I'm going to be traveling to Greece in a couple of weeks and wonder if the taxis take credit cards or if I need to have cash. I've read about a Greek service called BEAT, that's supposed to be like Uber. Has anyone used this service or have an opinion about it? Thanks!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
I would have cash on hand but most taxis will take a credit card. BUT --- sometimes the credit card machine is broken -- wink, wink. Before you get in the taxi double check that the machine is working and have two credit cards or three.
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles, CA
19 posts
Thank you, Frank.
Posted by
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
1441 posts
As noted sometimes stuff happens when one goes to pay taxi drivers. We now exclusively use City Cab. Its a private transfer service with English speaking drivers. They monitor your flight and have the driver standing at the arrivals door. There is never a problem with payment as you pay by credit card on line when you book. All the previous times we have used them their price was the same as the posted taxi price.
There are other transfer companies but this is the only one we have experience with.
Posted by
France Southwest
2318 posts
The BEAT taxi service no longer exists, it was replaced last year by Free Now.
Also note that the taxi activity is limited exclusively to drivers with a taxi driver's license.
So, Uber in Greece or any other private app, are official taxis (yellow cars) using the app.
The flat rate to go from the airport to Athens is 40€ during the day and 55€ between midnight and 5 am.
Let the driver know you know this fare, some try to charge you extras like tolls or baggage.
As mentioned above, some taxi drivers have a tendency to regularly have their credit card terminal broken... :))
They must provide you with a receipt anyway.
If you want to book a taxi in advance, you can make a reservation with welcomepickups which are reliable and efficient.
The price will be slightly higher but the driver will wait for you at the airport at the arrivals door.
Posted by
S.F Bay Area (Marin)
291 posts
We used George's Taxi on our current trip from Athens about 2 weeks ago. Kostas our driver was professional and friendly. There was a metro strike because of the recent train accident and the taxi line was unbelievably long. We are glad we had this pre arranged. Plus there were thunderstorms and a planned demonstration so traffic was a total mess. He told us it would take much longer than usual . He kept his cool and chatted with us in good English despite it taking 3x as long as usual. Grace under pressure. I highly recommend this company. I think I fist saw it in Rick Steves and Matt Barrett. The main business is individual tours but they do transfers FROM the airport. Meet with a sign,with explicit instructions. Make reservations through website pay in cash. Was 55 Euro,which is a bit cheaper than Welcome . We used Welcome in Spain and it was OK,but not as good as George's. Driver wasn't as professional and was a little irritated that we didn't answer our phone right away. So we tried George's.
For transfer TO airport since George's doesn't do that we used Free Now.
Excellent! Works like Unber but connecting to actual Taxi. Get app,load credit card and it charges your card at the end. You see what it will cost or the meter range.
Going to the airport to pick up our rental we had a taxi come to our hotel and take us to the airport and the estimated meter was spot on. Love it. Used it in Spain too. Popular in Europe now. I suppose you could used it for pick up at airport but not sure where you would get it.
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles, CA
19 posts
Thank you all for great information. So very helpful! I will definitely reserve one of the private services in advance.
Posted by
412 posts
The BEAT taxi service no longer exists, it was replaced last year by Free Now.
I used FreeNow a bunch of times in Italy and it's a great app. Works just like Uber but you get an actual licensed taxi driver. Super convenient
Also it's owned by BMW & Daimler so it's not just some random startup
Posted by
Freedonia
16270 posts
Another vote for Welcome Pickups. English speaking drivers and always on time.
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles, CA
19 posts
Thank you, all! I have such a great list now. So appreciated.
Posted by
31 posts
I am a little confused. Why not just use Uber? That's what we plan on doing.
Posted by
stevens point, wi, usa
1194 posts
Hi from Wisconsin,
I am confused too. The subway goes from its terminus at the airport (that way you can't possibly get on the subway going the wrong way) and runs into the center of Athens. This is a fairly modern subway as it was built for the 2004 Olympics.
Just a thought.
wayne iNWI