chrissxb

I edited the thread title to make it clear for anyone. thanks for your understanding

regards,

chrissxb
co-moderator
communitybuzz!

aamilesslave

Just so you know what to expect, bank ATMs in France do not charge a withdrawal fee. You just have to worry about your bank charging you.

I have an online account at ING Direct. They do not charge me ATM fees. They used to not charge foreign transaction fees, but that changed mid 2008 (and the 2% fee is now itemized separately); I assume this is in addition to the 1% charged by MC (which would be included in the withdrawal amount)...this probably brings the rate in line with a BofA card.

One other tip: Make sure your daily withdrawal limit is sufficient to accommodate a certain number of euros per day.

iff

Offhand I can't think of any place that takes credit cards that doesn't take both Visa and MC.

I have a USAA MC debit card and have had no problems using it here. There's no surcharge for making purchases with it other than their normal foreign exchange charge (1%). If you ever need to withdraw more than your daily limit, call USAA and they can immediately (at least in my experience) increase your limit for a number of hours so you can get your cash.

imagineertobe

I don't think they offer a CC like that.

I meant that HSBC US doesn't charge foreign conversion fees or ATM access fees when a customer withdraws money from an HSBC foreign ATM, of which there are many in Paris. This is the same principle as the BofA/BNP partnership and might be an alternative for the OP and others.

Peace.

gtownguy

I mean, don't 99% of businesses that take one take the other?

I cannot remember where it was, but I have encountered a couple of merchants who accepted Visa but not MasterCard. Very rare though. Visa branding (Carte Bleue) seems much more prevelant in France than MC though.

Also, if I use one of the debit cards to make a purchase rather than an ATM withdrawal, is there any surcharge for that?

Not sure about USAA, but when you use your BofA debit card overseas to make a purchase, you will incur the forex transaction fee - 3% I think. You won't pay this to withdraw cash at an ATM, but you will anywhere else.

MJLogan

The OP's plan is sound, but I would agree with the suggestion to get €50 or so in cash before the trip, even if it's a bit pricey to do so. ATMs are strangely thin on the ground at CDG--at least I can never seem to find one when I need one--so I always try to arrive with at least enough cash to get into town.

AsiaTraveler

When in Paris in 1999 (& a young, dumb college student), both myself and my traveling mate had our debit cards eaten by two different ATMs. I don't really remember why, except that we couldn't get the one ATM to show the English that it had offered us and then couldn't figure out how to "get out" (young & dumb, remember?).

Anyway, the good news of this story is that, later when they opened, both of us were able to go into the bank that the ATM was attached to and get our card back. They had to check our IDs, and make a phone call, but it was possible. I don't know if this is still possible but it doesn't hurt to ask. I didn't speak any french aside from "excuse me do you speak English?" and the folks at the banks treated us fine.

imagineertobe

I've said it before on this board and I'll say it again - I live in France and carry an American MasterCard and have never been turned away because the merchant only accepted VISA. IME, it just doesn't happen.

NB: The CB sign that is prevalent around france is often (erroneously) referred to as the Carte Bleue, a VISA trademark. It is really a French logo for Carte Bancaire ("bank card") which is the network upon which VISA and MasterCard cards get approvals in France. Since they both use the same network, there's no reason one should be accepted and not the other.

imagineertobe

There is an HSBC ATM in each of CDG's Terminal 2 buildings, generally near the Detaxe desk, as well as one in the train station near the visitor information desk.

MJLogan

This is true... and it took me several years (at 2 or 3 visits a year) before I could find one of them in less than 20 minutes.

aamilesslave

However, at CDG, it's often a crap shoot to find one that doesn't say "hors service" (out of order)

Benjh

I'm a born and raised Parisian, and now live in NY.

Your plan sounds good, but a few thoughts:

- I do the same thing ATM wise, the other way around. I have a BNP account in France, and withdraw cash in the US through B of A ATMs. It's always worked fine. Only caveat is that it takes a few days for my BNP account to refresh and show the withdrawal, so if you check online what your balance is, remember it might not be up to date. However, it's very possible that this problem is related to BNP itself.

- BNP is one of the largest, if not the largest french bank, you will find ATMs pretty much anywhere, especially in touristy place (however, areas such as the Versailles Palace might have no ATMs at all around, so be warned).

- First thing first: there is no "Club RATP" (where you buy a navigo decouverte pass) at CDG.

- Take the AF bus. OMG take it, I beg you. The RER is so bad on this line, you have no idea. First impressions are very important, and CDG will NOT impress you. The RER would make it even worse. I know you're going to Versailles, so listen: Take the AF bus to Porte Maillot (it's the first stop on the way to ADT) for 14 euros.
Then jump in the RER C from there (it's barely 200 meters away). You'll have to first take the RER (any train) southward 5 stops before getting on a C1/Versailles line at "Eiffel Tower" (opposing platform) but it's worth it, and the RER C is much nicer and safe than RER B. You'll still save time. You'll save worry. You'll spend a little bit more, not much, that's it. It's your best bet.

- NAVIGO PASS: here's a good trick. There are "discover" windows in the street to get your pass, for I think, 5 euros. You'll barely wait in line, and there might even be someone nice serving you.
At the RER stations, you can get it too, but you'll wait an hour, with all the parisians who can get their pass free there (it's only free if you live in paris, it's 5 euros for everybody else). And people will be rude. Go to a street store, parisians can't get their's for free there. Add to that, most Navigo stations close an hour before advertised time, because there are enough people already in line to make it last another hour.

So my advice: wait 'til you're at the Hilton ADT to get your pass on the Champs Elysees. Versailles is out of Zone 1-2 anyway, so you don't need the pass the first day (you should charge it only for the first two zones, you won't need more than that for most of the visits). Buy tickets to Versailles and back the first day, buy the Navigo the second. You'll save money that way, too.

- Learn one sentence by heart in French: "Parlez vous anglais?" (do you speak english). French people do speak english, but they're very proud of their language, and they appreciate efforts from foreigners (especially americans). Start every conversation with this, and you'll find parisians to be actually (gasp!) friendly (or as friendly as they can).

- I don't mean to be patronizing, or to teach you how to enjoy your vacations, but I just want to say one thing: you're obviously a big planner - so am I! But don't forget to leave some space for the unknown and the adventure!

Hope this helps, don't hesitate to PM me for more info!

oenophilist

One other note about the RER: sometimes they are on strike. Strikes are very common in France, especially it seems on the RER lines. So definitely have enough cash on hand to take a cab in case the RER isn't working. Even if you plan ahead, plan to be flexible in case some transportation issue arises.

iff

It's my understanding that you should be able to buy a Navigo Découverte at metro/RER station with a ticket window. You don't have to go to a Club RATP because they don't enter the ND passholder information into the database and don't have to process the photo.

I think it depends on the bank. French withdrawals from my USAA account post immediately (although the amount is adjusted slightly during the following day, presumably to account for the conversion fees), but withdrawals from my account with a different U.S. bank take at least a day to show up.

FlyForFun

Just a caution - We stopped at Versailles on our way from the Loire Valley to Giverny on the first Sunday in November 2008. When we went through security, I was told to check my bottle of coca cola light because food and beverages were not allowed. I stuck it in another bag and continued.

Over Thanksgiving 2009, we returned to Versailles to tour the chateau, the trianons, and the hameau. We had a picnic lunch with us as well as bottles of water and my coca cola light. At security, we were not asked to check anything. After touring the chatau, we continued to the hameau. While eating our sandwiches while sitting on a bench, we had a worker approach us to wish us a "bon appetite." While looking through my brochure later, I read that eating was not allowed.