MC in Italy

The STAR network says they are available in Europe -- have never seen it. It is on my credit union debit card also. However, since it is a Mastercard it will work at every bank owned ATM in Europe. Mastercard actually has a larger presents in Europe than VISA. But the difference is small.

Thanks for the info. If it is good at "Bank owned ATM's" does that apply to ones at the airport? I am trying for the first time (this is our third trip) to arrive without pre-purchasing euros. Makes me a little nervous, but if we can get some as soon as we arrive at the airport, I'll feel better!

Both are accepted world round equally. STAR is actually a regional network in the US. For these smaller networks, the VISA or MasterCard emblem takes precedence.

By bank owned ATMs, that mainly means avoiding the ones tucked away in a back corner of a bar, restaurant, other shop. The bank owned ones will have the name of a bank on them. This does not include Travelex or other names you normally see attached to currency exchange offices in the airport. And yes, most airports in Italy have multiple bank owned and operated ATMs.

Both our debit cards are MasterCard (with the Star and Coop logos FWIW) and my husband and I used them all over Italy last fall including at the airport in Milan. We avoid TravelEx and such due to the extra charges, but had no trouble at all using them at a variety of bank ATMs.

I know this is a controversial subject, but I break out in a cold sweat when an ATM doesn't accept my credit or debit card. What about the possibility of a partial power outage at the airport? What about any of a number of glitches which are fixable (the machine keeping your card) but will be a problem for me?

Because of this, I travel with a decent quantity of Euros in my money belt (400 to 600 Euros) so that my first consideration upon arrival doesn't have to be going to the bank (ATM). I hit the ground running, and it is usually an easy matter to get more Euros on my second or third day in country. I can eat, drink, and play from the get-go.

:-( I thought the post was about driving a motorcycle in Italy

Yes,this subject is controversial and I guess it goes with what kind of a traveler you are.Me,I'm a nervous Nelly,expecting if something can go wrong it will ! Have traveled all over Europe and usually don't change money before I leave- then bite my nails afterwards expecting the worst ! Last trip to London I succumbed to buying pounds before we left and was shocked at the difference in price - they took quite a cut ! Leaving next week for Italy.Bought $100 worth of Euros as a backup " just in case " .Stories on forum talk about ATM machines that are in airport empty etc.We are renting a car in Rome airport and driving straight to Siena - I figure my small amount of euros would pay for tolls on austostrada at least,then can hit ATM in Siena.I am taking 3 debit cards( though I plan to use Capital 1 as much as possible because of no international fees ) because I did have a debit card eaten by a machine in Berlin ( not retrievable for 3 days so we had to move on - used our Rick Steve's suggestion of carrying some American dollars to use,but rest of trip was bare bones to say the least ) !Also have two CC but now I here they are requiring a pin for them in some places so may not always work ! Woe is me 😩

@ kathyknapp5006: Belt-and-suspenders.

The only way to avoid being a nervous Nilly is to have a back up plan and some redundancy. That way if something goes wrong, you are covered. I am an engineer by training so it natural for me to thinking about back up and redundancy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with entering the country with local currency. So having a hundred euro in hand on landing costs maybe ten, twelve dollars -- so what ?? Cheap insurance against something going wrong. Others like to brag that they always hit the first ATM in the airport. For me it is one less thing to do on landing. Carry two debit cards tied to two different banks. Use both in the first week just to make sure both are working. Have never had a need to go to the back up debit card. The prime debit card has always worked -- but there is always the next trip. Carry three separate credit cards with pin numbers encoded on the cards but rarely use them since we mostly use cash. Have stopped carrying back up US cash. Personally think we are will covered in the event of any type of problem so nothing to worry about.

Thanks for replies. I am probably going to get about $100 in euro's before I go and then just get the rest from ATM's. Opened a Capital One 360 account and then with the Capital One CC's, I think I'm set. Thanks for input. If anyone has any further advice, please don't hesitate to add!