I am traveling to Bremen, Germany and need to know if they readily accept credit cards there?

Show all answers

Ð•ÐºÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÑ€Ð¸Ð½Ð°/ÐšÐ°Ñ‚Ñ

I found electronic stores (for Cd's, DVDs, etc.), grocery stores and restaurants did occasionally not take credit cards in Germany. Be sure to bring your bank ATM card and have a good enough amount of cash just in case. Germans more often use their bank issued cards (kind of like our ATM cards) and stores prefer to use those since there is no charge for the transactions. The shops have to pay for the credit card machines so the machines are offered in kind of random places. Small shops will be the more likely ones not to take credit cards but you can be lucky and find small shops in tourist areas that do have them. You can also get traveller's cheques in Euro if you prefer to carry your money that way but there can be small charges to cash these at banks and hotels. Small shops might not be able to take traveller's cheques. The best would be to bring your bank ATM and use the cash machines. The bank fees are not too high and the exchange rate is usually the best this way. I shopped mainly at Wal-Mart when I lived in Berlin (lived there for about six years-also traveled to many other German cities on holiday) because I could use my Visa there and the prices were really good. Plus, I could get nearly everything at Wal-Mart. Tourist shops will always take credit cards.

Oh! Be sure that your bank has you able to use your ATM card as a Visa card too because often the cash machines out of the U.S. process the ATM transaction as a Visa transaction (no additional fee-just like an ATM transaction). There are two different systems for activating the ATM card and activating the Visa card with banks.

Oh oh! Have decent cash on you too. Often you will pass nice produce markets, street side food stands and pastry shops that will have items you can not pass.

Skiru

Lived near Bremen for a while and yes, they do readily accept credit cards there. However, dont forget to always have some sort of ID-card with you to show. Problems comes when your ID is neither in German or in English.

When speaking English, speak slowly.

And in supermarkets they never accept credit cards, just in case.

You will be allright. Just get yourself some change in Euro's at the trainstation so that you are not in for a bad surprise. But genereally speaking, the usage of credit cards is common.

Taffy Saltwater

Also call your credit card company and notify them of your travel plans so they know you could be using it internationally. You don't want your card declined because they think it's a fraudulent transaction.

Rebecca A

In most restaurants you will have to pay cash, so be prepared for that. The chain stores will usually take credit cards, but any smaller shops won't. Also, make sure you know the pin number for your credit card, as some places will requre you to input a pin. It is a good idea to have a ready supply of cash on hand, and feel free to use the German ATMs. German cash points don't charge any fee for use and they will give you a good exhange rate.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: