When traveling in the EU, are there significant differences between paying with credit or debit cards?

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Accepted answer

No, European countries generally don't differentiate between credit and debit cards. Whether it's best to pay with one or the other depends entirely on which card is more convenient on your end. The only exception is major car rental companies, which normally require you to hold a credit card for a rental. Hotels and other places which might put a hold on your card don't care if it's credit or debit.

On the Internet all cards are generally accepted as well. Some airlines like to cheat you a bit by charging you more if you pay by credit card, but you would be informed about the surcharge before you pay. I've also seen an obscure exception where the US embassy only accepts debit cards for visa fee payments, but that's obviously of no relevance to US visitors.

Upvote:-3

You would need a credit card for renting a car, or for other deposit-style transactions (like checking in a hotel where they want to have a pending charge to cover potential minibar usage, etc.).

Otherwise, debit works just fine.

You should be aware of the significantly higher risk associated with debit card usage; if someone incorrectly charges you, the money is gone from your account immediately, and it’s your problem to go after it (and survive for weeks without it); with a credit card, you simply call the bank, and you never paid the amount.

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