Using cash in Italy

Yes, especially if you're visiting some of the smaller towns. I pay for most of our hotels ahead of time and purchase most train tickets on-line, so we hardly touch our credit cards during our trip.

Brilliant! Kind of what I thought, and what I needed to hear from someone else. Thank you!

Kelly,

Don't know if you've realized but you posted the same question twice.
You may want to delete one of your duplicate post.

I think that is still fine. When we were in Italy in December, we paid cash for incidentals and local restaurants. We used a credit card for everything else, including our agriturismo, gas, grocery shopping, retail purchases, etc. You need a chipped card and it's good to know the PIN number of the card, although we never used it. Our card has a good exchange rate.

We left with 300 Euros and got 120 more. That wasn't necessary, since we burned 90 Euro in the duty free shop at the airport and still had 30 Euro in our pocket when we got home.

The smaller the town the more cash will not only be appreciated but may be required.
When I looked at lodging and restaurants in the Cinque Terre most everywhere was cash only, even for places costing 400 euro per night! ; that would be a large amount of cash to be walking about with to cover a week stay.
While I don't think there will ever be a problem paying mostly in cash there could be ticket machines, gas station and similar where a credit card may be faster or even required depending on the time so would not want to travel with cash only and no credit card.

I did notice one of my major credit cards with a chip (think they all have chips nowadays) removed the pin function.
It had a pin just up until a couple of days ago but Chase sent me a letter saying to increase security the pin function is being disabled.
I heard in Italy, France and elsewhere in Europe some machines still require a chip card with pin, is this still true?
Would my debit/Visa card would work in those cases since it is a Chip card and has a pin for the debit use?

Credit cards are widely accepted, however you'll need to have cash for small purchases (like an espresso or sandwich at a bar or small souvenirs) and also in some local trattorie in small towns/rural areas.

Chip+PIN credit cards are required at most (all) automatic kiosks, such as parking garage payment machines, self service gasoline pumps, train ticket automatic kiosks.
Chip+Signature cards, which are the prevailing type in the US, are accepted in all 'in person' transactions.
A chip+PIN ATM/debit card will also work for POS purchases, however be aware that those funds are deducted from your account immediately and you have little recourse in case of fraudulent use or erroneous transaction amounts.

Curious if the self service machines will work with debit cards with a chip.
They have pins but if US based I believe they default to signature priority so may not work?

Mainly concerned with gas stations. If driving on the weekend and stations are unmanned one could be in a boatload of trouble.

It's good to come prepared, but I wouldn't worry too much about trying to buy gas on the weekends at an unattended station. Fill up on Friday. You'd have to drive a long way to need to fill up again. Most likely in that case you'd be on the Autostrada and I know from experience that the Autogrill has manned pumps on the weekend.

The only time we needed a PIN number was at the ATM when we used our debit card.

mreynolds,

"Chase sent me a letter saying to increase security the pin function is being disabled."

That doesn't sound logical? From what I've been able to determine, the cards are more secure if used with a PIN.

"I heard in Italy, France and elsewhere in Europe some machines still require a chip card with pin, is this still true?"

It seems to be becoming even more true every day, as the inexorable conversion to Chip & PIN continues. That's true even at some staffed ticket offices such as Amsterdam Central, where they ONLY accept Chip & PIN (EMV) cards. If you don't have a compatible card, you'll need to have cash at hand. I noticed last year that the ticket Kiosks at many of the small rail stations in Italy will only accept cards, but I'm not sure whether they still accept the old-fashioned magnetic stripe cards.

As you're concerned about automated fuel pumps, you could always plan to top up the tanks on Friday at an attended location.

As you'll be driving in Italy, I assume you're aware that each driver listed on the rental form will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are easily obtained at any AAA office for a small fee, and are valid for one year.

In Sweden I never use cash, but in Italy I need to have at least some cash on me wherever I go. Most restaurants in large towns in Italy accept credit cards, but a few will not if your bill is small (under 30 EUR for example but the sum could be anything). You will also need cash for small purchases: tickets for transport, a bottle of coke or water at tabacchi, finger food or a snack in some small establishment etc. The general rule would then be that you can use a credit card for many purchases, but the smaller the place, the more cash is required. So keep some cash on you at all times, but no large sums. I've never come across a hotel that does not accept credit cards. If not, they will at least tell you in advance. I use credit cards whenever I can and cash only when there is no other option. My credit cards have a chip and a pin.

Ken: I will have to dig up the letter, came in the mail just within the past week. Seemed odd to me as well, maybe I am taking the text out of context a little. It was for a card I have not used in a little while and have no balance on, a Chase Signature United MileagePlus® Explorer card so read it and ignored it.

I am planning on quite a bit of driving, over 20 hours in a 2 week span so imagine I will be at the pump more than most tourists would. As long as the highway stops are manned on the weekends I should be fine though. Not sure otherwise a Friday fill up will always work for me to cover the weekends.
Aware of the various caveats and rules but not being able to get gas is not something that I would not want to happen but it seems I will have no way to pay at an unmanned station.

My wife and I just returned from a 3+ week trip June - July starting in Budapest with a Danube river cruise (Avalon) to Passau (water levels were to high so did not make it all the way to Nuremberg as planned, and then time in Germany, and France. ATM withdrawals worked great as long as the debit card had a chip. We tried to use one of our credit union debit cards which did not have a chip and it failed. I tried to get a Chip and PIN card out of Capital 1 before I left but was informed that that US Banks don't issue chip and pin cards at this time. You can get a PIN for ATM Cash Advances which only work for the ATM machines.. We had not troubles at all in both restaurants, French unattended toll booths and stores and gas stations. They took the card just fine. I was asked a few time in restaurants if the card had a PIN. I replied no and the waiter had the credit card machine spit out a paper receipt that I signed just like here in the US.

I hope this helps.

Just spent 3 weeks in Italy, Venice, Cinque Terra (La Spezia), Sorrento and Rome. We used cash a lot, CC for bigger stuff. We pulled cash out with regular atm cards, no chip. We used train kiosks with regular atm cards, no chip needed. No issues. Even in Rome we came across restaurants/gelato shop/shopping that were cash only. A couple tours also, cash only. We did the pull as much out as you can with both debits cards at one time thing, less times to go to a cash machine. Worked for us. We headed over with 400 Euro in our pockets from our bank for a family of 4, very glad to have it on hand. Only chip/pin/CC/Atm card issues I saw were at the holding room they put our entire planeload full of passengers in at FRA. Only had vending machine access for 1.5 hours before flight ( if I had known we would have purchased food before funneling down the security and other checks again- no liquids though because we had to dump it all). Suffice it to say not one single american credit card/atm card worked in the machines. They only accepted Euro coin and there was no coin changing machine in the room. The vending machine guy was there filling the machines and he let us buy euro coin off him for euro bills, bless him. But he confirmed no american credit card will work in those machines. Yeah, smart move in the room they put the flight back to the states in.

eh, I use cash for anything less than 20 Euros, otherwise it is credit card. Never had a problem

RE: SELF SERVICE GASOLINE PUMPS WORRIES

Nothing to worry.

Even if you don't have chip credit cards, the pumps accept money (euro bills), therefore you won't be stranded on Sunday when most gas stations are unmanned. Just make sure you don't buy more gas than you can fit in the tank. The pumps don't give change.

Thank you Roberto ; I appreciate you letting me know that. Extremely helpful to me.