Getting ready to book, then a negative Nelly spoiled it... So now I am worried

[LovesTimone]

OP here...

All of these will need a chip and pin card. Your current Amex chip and swipe card will not work. In Europe the cards are put into a reader and a pin code is entered. We have a pin for our Amex, and also we have a pin for our regular CC's, including our Debit card.... Which we normally don't use when traveling, normally just the regular CC. So what I am reading here, is that these will not work... And we need to get some sort of international CC with a chip and pin like a debit card? Correct...So you can not use regular CC just the chip and pin? Correct...

This just baffles me, you are going to a different country, you need to use their currency, not your own. You can buy Euros from your own bank or from a money exchange. You can also get Euros cash from any ATM in France, BUT you will need a chip and pin card. So could I use my Debit card, and pin to withdraw money at a ATM?

We have been all over the Caribbean and never encountered this... So glad that you all are here to help me along the way...

This whole Chip and Pin thing, I think I might be making more out of it then necessary so I will be heading to the bank and calling the CC companies to see what exactly what we need to do...

As far as the question about US currency in another country... I apologize... this is what happens when you get on line and have not had enough "Café American"....

On the Toilet tissue question... Negative Nelly told me this. I think she just was laying it on really thick and piling it on about how terrible everything was... I will tell you a secret in our day bag, I carry those seat cover and toilet tissue individual packages...as a precaution...and thankfully I have had them on several occasions...

 

[LovesTimone]

All of these will need a chip and pin card. Your current Amex chip and swipe card will not work. In Europe the cards are put into a reader and a pin code is entered.

View attachment 297762
As you can see in the photo the reader machine is wireless. In restaurants use, they bring this machine to the table, at shops, excursions, museums, this machine is in a holder at the ticket desk.

View attachment 297765
This is a photo of the Paris metro ticket machine. You can see the chip and pin payment system in the bottom right corner. Same system, insert your Visa or Mastercard, and key in your pin number.



This just baffles me, you are going to a different country, you need to use their currency, not your own. You can buy Euros from your own bank or from a money exchange. You can also get Euros cash from any ATM in France, BUT you will need a chip and pin card.

This is correct. As a European I can never get my head around the American tipping, as in Europe tipping is something we do to reward when a person has given service above and beyond their job description. In Europe we do not tip to top up peoples wages. In restaurants I may or may not tip, depending on the service. If I do tip, its usually a round up, if the bill came to €34.80, I would round up to €40. I rarely tip taxis, bar staff, tour guides etc etc



It depends on location but as a rule yes, expect to pay in train stations, shopping malls and on street public toilets. There is usually a coin operated turnstile. You insert 20 cent, 30 cent or 50 cent Euro coins ( not American coins) into the front and when the correct amount is you can enter. There is no charge to exit. They usually only accept correct change so there may or may not be a change machine located nearby



View attachment 297771

Some places may just have an honour system, where you put the money into a container and there are no gates.

Toilets in restaurants, bars usually have no charge. Toilets in museums and venues may or may not have a charge. I have never heard of a charge for toilet paper.

Thank you so much for the pictures...

 

[BadPinkTink]

We have a pin for our Amex, and also we have a pin for our regular CC's, including our Debit card.... Which we normally don't use when traveling, normally just the regular CC. So what I am reading here, is that these will not work... And we need to get some sort of international CC with a chip and pin like a debit card? Correct...So you can not use regular CC just the chip and pin? Correct...

Right ok, the issue here then would Amex, as in the card itself is not used in Europe. Its Visa and Mastercard, not American Express in Europe. Great that it has a pin but that card having a pin is useless if the European card readers do not accept American Express cards

For your other cards, call the bank, tell then you need a chip and pin card suitable for use in Europe. Cards that just swipe and then you sign you will not be able to use in card readers like the photo I posted.

We have been all over the Caribbean and never encountered this...

The Caribbean is obviously more Americanised and due to its close proximity to America probably uses alot of systems that are American.

This whole Chip and Pin thing, I think I might be making more out of it then necessary so I will be heading to the bank and calling the CC companies to see what exactly what we need to do...

Very likely, its all part of travelling to different cultures, experiencing things outside your comfort zone. Its the same for us Europeans when we go to America

On the Toilet tissue question... Negative Nelly told me this. I think she just was laying it on really thick and piling it on about how terrible everything was... I will tell you a secret in our day bag, I carry those seat cover and toilet tissue individual packages...as a precaution...and thankfully I have had them on several occasions...

well done, and yes this negative nelly sounds like a very closed minded person, you at least are doing your research and preparing yourself before you travel. There are her counterparts in Europe though, who will have the same negative views about America and are baffled as to why I return year after year

 

[olafLover]

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[Vala]

Yes, olafLover is right. The card is given out in Europe (our company had Amex business credit card for over 10 years), but most stores in Europe wouldn't accept them due to the insane fees. The company has now switched to Mastercard due to that.

 

[tennisfan]

As I always understood, the readers would work, but Amex charges an insane amount for each charge (not sure it's everywhere or just in Europe) and because of that, most stores won't accept them. I actually have a Dutch (KLM our national airline) Amex card, so they do exist in Europe, they just are hardly every accepted

I've heard that about Amex but then I spoke to someone who owns a business and stated the fees Amex charge compared to Visa/mastercard is nominal in the difference, in the UK at least they said its about 3 pence more per transaction. I think it has come down over the years as more companies in the UK have started to take it.

As I said I know Disneyland Paris definitely accept it as I have used mine and they used to be a sponsor/official card for Disneyland Paris

 

[Krand12]

Thank you for this thread. We just planned a trip for October, so I was wondering all of these things too! Thank you to everyone who has offered information!

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Thank you so much for the pictures...

If you ever come visit up North in Canada, we have chip and PIN on our CC's and we pay for most things in the same way that @BadPinkTink has described
But many more businesses accept AmEx in Canada over Europe so you won't need to request a special payment chip-activated card to visit here!

 

[RangerPooh]

I never thought of having to pay to use the restroom. This is good to know. Thank you! With a family our size I'd better make sure to have plenty of coins on my when we travel.

 

[olafLover]

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[Lyricallie]

One thing to be aware of when taking out money from an ATM in a different currency from your own is that there can be big charges associated with it. Each bank will be different i.e. 2% or a set fee. It's worth checking however.

I always just get Euros before I go on holiday and split them between different bags/keep them on me. Just to be safe. I never use my card in Europe due to stupid fees on purchases.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I never thought of having to pay to use the restroom. This is good to know. Thank you! With a family our size I'd better make sure to have plenty of coins on my when we travel.

I just re-read what I had posted earlier, and I must clarify that in Canada, we don't typically have washrooms for pay! They really are public free access!

But yes, parking and public transit and all sorts of other small things are often paid for at terminals that you stick your card into.

If they are NOT free washrooms, believe me, there are signs posted (the museums in Toronto may, for example, but I have not been there, so IDK).

It's rare when the access is nil, but it's usually a sign, "Washroom for patrons only", which is normal for the U.S. too

 

[meggiebeth]

A lot of chip and pin machines also have a swipe function for cards without chips, particularly in tourist areas where Americans might be visiting. You’ll just be asked to sign for your purchase like in the States- and should bring along ID to verify your card and signature too.

American Express is well known in the UK but no where near as widely accepted at Visa and MasterCard, but I can’t speak for France. Our Amex charges 3% when you spend in foreign currency, which means a $1000 spend your pay an extra $30 for in fees. In the UK, there are specialist travel credit cards and travel cards that don’t have fees- I’d imagine something similar exists in the US.

The Metro in Paris is fine- just dirty and smelly. I think I’m spoiled with the London Underground, though. The Metro is much cheaper though and easy to use once you get the hang of it.

To be honest, I think France and the UK along with much of Europe is much safer than the US, when you look at the statistics. There is a much lower level of gun crime and homicide as people don’t have guns. Yes there are dangers as there are in any city, along with many pickpockets, so do stay aware of your surroundings. Pickpockets even operate in Disneyland so do be careful. I saw far more homeless people in the Californian cities I’ve visited than in Paris or London, so again, not much difference between countries.

As for currency, yes you need euros, no you don’t pay in dollars. As others have said it is really important to try and engage with French language and culture- just as Americans wouldn’t like it if Europeans visited the states and expected to be spoken to in their mother tongue, it’s disheartening for French people to be expected to speak English.

With mobile phones, yes you are charged an absolute fortune to text, make calls, and use data. This is the case when you visit most foreign countries. This is why I’d stick to WiFi in hotels and some public areas if you can- use internet messaging and FaceTime/ Skype to keep in touch with people back home. Disneyland hotels also have WiFi, along with the Disney Village, although the parks don’t.

 

[Luvscrappin]

We will be visiting DLP in April. Thanks for all the info posted here. Lots to think about here! DH travels internationally on a regular basis but it will be my first time In Europe.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

Where are you staying in Paris i.e. what hotel?

 

[Tigerlulu]

My husband and I did two days in Paris on the spur of the moment when we were on a two week business trip to Germany. We didn’t speak two words of German either, btw.

We have high school French backgrounds and dont remember really any of it. So we went into France with zero research. We literally got on Expedia, booked a hotel, got into our rental car which had navigation and left. This was 05, before smart phones.

And we conquered the trains and the metro, did the power tourist thing and hit most of the highlights, and did just fine not speaking French. Actually everyone we encountered spoke English. We had more non-English speaking encounters in the small town in Germany we were staying in, and still it was fine.

Not once did I worry about our safety. Not once did I not feel safe. It was wonderful and I HIGHLY recommend it! And you have the advantage of planning and having time to research!
As with anywhere you go, just be aware of what’s going on around you and use common sense. Paris is very tourist friendly and they are used to having foreign tourists who don’t speak the language. And it’s a beautiful place. You should totally go!

 

[Riamh]

About the toilet paper - I can think of maybe one occasion in Paris where after paying to use the toilet I was given some toilet paper by the attendant. If your friend didn't speak French she maybe thought the charge was for the paper? I wasn't overly keen on being limited to a predetermined portion of paper, but its not like I was being charged per piece.

I can't remember did you say if you planned on staying in Disneyland for that portion of your holiday or planned on getting the train multiple times. My experience of the RER has been mostly fine, but I did have one train ride back to Paris about five years ago in a very overcrowded train with no air conditioning that was really unpleasant end to the day.

I work in tourism in the UK, and when we sell tickets to Americans we often fond they don't have chip and pin: we have a card reader that allows for swipe and signature but not many shops do. We get a lot of chip and signature as well. The main problem we have is that quite often Americans do not sign their debit cards: without the signature we can not validate the purchase. I've seen some "See I.D.", but we're not really meant to accept that. I know lots of people will say no one ever checks the signature but they should, its your money they're protecting!

 

[awaydrink]

Pocket wifi is great for Paris. (It's what I used for my last trip to DLP.) There are websites so you can order one, pick it up at a the airport or hotel, and have wifi basically everywhere with you. It's not expensive either.

A lot of American cards are being transitioned over to chip and pin cards; particularly credit cards with no international fee. My Bank of America Travel Rewards cc has a chip and came with a pin when I received it, though the pin is useless in America. Also, you can pull money from foreign ATMs with your debit card (if it has a chip) quite easily. Depending on your bank, this may be the most cost-efficient way.

 

[swimfin]

we have iPhones and we have AT&T ... we used their international day plan for our phones and this was a $10 charge for 24 hours (eg - 2pm - 2pm) ... well worth it!! Our phones worked perfectly and when needed, we accessed the day plan ... charge only comes if you access it.

If you have a military based bank (PenFed or USAA) their chips are "international chips" and have a PIN that works for Europe if needed. We found that Germany is strictly chip and PIN where Norway, Denmark and Iceland took our cards "as is." We had friends that traveled many countries in Europe July 2017 and Germany was the country that required the EC or chip and PIN US cards. AmEx was not widely accepted for us so we were happy to have our Visa.

When are you traveling? We are looking at DLP for end of May or beginning of June.

Cheers!

 

[YawningDodo]

Pocket wifi is great for Paris. (It's what I used for my last trip to DLP.) There are websites so you can order one, pick it up at a the airport or hotel, and have wifi basically everywhere with you. It's not expensive either.

I looked this up and found what I think is the right site for ordering one (they offer rentals as well as sales), but I'm still confused about how it works in terms of what you pay for it. Do you get charged by the amount of data you use, or the number of days you use it, or is it a flat fee for buying or renting the device?