Problem with Visa credit/debit card

Where were you trying to use it? Were you making a purchase or getting cash from an ATM?

At a boulangerie/patisserie. The guy ran the card and it was declined. Meanwhile, I have gotten the PIN number. Do I have to tell the clerk that I want to use it as a debit? Maybe it would work then? They get so impatient!

I've never actually tried to make a purchase abroad with a debit card, but people on this board often say that American debit cards can't be used as credit cards in other countries. I've also heard that you can't successfully use debit cards to make purchases. Sorry.

Oy! This is really bad news for me (especially so close to leaving on 7-11). I'd never heard of this is any travel manual I've read. In all fairness I'd never heard to the contrary either, but just assumed. Bad effin' news.

I'm referencing Rick's Paris 2008 manual: "For purchases, Visa and MasterCard are more commonly accepted than American Express. Just like home, credit or debit cards work easily at larger hotels, restaurants, and shops, but smaller businesses prefer payments in local currency."

I've never had a problem with credit card purchases or with using my debit card in an ATM. But if you do a search on "debit" in the search box on this site you'll find lots of discussion about card usage problems of various kinds, particularly with using debit cards for purchases.

Thanks everyone. Here's what I'm still wondering though: it says VISA on the card and at home can be used just like any other VISA (no PIN, no "debit" issue). It just happens to pull the payment from my checking account rather than bill me later. I guess it is more like a credit/checkcard in that sense. If the VISA as credit card works at home it seems that it should work here, too.

I used my Visa debit card this way once or twice on my trip to buy a couple souvenirs and I had no problem, it worked just like my credit card but as you said, drew the money right out of my checking account instead. As long as you use it as a credit card without the PIN, you should be fine.

Rebecca - I had the same problem in London and Amsterdam last year... I ended up telling one clerk that it was a debit card from the US and she said she could run it through in a different manner. After that, I just told them it was a US debit card and didn't have any problems. I just couldn't run it through the machine myself. As for the Amex, I haven't had any problems using it anywhere in Western Europe except in the smallest shops. I now only use the Amex as a backup card because of the lousy foreign exchange fees.

I have read in Rick's books for years, since I have been planning my trips, that many European businesses don't take Amex. We use Visa CC for purchases, debit cards only for ATM's, and enough cash for the small mom and pop shops and eateries...never had a problem.

Rebecca, if you use the checkcards like a "credit card" don't enter the PIN#. For example, when you pay for the meal, give the card to the clerk, she'll swipe it like a Visa card... just like you'd do it as "credit" here in the states.

Now that you have a PIN, I'd suggest pulling cash out of the ATM and try paying by cash during the trip. It will keep you in a budget and chances are, you won't have any problem using the card.

For a variety of reasons you can't always use a US debit/atm/checkcard as a credit card in Europe. The most stress free strategy is to simply use your checkcard to withdraw money from ATMs, and pay for everything while you're sightseeing with cash.

Given the amount of responses from everyone on here...everyone confirming that these checkcard Visas are sometimes/often problematic, I'm miffed that I never read about this in any travel book! I tried the ATM with that same card today and it did not work. Thankfully, I have my backup ATM card and, of course, the amex. Next time, I want to figure out how to get a Carte Bleu!

Rebecca, had you informed your bank that you would be traveling? They might have flagged your account if they saw foreign charges that they didn't know to expect. That could be why it's not working in the ATM, either.