Debit cards

Most people who post here find using a debit card to withdraw funds at your destination the easiest way to manage. Not every establishment will take a credit card, or were you thinking about getting a cash advance on your credit card? If so that can be expensive as you are charged interest from the date you get money on your loan. Here is a link to one of Rick's articles on debit cards. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/cash-currency-tips.htm

It might depend on where in Europe you are going, but I can tell you from a lot of experience that in Germany, the least expensive places to stay don't take credit cards. So, you can spend a lot of money, unnecessarily, or you can use an ATM or debit card to get cash from an ATM and stay in less expensive places, that only take cash.

And taking "a" credit card only is not wise. I carry two debit cards (two different financial institutions but can transfer between them), and two credit cards. Occasionally, one card might fail to work, so I use the other one. Taking only a single card leaves you vulnerable if it fails or is lost.

jennie, The simple answer is "NO", a credit card is not enough. As the others have mentioned, many establishments in Europe operate on cash only, especially smaller ones as the credit card merchant fees are expensive. Therefore you'll need at least one ATM card to obtain Euro cash. However as the previous reply mentioned it's wise to have a "backup" card as well in case the primary card malfunctions (I've had that happen). Happy travels!

Hi Jennie, My husband and I just returned from our third month-long trip to Europe and really valued having our debit cards. We each took our own from the same bank and I took an extra one from a separate checking account. I've had debit cards get eaten by machines before (although, ironically, only at home in Florida!) so I just don't take chances by bringing an extra card. What we found is that our credit union charged us $2 to withdraw funds, which made it very easy to use for obtaining cash every two or three days. Enjoy your trip!

I'm like Nancy. I take a card for the ATM and a credit card, plus we pack a back up for each. You don't have to have a debit card. If you're bank issues an "ATM card" (most just offer debits now), it's fine as long as it belongs to syndicates that will let you use most European ATMs. Any of the following logos on your card will allow you to use virtually any ATM in Europe - Plus, Cirrus, Visa and/or MasterCard.

YES !!!! In fact, you need two cards tied to two different accounts. A debit card is the cheapest and most convenient way to obtain local currency. A credit card is optional. We carry a couple but rarely use credit cards. The European small business culture is more oriented to cash than the US.

As the others have noted, you must have some way of obtaining cash. A debit card or ATM-only card is the easiest, most convenient and cheapest way to get local currency. You could theoretically bring enough local cash with you (obtained in the US) but it would be near impossible to judge how much you will need and it is more expensive to buy local currency in the US than to get it from ATMs in Europe. Other old-time methods, like travelers checks, no longer work. Exchanging US dollars for euros in Europe is VERY expensive. Always contact your banks and credit card companies to inform them of your travel plans (including each country to be visited). In fact, you need two cards tied to two different accounts. This is not fact or necessary. While it is a good idea to have two ATM cards in case there is a problem with your primary one, there is no need to have two separate accounts/cards. Many people bring some local cash with them as a starter (or in case their ATM card is blocked at first). You can bring some dollars and exchange them in an emergency. Or you could get a cash advance from your credit card in an emergency. The chance of needing to use a backup plan because you can't get cash from your regular ATM/debit card is rare.

In fact, you need two cards tied to two different accounts. While very good advice, our two checking accounts with attached ATM capabilities employ four unique cards. One card may be lost, damaged, etc., and the other card on the same account can still function. Ask your financial institution for details if unsure.

When my primary debit card was not accepted in several ATM machines in Ireland, I called the phone number on the back of the card and was told that the bank had shut down the card. I was certainly lucky that I have always carried a second debit card from a different financial since this happened right at the beginning of our trip to Ireland. Turns out that the bank who shut down our primary card made a mistake. However, they will never have a chance to make a mistake with us again.

" The chance of needing to use a backup plan because you can't get cash from your regular ATM/debit card is rare." I wouldn't call it rare. On my trip last year to Spain, I had two occasions where one debit card or the other did not work in a particular ATM. In both instances, it was the only ATM in the little village, so I couldn't just move down the block to try again. My second card saved the day. It is possible that a second card tied to the same account might have worked, but Charlie's story is an indication of why a second account in a separate place is a good idea.

Jennie, I'll chime in with Charlie and Nancy to tell my tale of why one atm card is not enough, just so you don't buy the rejection is rare advice. We were in Spain. Our card had worked in Portugal a day earlier. Couldn't get it to work despite trying several different banks and times of day. Three calls to Wells Fargo produced nothing more than the information that they couldn't see what the problem was. Fortunately, we were traveling with friends. We put all the restaurant and some hotel bills on our cc, and they gave us cash for their portion. Otherwise, we would've had to do cc cash advances and fight with WF later to get the fees refunded. Since then we've always carried two atm cards on different accounts and two cc's.

Add me to the list. I carry debit cards from both my bank and credit union. At different times, each has failed. For me, at least, it requires careful mental accounting to split the funds between two institutions to keep from draining one too low, but, at times like that, a backup card really pays off.

I was very happy, a month ago in Paris, to have bank cards from two different institutions. One, my usual ATM (or debit, if your prefer) card was turned down at four separate bank machines. The other one worked fine. The next day both were working again.
What's gone mostly unsaid here is you should not expect to use your bank card (as opposed to your credit card) to make routine purchases. It won't work in some places and even if it does you will pay a relatively steep fee to your issuing bank for each transaction. That fee applies to many credit cards, not all, making cash the cheapest and indeed quickest way of paying for dinner.

....This is not fact or necessary..... there is no need to have two separate accounts/cards..... I can tell that was not an engineer making that statement. I like back up to back up. And, of course, the question I ask is, Why would you not want to have back up? Of course you want back up. One problem you can hit is that often the bank in the US will have a shut down period for a couple of hours in the early morning hours for routine maintenance of the computer system - not every day but maybe once a week. Two am in the US could be eight to ten am in Europe. About the time you may want to use an ATM. That may account for why a card would not work at one time and then is fine the next day. And another good argument for two cards.

Once all cards at our CU were shut off and replaced while we were overseas for six weeks due to a security breech. Luckily we had a back up account.

I can tell that was not an engineer making that statement. An interesting, but not very accurate observation... I did agree that having a back-up card is a good idea, especially if you already happen to have more than one account. But it is not necessary even though on occasion a card or ATM won't work. I only have one ATM card and sometimes it doesn't work in a machine. I just move along to another one. And I make sure I don't wait till I'm on my last euro to make a withdrawl. And, if for some reason, your card didn't work for a day or two, any one of my suggested back-up plans works just fine (though slightly more expensive than most ATMs). But there tends to be an opinion by some posters here to recommend getting new credit cards and opening new bank accounts and such. I think that's fine advice to consider, but it is not the only option and may well not be the most reasonable option for a traveler making a two-week trip that they may never repeat.

Charlie is a Civil Engineer