I was wondering if anyone tried using a chip and PIN MasterCard Cash Passport from Travelex to use Velib bikes. I've heard the Velib bikes which are all over Paris may be used with chip-and-PIN credit cards (which are not available in the U.S.). The Travelex chip and PIN MasterCard is a prepaid card, but perhaps we could load it up with enough to cover the Velib 150 Euros so that we could use the bikes. Obviously, the exchange cost would be necessary, but we're avid bike riders and would love to use Velib bikes while in Paris this summer. We understand there are Velib bikes just outside our front door. Also, the Travelex card might be good for those few times when you really need a chip-and-PIN card.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
I haven't personally tried it, but in theory it should work, and I seen some reports from others who have had success with it. The big downside is that you will need to have around 200 euros loaded on the card to cover the deposit. That may not be a big deal for one person, but for a family of four doing this together that's 800 euros...over a thousand dollars! That's a lot of money to tie-up for a bike ride:) Probably less hassle to simply get an American Express card.
Posted by
OP
Hermosa Beach, CA, USA
277 posts
I'm making about 25 cents a month interest on that money, so tying it up to give us three weeks of cheap bike usage in Paris will work out better for us. We're staying on the edge of Bois de Boulogne park so there should be a lot of good riding. Last year, we would have loved to use the new Barclay bikes in London.
Posted by
Jacksonville
3 posts
Did you use the Travelex chip and pin card? Was it easy and helpful? Thanks.
Posted by
OP
Hermosa Beach, CA, USA
277 posts
We didn't use the Telex card. We used a British Airways Visa card that has a chip but no pin. I had to sign whenever I used it. However, we went online and signed up for the Velib bikes using our credit card. When we signed up, it gave us a membership number and a PIN which we used easily once we figured it out at the station. Riding bikes in Paris was one of our favorite activities. We had to sign up each week for a one week membership for each of us.
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
I was going to reply that you can easily get a chip and PIN in the US through Andrews FCU, but I saw the original date of this post, which was before it was available. And I didn't know about signing up for the Paris bike system in advance by CC. I wonder if that can be done in Lyon also.
Posted by
OP
Hermosa Beach, CA, USA
277 posts
Our Velib experience was in 2011. This year we were in England and a chip-and-pin would have been better than our chip-and-sign. It's like a hand held ATM whenever you charge something. The Lyon bike website looks very similar. Here's the URL... http://www.velov.grandlyon.com/Index.1.0.html?&no_cache=1&L=1&cHash=1974852baab981af55f9e58088b1261d The pictures of the bikes look like they're using the same models. Good luck.
Posted by
Green Bay
20152 posts
We just left Paris on Monday. There was a Velib stand in front of our hotel. Just on a whim, I swiped my Navigo Decouverte pass on the kiosk, and it lit up! Investigating further, it seems you can put some money on the pass and use it to rent bikes. Check the Velib website. First 30 minutes is free. So it would appear that if you had a Navigo pass you would not need to get a special PIN & Chip credit card.