Best Money Options for Italy?

Is it a Visa Card? If so, should be no worries. Assume you also have a debit card from your bank to get some cash from ATM's when needed. They usually have a 3% foreign transaction fee unless it is a credit union.

clok,

You should have no problems using the card in Rome, Florence and Venice, and should also be fine in Amsterdam. The Chase website indicates that the card is "Chip Enabled", but I wasn't able to determine if it's a Chip & Signature card or a "true" EMV Chip & PIN. The conversion to Chip & PIN is more advanced in the Benelux countries, and I've found that some places ONLY accept C&P cards. One example is buying rail tickets at Amsterdam Central.

I have the same card, used it in France last year with absolutely no problems. Be sure to let Chase know where and when you will be in Europe. Ya don't want purchases to be declined.

Ken, it is a chip and signature card

Thanks all. Yes it is a Visa card. My bank charges a $5 fee at bank ATM, and who knows what at a non-bank ATM. So not ideal, but if I need cash I'll just suck up $5, not the end of the world.

I'd love to use my CSP for meals, bars, cafes, souvenirs, etc. I guess my main concern is places not accepting cards in general. I feel like I read one thing that says Italy is great for using cards, then I read another that says Italy is a cash heavy country and not many people use cards. So just trying to find opinions.

Is this a Visa card, a Mastercard or something else? Is it a debit card or a credit card?

Visa and Mastercard are accepted in most places, other credit cards less so. Many places do not take cards for small amounts (less than €10 or €20), or charge extra for doing so. Be prepared to pay for small transactions in cash, and NEVER run up a bill in a restaurant or anywhere else unless you have the cash to cover it, just in case your card doesn't work.

"I plan to carry approximately $100ish on me" - I hope you will actually be carrying Euros. US$ 100 will be useless.
You will need cash for city public transport, and for minor items like a Gelato.

And, if this card isn't a debit card, you need to have a debit card to get money from cash machines.
Finally, make sure you have told your card issuer where you are going, so they don't block your card for suspicious usage.

Visa Credit card. And yes I am not quite that naive to have only dollars on me. It will be in Euro.

Like I said my main concern is being able to use a credit card period really.

Assuming your card is a Visa or Master Card, its also a good idea to have a backup Visa/MC.

Presumably your $100USD is emergency funds and you will have local currency for miscellaneous expenses.

In France I used the Chase Sapphire Visa credit card in ATM's at post offices, withdrew cash no problem. Don't see why Italy would be any different. I do have a Schwab Bank chip and pin card as well.

Like I said my main concern is being able to use a credit card period
really.

To answer your question directly instead of a lot of dancing. Yes, you can used the Chase card with no problems. The Chase P is a good card to carry. Credit cards, in generally, are widely accepted especially in heavy tourist areas. There can be cash limitations such as, "At least 10 Euro charge., et." And sometimes there will be an additional charge to use a credit card. Europe, especially Italy, tends to like cash and often, especially at hotels, you can get a discount up to perhaps 10% for payment in cash. And for street vendors, cash is always good. We tend to use cash in Italy about 95% of the time.

If you need local currency then the most convenient and economical way to obtain it is from a bank owned ATM using a debit card. Never use a credit card for cash withdraw unless an absolutely emergency. Call your credit card issuer and let the fraud division when and where you will be.

Thanks Frank. I will likely withdraw some cash, but as mentioned I have a terrible bank (which is another topic for another day) and they charge a $5 fee for withdraws. So I will have cash in hand when I need to. Fortunately hotels are already paid for won't need the discount this time around, but good to know.

clok,

If it's a Chip & Signature card (as mentioned above), then it may not work in all places in Amsterdam.

I hope you'll also be taking at least one (and preferably two) Debit cards for obtaining cash at ATM's. Even though the major expenses on the trip are pre-paid, you'll still need cash for some meals and incidentals, and €100 won't last long. Be sure to notify your financial institutions and credit card firms that you'll be travelling abroad so they don't freeze your cards when they detect transaction activity in Europe. Also check to determine your "primary account", which is the one that foreign ATM withdrawals will be accessing. You may also want to review your daily withdrawal limit.

I have already contacted them to let them know I will be traveling. I only own one debit and one credit card.

Maybe I am missing something, why will I need more than 100Euro for food, etc if, as most say, the card will work for most stuff?

You may be OK. But it is easy to spend money in Europe and a hundred Euro is nothing. You may want an extra glass of wine, a soda during the day or another bottle of water, or a very tempting pastry in the window, or that box of candy, etc., etc. etc. While I see people charging a dollar in the US, that is not common in Europe. I would not plan on being able to charge anything under 10 euro.

Read. https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/pay-credit-cards-vs-cash
Then do what you need to do. Some Europeans have been slow adapting to charging everything and anything.

Re one credit card. If there is a fraud attempt credit card issuers will locked up the card to prevent further losses. It could be a while before they can get you a replacement with a new number.

You need to carry cash because, unlike in the US where you can buy anything you want including a single pack of gum with your credit card, Europe is still a cash based society. There is not a 100% acceptance of credit cards. You will not find many small vendors willing to accept credit or debit either. You will not find many restaurants willing to accept credit. Want a bottle water from the vendor outside the coliseum? Better have cash.

Yes, your card will work without any issues at all -- but only if the place you want to use it accepts cards!

Is there a way to find out what the exchange rate will be for withdrawing cash? I already know what kind of fee they will charge. I know exchanging cash at their bank here in the states their rates are bad.

The exchange rate changes nearly every second so there is no way to forecast the exchange at any time. But use a debit card at an ATM will get you the best exchange available at that time. It will be within one percent of the Interbank rate at the moment you withdraw. And the same is true for credit card transactions, the exchange rate will vary.

I wouldn't plan to charge anything under €20 on a credit card in Italy. Many merchants won't let you.

Credit card use is not prevalent among Italians but most use the ATM/Debit card on POS transactions. Only older people use exclusively wads of cash. However nobody uses a card for a coffee or ice cream.

If your bank charges $5 for each foreign ATM withdrawal it is best to make few large withdrawals rather than many small ones. You shouldn't have a problem withdrawing €250 at the time. Some banks allow even €500 per withdrawal.

Exchange rate. You need to read the fine print on your card (credit and debit/ATM) account. Some pay at essentially interbank or LIBOR (ask) rates, others (e.g. BofA) will add a foreign exchange fee to the interbank rate. Read your T&Cs!

And also, be sure that when you are using your credit card that you are being charged in euro not dollars. Being charged in US$ in Europe means poor exchange rate.

As an aside, I used PayPal to pay a deposit in euro the other day using a credit card. The euro charge was automatically converted into dollars with additional 2%, unfavorable to me. Glad I caught it before completing the transaction. I opted to be charged in euro.

Thanks I appreciate all the help here. Looks like I will have to just bite the bullet and eat the fees. I did some digging online and apparently the customer service lady told me wrong. Its $5 + 3% to withdraw at an international ATM :(

Oh well. I will plan better for it next time...

Get it into a perspective. While 3% and $5 is a typical rate it is still cheaper than any other method of obtaining local currency. There is a cost associated with changing money. It would be better to find a bank - there is a bunch - or a credit union that charges min or no fees. My credit union gives six free withdrawals in 30 days and $1 after that with no currency conversion fees (the 3%).

The Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card has zero transaction fees. You will be fine.

Thanks. I did call my bank again to clarify and they did say $5. No 3%. So that's good.

I know there are good bank options for international use but I don't get to take international trips as much as I'd like so it just never was a priority. I called a local bank that reimburses all atm fees which friends that have used internationally and said it was great. But sadly they can't have me a debate card in time. Lessons learned for next time.

Read don't call. Charles called and was either given incomplete information and/or didn't ask all the right questions.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/budget-tips/beware-bank-of-america-no-fees

Regions for me.

Clokwise,

As Roberto has mentioned above, it's best to withdraw fewer larger amounts rather than many small amounts.
So make sure you know what your ATM daily cash withdrawal limit (dcwl) is.

You may want to increase your dcwl to $750, so that way you can withdraw €500 per transaction.

If your dcwl is only $300 then you won't be able to withdraw more than €250 per transaction (depending on exchange rate, you may not be able to withdraw more than €200-€250)

As mentioned by others above, it's a good idea to take 2 debit cards (attached to different accounts), just in case one does not work.

Make sure to use bank ATM's during business hours just in case the ATM decides to swallow your debit card.

I also follow the fewer,larger withdrawals from the cash machines at the start of my stay. But be aware that unlike typical US ATMs that only discharge Jackson's, large amount withdrawals from Eurozone will include 100€ and 50€ notes in the mix.

We also withdraw fewer larger versus many smaller amounts but you may run into machines with limits of how much they'll let you withdraw. If, say, it rejects your attempt to pull $500, and you don't have time to run around finding another terminal, try a smaller amount before assuming the machine doesn't work.

It's true that it's not unusual to have to pay cash for meals and purchases. Even when the stickers in the window indicate that cards (usually Visa or Mastercard) are accepted, we've occasionally been told that the readers are broken. And save your coins!!!! 50-centers are useful for pay toilets!!!! You may even run into a few which ask for a little more or less than that.