credit cards

Don't worry about it. All ATM machines accept magnetic strip cards, and most all merchants that deal with tourists have the hardware to process them as well.

Just remember to notify your credit card company of your travel dates. If you don't have a PIN for your credit card (as most Americans do not) request one when calling your credit card company. Allow two weeks as it will arrive by snail mail. Test at your bank before leaving. I have on rare occasions had to provide a PIN (especially in Switzerland). I write down the PIN number on a post card as something like "cousin Sue Apartment 1234, bubbletown...." I have no cousin Sue.

"...I have on rare occasions had to provide a PIN (especially in Switzerland)...."
This is also becoming more common in Holland and Belgium. For example, the large Etos health & beauty chain accepts magnetic strips card but requires a pin to finalize the transaction instead of a signature.

Did you really mean that you intend to use a credit card to get cash? Or did you mean a debit card? Using a credit card to get cash is treated like a cash advance, subject to higher finance charges and fees. You should only use debit cards at ATMs.

Magnetic strip is being phased out as payment method, but it is still widely accepted. More and more shops however only accept EMV 'chip and pin' cards. Banks (ATMs) still accept both, so for cash withdrawals it should not be a problem.

According to both Visa and Mastercard, if a merchant displays the Visa or Mastercard logo, they HAVE to accept your card, chip-and-pin or not. These are Visa and Mastercard's rules for their merchants. Of course this doesn't apply to unmanned electronic credit card terminals.

Last summer we only had a problem at one small retail shop that was off the beaten tourist path (so we went to a nearby ATM and paid cash). Most places know how to process your card with a receipt and signature.