What is the best credit card to use in France?

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emma

Mastercard or Visa

Pastor Dave

Visa. MasterCard will work everywhere as well, but some merchants aren't as familiar with it. Make sure you know the PIN if it has one. Almost all card transactions in France are done with a PIN. If you need to sign it, some merchants that don't deal regularly with tourists might have trouble doing the transaction.

The Juicer

I found that credit cards charge higher fees than the good ol' ATM card. You can find some banks that don't charge a fee for an ATM withdrawal - even overseas! San Diego National Bank is one. They do not charge any fees in France for ATM withdrawal at major banks. If you don't mind carrying a little cash, that's the way to go.

wanderlust

visa... accepted more frequently than amex

Vivalamitsu

Go with Mastercard or Visa ,accepted everywhere. Amex are not accepted everywhere. Traveler checks are more secure than cash They are good if you want to have some cash overthere which is a good idea since they usually don't accept credit cards for small amounts.

DLeibowitz

Amex was better thant Visa for me. Amex expects it card users to travel. When I was last in France, Visa actually closed down my account because they thought I was defrauding them. I spent hours on the phone trying to convince them I really was in France. If you go, tell your card issuer in advance you are going to France and for how long so that your card doesn't get frozen due to the unusualy use pattern. Another nice thing about Amex is that they will cash your check and convert it to local currency at their major locations overseas.

You asked about using Euros. You will pay for the currency exchange no matter what. Every credit card will charge you fees for foreign currency transactions. And your bank will charge you fees for getting Euros from ATMs in France. Still, getting Euros from ATMs in France is the cheapest deal.

Howver, don't carry any more cash than you would feel comfortable carrying in the US. France is not dangerous but like anywhere, there are always rough spots.

miss_jojo

Amex, Mastercard or Visa, but make sure you also have some form of phto i.d. with you at all times, including the supermarket...

I personally don't think you have to provide your PIN number when using a credit card - pretty sure this only applies to French cards, which are in fact debit cards when used in France.

Letting your creditcard company know you'll be traveling sounds like a wise idea.

Also make a note of the number to dial in case you lose your card, le pick-pocket decides it belongs to him, or your card gets blocked.

I haven't used travellers checks since 1990, so I couldn't tell you - credit card and some loose change for snacks, tips, public transport - always work fine.

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