{"id":16465,"date":"2010-08-16T20:00:42","date_gmt":"2010-08-17T00:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.askmrcreditcard.com\/news\/?p=16465"},"modified":"2010-08-16T20:00:42","modified_gmt":"2010-08-17T00:00:42","slug":"some-observations-on-foreign-credit-card-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.askmrcreditcard.com\/news\/some-observations-on-foreign-credit-card-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Observations On Foreign Credit Card Use"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have written a bunch about using credit cards overseas and in foreign countries.\u00a0\u00a0 It does seem that most American banks and credit card issuers really want to sock it to you when it comes to credit card fees for foreign transactions.\u00a0\u00a0 I just returned from a week long trip to the city of Salvador in Brazil.\u00a0 I had a chance to try out all of my advice that I regularly give my readers, as well as to make some observations as to how credit cards work down there.<\/p>\n

Follow My Advice<\/strong><\/p>\n

I recently wrote my Overseas Check List For For Credit Card Users<\/a>.\u00a0 I was able to perform each checklist item and it all worked out.\u00a0\u00a0 Amex claims that it is no longer necessary to contact them, but my bank and my other credit card companies were glad I called. \u00a0 I only used my Capitol One Visa and my ATM card, although I kept other cards as backups.\u00a0\u00a0 As you may well know, Capitol One distinguishes itself by not charging a foreign transaction fee.<\/p>\n

Some Interesting Observations:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don’t Trust The Signs<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 Every restaurant, bar, and souvenir shop displays various logos from credit card networks such as Visa.\u00a0\u00a0 In the United States, these signs tell you pretty unequivocally that the card is accepted. \u00a0 In Brazil, these signs are meaningless.\u00a0 Many times we found restaurants that displayed Visa signs no longer accepted the card. \u00a0 Other places gladly ran my card, despite no indication of it. \u00a0 Eventually, we just learned to show the card when we walked in, and that way we knew if it was accepted.<\/p>\n

Credit and debit are not accepted equally.<\/strong> When you are in a foreign country, many merchants will take your card and assume it is either credit or debit, attempting to process your bill incorrectly.\u00a0\u00a0 If there is a language barrier, the results can be frustrating.\u00a0 What we learned to do is to always tell them that the card is “credit” a word that seems to be the same in Portuguese as it is in English.<\/p>\n

It’s All Portable.<\/strong> Credit card processing is almost entirely accomplished with portable processors.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We learned that people in other countries are very afraid of credit card fraud and theft, as if they do not have the same protections we Americans enjoy.\u00a0\u00a0 Therefore, every merchant has a wireless credit card processor that they bring out to you and swipe your card in front of you.\u00a0\u00a0 The processor even prints out a receipt for you to sign, and one to keep.\u00a0\u00a0 If you were to perform a debit card transaction, you would be given the opportunity to enter your PIN right there at your table in a restaurant.<\/p>\n

Tips Not Required.<\/strong> One thing we found out from locals is that tips are uncommon in Brazil.\u00a0\u00a0 As per local custom, we tipped when we received exceptional service, but not in most situations where we would have tipped at home.\u00a0\u00a0 Interestingly, credit card receipts at restaurants did not have a place for a tip, belying the trend of spaces for tips appearing at even fast food joints here in the States.<\/p>\n

ATMs Rock<\/strong> Credit cards are still not accepted everywhere in Brazil, and it is wise to carry some amount of cash with you to make purchases where they are not accepted.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Every ATM we went to had an English option.\u00a0\u00a0 Most did not charge us a transaction fee, and they all have great rates.\u00a0\u00a0 ATMs seemed to be located in safe, well lit places, so we never felt like we were in any danger. \u00a0\u00a0 When it came time to depart, we changed our remaining cash at the airport for a poor rate, although the sign said “No Commission!”.\u00a0\u00a0 Yeah, whatever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have written a bunch about using credit cards overseas and in foreign countries.\u00a0\u00a0 It does seem that most American banks and credit card issuers really want to sock it to you when it comes to credit card fees for foreign transactions.\u00a0\u00a0 I just returned from a week long trip to the city of Salvador […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSome Observations On Foreign Credit Card Use<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.askmrcreditcard.com\/news\/some-observations-on-foreign-credit-card-use\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Some Observations On Foreign Credit Card Use\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I have written a bunch about using credit cards overseas and in foreign countries.\u00a0\u00a0 It does seem that most American banks and credit card issuers really want to sock it to you when it comes to credit card fees for foreign transactions.\u00a0\u00a0 I just returned from a week long trip to the city of Salvador […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.askmrcreditcard.com\/news\/some-observations-on-foreign-credit-card-use\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ask Mr Credit Card Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-08-17T00:00:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jason Steele\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jason Steele\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta 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