If you’ve never registered your travel plans with your credit card companies, be sure to do so, this will ensure less difficulties when you’re traveling.  It’s not always clear whether some businesses accept certain cards.  Generally, the major places accept everything.  For sure, Visa and Mastercard seem to be the most common.  I always try to find a place that will accept my Discover Card (Novus/Diner’s Club), however, its really difficult!

I try to use the Discover card wherever I can because they don’t charge any foreign transaction fees.  There is a lesser known fact that some merchants can charge you in U.S. Dollars (USD) instead of whatever the native currency is.  If the merchant you use can charge you in USD, then you won’t be charged any foreign transaction fees.

At times, the clerks themselves might not know whether they accept a certain card so they will have you try the card.  Newer chip cards will have to be inserted into the terminal, and if that doesn’t work, it might ask you to swipe.  If you are asked for a PIN code and don’t have one, then it most certainly will not work.

An interesting thing to note is that in Europe, the waiters and staff will bring you the little credit card machine for you to insert/swipe your card yourself.  This is by some sort of law to make sure that your credit card remains in your possession.  It’s an interesting law, so don’t feel like you’re not getting good service by having to swipe your own card.