Hello,
I was wondering if I wanted to buy train tickets in Paris at the automated machines, do I have to use a credit card with a chip in it? Do they take cash at the automated machines? I have an American Express (Costco) but I'm not sure if it has a chip in it.
Thanks!
My understanding is that AE cards do have the chip in them, but I'm not sure if the machines accept that form of payment. BTW the automated machines which accept payment for the public bike in Paris, will accept AE.
Yes, the machines take cash.
Yes, the machine take cash. You may want to consider taking a Mastercard or a Visa card with you since the AE is not widely accepted especially at smaller places.
Karen,
It's very easy to tell if your card is a "chip card". If there's a small gold square on the front of the card, and you require a PIN for transactions (rather than a signature), then it's a "chip card".
My recent experience in Paris (May/June '09) is that the automated machines (especially for the RER at CDG) will require a "chip card". I agree with the previous post that you might want to take a Visa or MasterCard as American Express is not as widely accepted.
Cheers!
I've since read that there are machines that take cash but coins only.
