Paris ATMs/Credit Cards

Okay, interestingly enough I have one of each: a debit card from MasterCard, a debit card from Visa, and an AmEx credit card.

How available are ATMs for each, and will Paris establishments give me the same headaches I experience in the States with AmEx (I have it solely because of the SkyMiles, certainly not the convenience!)?

Is Visa more widely accepted than MasterCard?

In other words, if you had 1000 dollars, how would you bring it to Paris (cards, cash, etc)?

|||

It depends on how long you are staying, but for a one week stay I%26#39;d bring 200 euros (bought from a currency exchange in the states- you can also order from americanexpress.com) and then the rest on the Visa. Amex is accepted in some of the larger places like department stores but the smaller places seem to prefer Visa predominantly. Most cash machines will work for you, but be sure to notify all your banks that you are traveling to France. This is because many will freeze the card if they see strange activity.

Also, if you have a WORD associated with your card%26#39;s PIN, be sure to memorize the numbers associated, since French ATMs do not have letters on the machine keypads.

|||

In a word: Visa

But AMEX is accepted at most hotels and we always ask just in case we can get the miles. It is also practical if you need more cash than you can get from the ATM... they%26#39;ll pull the money from your bank account for free if you go to their offices by the Opera Garnier.

|||

Nearly everywhere : VISA, then Mastercard n°2, and Amex in a few places.

|||

I would wait an pull from the ATM. They are all over the place and it is much easier to pay with cash than a credit card. I am sure that tourist areas are used to seeing credit cards, but some vendors get picky if it isn%26#39;t a French debit card.

Just be aware that there is generally a fee from your bank when you pull foreign currency, so take it out in larger amounts.

And on the credit card note: Visa...although randomly I%26#39;ve been in some places that only take Am Ex.

|||

Of $1000.00, I would bring about $250 cash only as fallback in case of a major snafu or stolen/lost credit cards. Definitely combo of credit/debit card is the best option. Plastic is accepted ( especially VISA) in almost all tourist,restaurants, services,goods businesses.

Withdraw cash in well planned amounts and mainly to cover misc. expenses,( i.e. taxis, tipping, etc.) and charge all you can to your credit cards. This has worked for me very good in all my travels.

P.S. make sure your debits cards are 4 digit pin numbers and inform your cards your traveling dates and visiting countries to avoid embarrasing rejected charges for security reasons only.

|||

Much like in the US, VISA has the slightly greater acceptance rate but M/C is a very close second. AMEX is about as much hassle there as it is here. So if you had to make a choice, VISA should probaly be your primary.

***BUT***...since each card may be issued by a different financial institution, check with each individual institution to discover what their fees and charges are for each different account...especially for foreign currency transactions. These can vary significantly and make a big difference in the net conversion rate. Most local branch bank officers and customer service personnel are NOT familiar with foreign transation fees and charges. The question seldom comes up. These tend to be buried down in the very fine print of the TERMS %26amp; CONDITIONS of the account, so you may have to drill down to get the facts.

|||

I would say everything in cash. I am used to travelling with much more in cash, and believe in much dodgier countries than France! So far, nothing has happened to me...

|||

I bring E300 to cover transportation

to the hotel and the first several

days of expenses.

I then use my Visa ATM card to withdraw

euros for several days at a time and

my Visa Card to make any large purchases.

|||

I just got back last week and here is exactly what I did:

I had 125€ cash in hand for the cab ride from the airport to the hotel and my first meal.

I then had a VISA debit card for a checking %26amp; savings account at my credit union separate from my day to day checking account. The credit union allows me 8 withdrawls from non-affilitated ATM%26#39;s per month without additional fees. So I was only being charged VISA%26#39;s 1% currency exchange fee for those withdrawls. The reason I used a separate account from my %26quot;real life checking%26quot; was so that if the card was lost or stolen, the thieving ---holes would only have access to a limited amount of funds and I wouldn%26#39;t have to change any of my online billing information or worry about insufficient funds penalties when I got home.

I would love to take credit for all this but brilliance but it was a combination of things I%26#39;ve learnt right here on TA from the forum folk.

|||

JustGrace, that%26#39;s my new method, too. Did it in September and had no extra cr.cd. debt waiting for me at home. I used my debit card to pay for Carte Orange passes and the hotel, as well as for the ATM withdrawals. I pretty much used cash everywhere else (meals, etc). The debit card is at a completely different bank from my day-to-day business.