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purchasing items in England and Switerland

Can a person use their American express and Visa cards for purchases and expenses while in these countries. Also is that the best rate of exchange?

Thanks

Posted by
521 posts

Visa should not be much of a problem, but American Express is not all that widely accepted outside of the United States. MasterCard tends to be the most widely accepted in Europe.

I found that credit cards offer an exchange rate that is alright, but I still believe that my bank gave me a better rate when I withdrew cash from an ATM.

Posted by
9363 posts

Wayne, if you Google "currency converter" you'll get a bunch of listings for places to check on the latest currency rates.

Posted by
12040 posts

And also realize that the listed values are the official bank-to-bank conversions. Depending on the source used, an individual customer can be charged a slight to heavy premium above the offical rate. ATMs usually offer the best exchange rate, followed by credit cards, followed by direct purchases from banks, and lastly, a bureau de change.