I appreciate any guidance on this topic. I have a MasterCard with a 0% international fee. Street vendors aside, do businesses commonly accept payments via credit cards in these Italian cities?
Last year, my wife and I traveled in Switzerland, Paris and London with no problem paying for everything with a credit card. We had very little use for euros. Can I expect the same in Italy? Thank you!
As a general rule, yes. We've traveled extensively in Italy and MasterCard is widely accepted. However, it is a good idea to have a supply of Euros on hand just in case technology (card readers / satellites) fail. It has happened to us four or five times over the past ten years and our cash was always "bailed us out". Also, on occasion there will be a small mom & pop restaurant that might take only cash. It is also a good idea to have two different cards (Visa perhaps?) in case of a technical glitch with the MasterCard network. Hope this helps. TC
Shouldn't be much of a problem in many places, such as museums, buying vaporetto passes, tourist shops, department stores, higher end restaurants, etc.
No good on buses, many taxis, small shops, tabacchi, smaller restaurants, etc. Italy has been a predominantly cash society for many years but many tourist oriented places have raised their prices and started taking cards.
You can never go wrong with cash in Italy, but they may ask you for a smaller denomination or refuse the larger one entirely. Some people don't like making change.
Over the 15 years that I have traveled, CC use has become more and more common. Certainly for most restaurants, hotels and shops for bigger purchases, but the smaller the place or the smaller the bill, cash would be better. Seeing the towns you will be in are larger and more touristed, there should be no issue at all.
We did have issues with cards that were mag stripe only though, a few puzzled looks, but they were able to process the transactions once they figured it out. You might ask your CC company if they have the same card with a chip in it, it will likely not be a full chip and pin, but a chip and signature, but we found our card with a chip was easier for them to process.
Two years ago in Rome I had MANY restaurants and other businesses with signs on their door indicating they took credit cards tell me "the machine is broken now. Please use cash." Even the "orange" phone store demanded cash. I really got fed up at the end, and told them I don't have cash. You need to fix your machine. I will wait. The waiter got pretty mad at me, but finally took the credit card.
There was a definite reluctance in Rome to accept credit cards. There must be some reason for this. The next week while in Sicily I had no problem at all using credit cards.
Stab in the dark - with cash the vendor doesn't have to pay fees and doesn't have to wait for the money.
Tell them that if you have to go and get some cash, they have to give you a discount - at least covering the fee for the machine and you bank.
Maybe their machine will improve drastically - or you will get a discount.
I have never had an adversarial encounter over a credit card, in forty years of traveling and sometimes living in Italy. Perhaps because I ask the waiter or host/hostess before I sit down if the restaurant will accept payment by credit card (a handy phrase to learn, or just ask in English; Visa and Mastercard are spoken everywhere).
As for asking for a discount, does that work at home?
There have been hundreds of posts here from people looking for ways to lower the fees charged when exchanging money, making foreign purchases, etc., on their credit cards. It is not surprising that some merchants also try to minimize their losses to credit card company fees by asking for cash payments. What's good for the goose .......
What do you mean you have no use for euros? Are you going to use a credit card to pay for an espresso (80 cents)? Also your magnetic strip credit card will not work at most automatic kiosks (train tickets, parking pay machine, gas stations, etc) because Europe has fully transitioned to chip and pin cards, while the U.S. will do so in October 2015. You will need cash for those cases. But cash is easy to have. All you need is your ATM card and you will be able to withdraw just as easily as you do at home. Just make sure you notify your issuing banks that you will be using your credit cards and ATM cards overseas, so that they don't block it thinking it's being used fraudulently.
I'm with Norma and Roberto on this one. I get peeved at Starbucks when people use a card for a latte. I have a $25 limit. Over that, I might use a CC at home. In Europe, I only use a CC for things over 75€. I make sure to always have cash no matter where I am.
I don't understand how you can drop a little something in the tip jar, or give a little something to the service people who help you, or round up the bill with a little extra if you operate only with a CC anywhere, but especially in Europe.
Hotels and restaurants that only accept cash are pretty up-front about that rule, so be alert to signs before you walk in the door. Rick's guidebook listings will typically mention if the place is cash only, or offers a discount for cash. With your ATM card, you can take out as much cash as you need as you travel, so there's no need to estimate that amount too closely before you depart.
