<p>I can’t find the thread that discussed this issue earlier in the summer, maybe someone else can link to it? In that thread I had asked about relative success using VISA, American Express, and Discover/Diners in Europe as opposed to just carrying cash and/or relying on debit cards.</p>
<p>Happykid made reservations in advance at multiple hotels in Austria, Switzerland, and France with American Express. After I got her extensions on my VISA and Discover/Diners (Discover operates on the Diners Club system in Europe), I sent her off with those as well. She also had her VISA denomination credit union debit card. I asked her to see if she could have the hotel bills put onto the Discover/Diners (no exchange fee) or the VISA (1% exchange fee) if possible because the American Express exchange fee is almost 3%.</p>
<p>Three hotels (Austria, France, France) remained on the American Express. From the dates of billing, in two of those cases the bills were processed on the “cancel before” date a day or two before the travelers actually arrived. One hotel (Austria) was shifted to the VISA, and two (Austria, Switzerland) were shifted to the Discover/Diners. Happykid also successfully used the Discover/Diners for cash advances at two different locations in Austria, and one in France. Other cash withdrawals were with her VISA denomination debit card in France and the UK. The VISA card was used successfully in the Paris METRO system, and for the purchase of a new swimsuit in Nice.</p>
<p>Altogether, rather successful! I got the Discover/Diners for her for this trip because of advertising about double points with Discover in the UK in August and, as luck would have it the UK was the only place she didn’t use it. She pulled it out to cover the deposit at the hotel her travel buddy’s mom had pre-paid, but the card was refused because I’d just been to Home Depot in Maryland with the same card number. Even though I sorted things out with Discover’s fraud detection system and let her know, Happykid was leery of trying that card again in the UK. In the process I also learned that my Discover Card has no cash advance fees attached to it. Wow! The tiny bit of daily interest that was billed for her cash advances worked out to be about 0.5% because I was able to quickly pay the bill online, making those advances “cheaper” than a debit card withdrawal (1% fee).</p>