Going there for first time with US credit card that doesn't have the chip, does anyone have experience in the last year using their CC without a chip? I've used my CC fine in England, Paris, Amsterdam where they also use the chip, but I thought I heard US credit cards do not work well in the Scandinavian countries. Wondering what others have experienced.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
Don't worry about it, magnetic strip cards will be accepted by most merchants.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
We were there last summer. Most places that get any tourist traffick know exactly how to use your card and will spit out a slip for you to sign. The only time we had any difficulty was in an out of the way shop in Helsingor, Denmark that catered to Swedes. We didn't have quite enough cash so we walked a block, got cash at an ATM and went back.
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
If a merchant displays a Visa/Mastercard decal, they HAVE to accept your cards. Those are Visa/Mastercard's rules. The only place you'll run into trouble is at automated/self-serve credit card terminals such as pay-at-the-pump gas pumps or ticket vending machines in train stations. Odds are your magnetic stripe card WON'T work there. At such places a human attendant will take your card, even though the machine won't. This topic has been discussed many times & you'll find lots of information in the archives.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
It can be helpful to know your CC pin number. It's just like your ATM pin but can be used in lieu of a signature. It's very common in Scandanavia. But even if you don't know it, they can also accept signatures on paper.