Buying gas, tour tips, lunch food at grocery stores

I've seen on Youtube they don't accept US credit cards with a chip

I'm shocked, SHOCKED!, to discover that YouTube might contain misinformation...

IME (recently) the issue is not "US credit cards with a chip". We spent 2 weeks driving around Iceland in July. At our first fill-up, we tried several US credit cards with a chip but we could get none to work. Next we tried another card with a chip - and had a PIN. That worked just fine. We continued using that card at every gas station. Our conclusion: never mind whether or not your card has a chip (actually, doesn't every card have a chip nowadays?). The issue is not really the chip. What you need is a card with a PIN (a PIN that you know). Many of us have a wallet full of credit cards with chips. Only one of mine has a PIN set (and that I know).

Check your credit cards. Call or visit you bank. Set the PIN for one or two of them BEFORE YOU LEAVE for Iceland, and you probably will have success (at least based on my experience).

Always thought it was customary to tip your guides, is that true in Iceland? How much to tip if so? We hadn't plan on getting any krona, will we need some to tip?

In the USA it's now "customary" to tip anyone and everyone. Fortunately, most of the world thinks this is insane. While anyone providing a tour will undoubtedly accept a tip, and appreciate it. But it's not "customary" (or required, or common, in my experience). Remember, in Iceland (as in many countries), people's jobs actually pay a living wage (you'll notice the high prices...livable wages are one part of where that money goes).

We generally don't do a lot of tours, but occasionally make an exception (especially when it's the only way to gain access to someplace and we have no choice). In Iceland we did a tour of a lava tube cave (there was no other way to access it). Nobody tipped the guide. If you really want to give a tip I'm sure it will be accepted. You'll probably need some cash (in local currency) for that.

Do Kronan stores have premade sandwiches or to go food that we can buy?

Yes, big grocery stores typically have sandwiches, wraps, rolls, and a modest variety of other grab-n-go options. They're popular options.

Thanks David, that is really helpful. Just what I need to know.
I'm pretty sure my cards don't have a pin, but will see what I can find out.

I'm pretty sure my cards don't have a pin, but will see what I can find out.

It's worth investigating. Many US credit cards give you the option of setting a PIN, but don't require you to do so. Many of us never bother doing that, because we didn't see any need to (well, until we're having trouble pumping gas in Iceland...and then it's too late!).

Give your credit card company a call and ask the CS rep if your card has (or could have) a PIN. If there's a brick 'n mortar branch of the bank that issues your card, go ask them in person - it might be a simple thing to set/reset the PIN. It's even possible you might have once set a PIN when you first opened the card but then forgot about it (in which case, you'll want to ask them how you can recover or reset the PIN).

Just be clear with any CS rep you encounter that you're leaving in 10 days, and you (or someone else in your travel party) needs a working card once you get there, just in case they decide to send you a replacement card in the mail (if so, ask them to expedite shipping so you get it in time - if there's a local branch, they might be able to get you an updated card in person in just a few minutes). Also check with any others in your travel party, to see if they might have a card with a PIN.

FWIW, the card we used for gas (repeatedly) in Iceland was a Hawaiian Airlines Business MasterCard, just in case you have one of those (and as a bonus, that card earns 2X points on....GAS! 😎).

Good luck and have fun in Iceland.

Ten years ago when we drove the Ring Road the issue of chip and pin cards was being publicized in tour guides. We had one chip card with a pin# that I requested from the card company. As a backup we purchased one gas card from the most common gas station on the Road, the name of which escapes me.

I think that Bonus stores have premade food for sale, if the chain still exists. Their shopping bags make a good souvenir. We were always amazed at the variety of candy and snack items available at gas stations.

Be careful when getting a pin for your credit card. Some card companies give out pins to withdraw cash. And they charge it as a loan. Clarify this with your credit card company.

As for premade sandwichs, yes, that and some salads.

They will be in the refrigerated section. And when I mean refrigerated section I mean a room that is refrigerated. That has been my experience in the few Bonus' I've been in.

There is an expat that has lived in Iceland for 10 years and she is the best source I have found for accurate information. Her website is www.icelandwithaview.com . She has a You Tube channel with a ton of video's for everything you can think of, including one specifically for buying gas. So watch that to get a better idea.

The unmanned gas stations are where you are most likely to need a pin. I honestly can't think of a time where we needed a pin for gas, but I also preface that with the fact that my husband is usually the one that takes care of that. If you are at a regular gas station and having an issue, just go inside and they can run the card in there. The most important thing with filling the tank is to NOT take the Fill option as that will put a heavy hold on your card. Put in a specific amount, say 10,000 iSK and then if you don't use it all, you do not get charged for it. If you need more, you can always do it again.

We do not tip in Iceland at all. On our second trip, we did, not knowing, and he looked at us like we had two heads. So we talked to him as well as many locals and every single person has said not to tip, so we respect their wishes. I get it, they don't want our insane tipping culture changing theirs. We have over 75 nights in Iceland so far and have not tipped since that one time, and have never had anyone blink an eye.

I would get a bit of krona though, about $25-50 worth. The reason is that there are places that are cash only, and that is more common the further you get from Reykjavik and the Golden Circle. I think we have needed cash on every trip, even if it was just a little bit. Most toilets accept cards, but definitely not all! There are some hot springs that are cash only, and then any road side stands where you can buy local items are often cash only. We had one hike that was cash only as well.

You can buy premade sandwiches in so many places. Every grocery store has them, but also the gas stations, and the sandwiches run from very good to not my taste, lol, but there are a lot of options. There are mini marts in Reykjavik called 10-11 and they have the sandwiches as well, but being a mini mart their prices are higher. In the grocery stores, we have found the sandwiches close to the check out lines along with sodas and such for quick bites. We bought some in March at Bonus on Laugavegur in Reykjavik and this is where they were located. As you are walking to the check out lines, there is a cool case along the left wall.

Are you by chance staying at Thorsmark? If so, you can have them make you a sack lunch for hiking and they give you a LOT of food. You do need to request this 24 hours ahead of time, but it was worth it for us.

I did not need a Pin at any gas station we stopped at, and we were there for a week in July of this year.

In fact, I used Apple Pay the entire time and never had a problem. The only thing I can tell you is that the gas stations we stopped at began with the letter O, because those were the ones that we got a discount on with Blue. And they were all manned But I did not pull out my credit card the entire time I was there. Apple Pay worked for everything. Including gas.

Also, while you are there, if you’re hungry, get some food for takeaway. Their food is very good and much less expensive than buying it in a restaurant. My daughter and I got ham and cheese sandwiches one time that were toasted while we waited, and they were excellent.

Thanks everyone for replying.

My son did a little more investigation and he found that Orkan and OB/Olis have updated their kiosks and you can tap your phone at those stations. My plan was to try to stick with Orkan and so we should be good with an Orkan only about 75 miles from where we are staying in Jokulsarlon.

Also good to know about grocery food. The other nights we will be in Selfoss and Vic with Kronan stores there, as well as gas stations.

I didn't want to be the ugly American with not tipping when others were, so good to know that tipping in Iceland sounds like everywhere else we have been in Europe.

Looking forward to our trip. We had one planned in March 2020 and the world stopped days before we were to take off.

We too use Apple Pay most of the time in Iceland.

Our 2nd trip was supposed to be August 2020, and like you that did bot happen. We went in August 2021 though and with enough time there (12 Nights) we were hooked! My 10th trip is this spring;)

In Vik, don't miss Black Crust Pizza. It is not all hype, it really is good! You can also call it in ahead and do take away. We did that as we were close their closing time, so we took it back to our guesthouse and enjoyed it there. The Soup Company in Vic is also really good. There is a newish crepe stand on the edge of town as well. Plus Skool Beans which is the converted school bus turned coffee/cocoa place. Their hot cocoa is great.

Jeff, the Kronan store in Vik is very nice. We bought quite a bit of stuff there, including jars of SaltWerk lava salt (and other flavors). There's also an Icewear outlet there, if you like shopping for athletic wear. The prices are high, but not as high as the original prices. And I second the recommendation for The Soup Company and Black Crust Pizza.

Here's a link to my trip report if you want to skim through it. I wrote reviews of both of those and what we ordered, and they were both really good. Also, there are places that we stopped along the way between Vic and Jokulsarlon and also between Vic and the Selfoss area, which were worth seeing. I'm sure you've done your research, but you might want to check it out. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/exploring-iceland-with-my-daughter-a-7-night-adventure-stockholm-and-norway-to-follow

Just to address some of the misinformation about PINs.

Many US credit cards, if asked, will give you a PIN. However, this PIN is just for use at an ATM for a cash advance. The cards that will issue you a PIN for purchases is fairly rare. You can check your cards here: https://www.spotterswiki.com/emv/ what you are looking for is under the "CVM List", it indicating that PIN is one of the options. It also shows the order of CVM (Card Verification Method).

Using a PIN does not make it a "loan" or Cash advance, unless you are getting cash (like at an ATM) or a cash equivalent (like chips at a casino). A PIN for purchase is simply a security feature to verify you are who you are.

If you use a physical card, and tap to pay, you can charge 7500 ISK (about $60 USD) before a PIN or signature is required. If you use your Phone, then the limit is mostly a function of Apple or Google Pay, since your phone enforces security protocols (a PIN, Face, or other biometric verification) Phone limits are usually very high.

The problem you may have heard of regarding US credit cards not working without a PIN is if you insert the card and the amount is over the "No Verification Required" limit of either your card or the merchants POS, it will be rejected.

Tap to Pay with your phone is probably the best option, if no tap option, then you likely will need to find a manned pump where you can pay inside.

Thanks again for all the info and suggestions.

Thanks Mardee again for your trip report, I think I was the first to comment. I paid close attention to the sections you mentioned.