Credit card use for Germany and Austria

Merchants that deal with tourists on a regular basis will have the hardware to read magnetic strip cards. Merchants that deal mostly with locals may or may not.

Sonny,

I haven't had any credit card problems on recent trips to Germany and Austria, but it's very evident that a changeover to "chip cards" is occurring in many parts of Europe. For example, the automatic ticket machines at Paris / CDG will ONLY accept chip cards. However, ATM's in Paris will still accept magnetic strip cards (at least at the present time).

You might give your financial institution a call, to determine whether it might be possible to get at least one chip card before your trip. Also, remember to notify them that you'll be travelling in Europe.

Happy travels!

The last time I went to Germany was in Aug 08. I didn't encounter any problems with my non-chip card. However, in non-touristy places the issue is still that cash is the only option accepted by the merchants.

The only US credit card that has the chip is American Express. No US bank offers Visa/MC card with the chip.

I don't think Germany has converted yet to the chip card -- at least not totally. My Euro debit card, from Citibank in Spain (another country that hasn't yet converted) has no chip, and it worked fine. No problem with my US cards either.

Beatrix is also right that some merchants you would not expect only take cash. Like, you would expect restaurants in major museums to take credit cards, like they do here, but at least in Berlin where I was, some did, and some were cash only.

Thanks all! Yup, some B&B's I already booked with already told me, cash only. Although they asked for a credit card # to assure reservation. Scary, but that's how it works.

Careful with them taking your CC number for reservation and then asking to be paid in cash. I did that at a hotel in Frankfurt and when I came home there was a nice charge on my CC from the hotel even though I had paid them in cash. I tried to dispute it but somewhere on the way home had lost my receipt for the cash payment so Visa said I was SOL.

We were just in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic and did not have any problem using our card.

I didn't know you could get an AE with a chip! I've been frustrated when trying to fill up with gas at an unmanned gas station, or trying to rent one of the public bikes in Paris, or trying to buy RER tickets, that my non-chip card isn't accepted.

"Careful with them taking your CC number for reservation and then asking to be paid in cash. I did that at a hotel in Frankfurt and when I came home there was a nice charge on my CC from the hotel even though I had paid them in cash."

This can even happen when you switch credit cards -- i.e., you used one credit card to hold the reservation, but you paid with another card. It happened to me at a hotel in Dresden; however, the "extra" charges were automatically reversed about a week after I stayed at the hotel. I was about read to call and complain, when the charges disappeared.

Christy,
The catch 22 of AE having the chip is that not many places in Europe accept AE as a form of payment. But, surprisingly it will work for those bicycles in Paris!