Warning....and this is from a personal experience which happened only moments ago.....In Madrid, and elsewhere, the taxi cabs are now equipped to take payment via Credit Cards and this indicated on their cabs. I hailed a taxi, showed him my Visa card, and he said "Fine". I did not have enough loose cash in my pocket, so relied on the credit card. WRONG CHOICE. All was fine until the end of the trip and he swiped the card....it would not work in his machine. I had used it earlier in the morning when leaving the hotel, had used it for over one week in travels, and knew it was valid. I gave him a second card. It would not work. It might be something about the hand held card machine, or more likely something about the USA issued credit card. At any rate, payment was finally made via a friend and I and my luggage were released. It is time for the USA to get with the rest of the world and use the Chip, Pin, or whatever you wish to call it that is apparently common elsewhere. LESSON; BE SURE YOU DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE YOUR USA CREDIT CARD IN A TAXI!!!!
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
So did your friend have a Chip and Pin card? How can you be sure ALL Madrid Taxis (and elsewhere) will not accept your card? Is it possible this particular taxi had a malfunctioning machine? Or are you saying that Spanish Taxis now only accept Chip and Pin cards?
Posted by
OP
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
The friend is a native of Madrid and his card worked fine on the first try. The machine used by the driver is apparently the same used by all drivers. I have not made a survey of any taxi company, but want to warn any unsuspecting American traveler of my problem so they will not be in the same situation I was in.
Posted by
Cape Ann, Massachusetts
3207 posts
H J, I was just wondering about this. You mention your card was swiped. Was your card a magnetic swipe only card or was it chip and signature card? Wray
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32712 posts
Are you now generalizing that because your cards wouldn't work in one taxi that no US cards will work in any taxi in Madrid and elsewhere? And elsewhere is is all of General Europe, even more than just Spain?
Posted by
1221 posts
In Paris last year, we asked the hotel front desk to call a taxi cab where the driver could specifically handle a USA Mastercard/Visa for payment. He had a swipe card reader in his glovebox specifically for people from such primitive banking countries and all was paid by Mastercard successfully and uneventfully.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8346 posts
I don't think there is any reason to give the OP a hard time. He is simply trying to save someone else from experiencing what he did.
There are true chip and pin cards available in the United States (I have one). I think that if you plan to depend on your credit card for purchases in Europe, it can be a prudent idea to get one prior to travel.
I know that many people do just fine with swipe cards. However, if you want to use automated gas pumps and ticket machines with a card, you are likely to need chip and pin.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
I have found that cash always works.
How much was the taxi fare? Maybe you should carry a little more cash and not rely on the credit card.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3391 posts
If he had a swipe machine then it is designed to take magnetic strip cards. A chip-and-pin card is inserted into a card reader, not swiped.
There was probably something wrong with his card reader...I have had similar experiences in gas stations in Europe where my perfectly valid card would not read for some reason when it was swiped.
I think the lesson is always carry enough cash just in case!
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
235 posts
The OP gives a valid warning. I flew into Barcelona and I had cash... a 50 euro bill. The driver said I was his first fare of the day and he had no change. We tried 4 different credit/debit cards before finally giving up. Luckily, the front desk at the hotel provided me change. The old-style American cards are not programmed to work in certain systems even if you swipe them. Hopefully that will change with the chip cards but we've been waiting for years. I work in banking and I'm not holding my breath.