Cash Passport MasterCard from Travelex

Here was a very recent article in the NY Times http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/travel/credit-card-problems-abroad-readers-respond.html?scp=2&sq=travelex%20cash%20passport&st=cse I found acceptance spotty in Germany last month. On balance, it was a disappointment. The exchange rate for the Euros you load onto the card is exceptionally poor. I recommend using cash when possible, especially if your bank has a deal (like Bank of America) with a French bank. But that doesn't solve my particular desire to buy transit and train tickets at a machine, to avoid huge lines for a live agent window.

Cash is the answer. Some ticket machines accept cash in the form of coins or bills. I've been burned a couple of times using credit cards in England, so use the ATM and cash entirely now.

Although I started a thread with "Mag Cards are a problem" you can still get by without a chip and pin in most instances. You would need a chip and pin card if you will be: driving a lot using gas stations and paying tolls, planning to use the Velib bicycles, or buying train tickets in small train stations that have only automatic machines in place of a human presence. Otherwise our magnetic strip cards still work at ATMs and most stores. I'd load up on cash at ATMs. Because a Travelex card is so expensive, most people would use it on a very limited basis in only the above situations. That said, I hope our banks and credit unions get the message.

Bets...great response.

Yes we used the Travelex card in London and Paris last summer. We just went to Travelex last week to inquire about our trip in August to some other cities we will be visiting. We didn't have any problem using the card at ATM's. It was reassuring that if we lost the cards, we wouldn't be out any money. We turned the cards back in to receive our balance, when we returned. Elaine