Credit cards in Sweden and Denmark

Your US-based credit cards should work just fine. There has unfortunately been a great deal of hype in the media about the chip & pin cards used throughout Europe. Most of it has either been wrong or misleading. Almost anywhere a person processes your card, the magnetic stripe type will work. Where problems can occur is at un-manned ticket kiosks or gas stations. There is only 1 chip & pin type card available in the US so far, issued by Andrews Credit Union. A search here will dig up several threads about it. Personally, I don't think it's worth the hassle to get another card but some people have done it. Cash is always welcome as a backup.

Thanks for your post. Makes me feel better as I don't want another credit card for a 2 week trip! Actually as long ago as 2006 I had trouble with one of my magnetic strip cards everywhere! Luckily I brought a second one, Citibank Visa, and it worked even though it was also a magnetic strip! At that time merchants in Denmark told me that some of their machines were only set up to accept the chip credit cards. I don't know why the US is so far behind on these things. A PIN number is far better security than trying to get merchants to check photo ID's!

I normally don't use an American Express card. They are getting more accepted than they once were. I carried one for the first time last trip, but mainly to take advantage of their great CDW option for car rentals. In Denmark, I had one place that didn't take my magnetic strip credit card. It was a small shop that didn't cater to tourists in Helsingor. No problem; we just walked a block to an ATM and came back with cash (normally would have used cash anyway, but I was low). Anywhere that caters to tourists will take your card, they just have to print out a receipt for you to sign. Some non-touisty shop clerks don't know how to do that.

Credit cards work fine. The main thing is that they do expect a PIN and you have to ask (and show ID) to sign for something. For a backup, cash is best (or better). The ATMs will accept your American card without a fuss.

"with automated ticket machines at the train stations in Scandinavia as a tourist." Just to elaborate a little... if you're flying into Copenhagen and you arrive late in the evening, your only option for buying Metro tickets are the machines. They take cash, but I did not see any ATMs at the airport, only money exchanges. As the other poster mentioned, for credit cards, they only accept IC cards.

We just came back from a week in Stockholm and had no trouble using US credit cards. Most of the shop terminals have a button for "no PIN", or you can easiliy use a debit card either for purchases or for cash withdrawals

There are ATM's at the Copenhagen airport. Here's a map: http://tinyurl.com/cmfn8ex The problem is that they only dispense Danish kroner, so that if you're in Copenhagen only as a stopover, they won't do you much good. Unless you want to spend at the airport.

My American credit cards worked fine at restaurants, hotels, museums. They were rejected at COOP grocery and 7 Eleven because they required a PIN, so I just used cash for grocery purchases.

Thanks everyone for the great advice! Our credit cards didn't work at automated gas pumps or automated train ticket machines even back in 2006! It seems not much has changed with regard to using US credit cards!