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Somehow I can't imagine Europe wanting to send a message to all U.S. travelers. "We're changing our CC system so yours don't work here." Our response: "Okay, we're heading to South America. Good luck with the new system."
Somehow I can't imagine Europe wanting to send a message to all U.S. travelers. "We're changing our CC system so yours don't work here." Our response: "Okay, we're heading to South America. Good luck with the new system."
I don't think US travelers will be high on the list of priorities. The amount of US traveler use of credit cards in Europe will be minute in comparison to the regular everyday use of credit cards by Europeans.
However, an enterprising US - or more likely European - financial services firm might introduce a chip card which you could load with cash before heading overseas.
Anybody traveled to the Caribbean lately? We have a trip coming up, and I would hate to find out my AmEx may not work. After reading these replies I don't anticipate much of a problem, if any.
Anybody traveled to the Caribbean lately? We have a trip coming up, and I would hate to find out my AmEx may not work. After reading these replies I don't anticipate much of a problem, if any.
Oh hell, most of the carribean will even accept US greenbacks as currency just as quickly as there local currency. The last place you will have a problem is there.
Oh hell, most of the carribean will even accept US greenbacks as currency just as quickly as there local currency. The last place you will have a problem is there.
I don't think US travelers will be high on the list of priorities. The amount of US traveler use of credit cards in Europe will be minute in comparison to the regular everyday use of credit cards by Europeans.
However, an enterprising US - or more likely European - financial services firm might introduce a chip card which you could load with cash before heading overseas.
I read a few years ago 5% of the UK's GDP is from American tourism. Not a small number in the scheme of things.
Around 5 years ago when I was working in Colorado, I met a wealthy brit family who's source of wealth was from gift shops in the UK that catered to American tourists. At the time they were complaining because the pound was starting to be so strong it was keeping Americans away from the UK.
Somehow I can't imagine Europe wanting to send a message to all U.S. travelers. "We're changing our CC system so yours don't work here." Our response: "Okay, we're heading to South America. Good luck with the new system."
Don't be to sure of American wealth, by Jan 2011, all of South America will have changed to Chip&PIN. China and Japan should be finished this year. It's getting harder and harder to find resturants in Asia that accept the old mag strip cards. Our corp Amex card was changed to 2 cards, one with the mag stripe and another with Chip&PIN. The last country to change will probably be the US.
I've been to Oz, New Z, SE Asia, Egypt, Venezuela, and all over Europe and never had a problem with this. I did have problems using my debit card, which no one could explain, but the same card worked just fine in the ATM machine.
There are still many places with large american tourist population that have both readers, but each month more and more switch to the Chip&PIN. They can still enter the info manually, but I suspect that in 2011 youll see major changes because the sunset date for mag stripes is Dec 31, 2010. Right now they can use both but after that date, it doen't have to be offered or supported. If you have an Amex corp card and use it overseas, you should be getting a notice in the mail about converting or gettinga second card.
Due to the rise of identity theft, it is good idea to inform the companies/banks that issue your credit/debit cards before leaving the USA on any trip outside the USA. Sometimes if you don't do this, the cards get blocked when you try to use them overseas.
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