit to Europe.

Heya!

Been meaning to drop an update here.

I came home with 185 euro, 35 of which was the remainder of my initial stash. So I spend 40 euro in cash over the two weeks. 20 was to settle my share of a 9-person dinner—someone else did the check math and it was just easier to throw cash on the table. 10 was a very generous tip at a restaurant where the owner treats us very well. The other 10 was random/assorted/not remembered. I'm sure I could have held on to more if the need hadn't been relived by the cash infusion from my friend.

I'm flush with euro for my next trip (Belgium/Amsterdam/Cologne in September), but I'll be sure to remember an ATM card, just in case. (I'll forget something else, instead...)

Thanks for posting the link to this in the other post about being cashless in Spain. I was wondering how things had worked out for you, but couldn't find this post to get back and find out. Glad everything worked out so well for you!