Germany and money - Upcoming surgery questions.

[Karger]

Hey All,

I am heading to Germany on Sat for my upcoming surgery with Dr Zeegers.

For all of you who have gone to Germany. How does money and banking work there?

I assume they would take visa right? What about my debit card? Can i use that at the German banks etc.

Any insight would be great!

[mmglobal]

I assume that your debit card is a VISA or mastercard that should make it work like a credit card as far as most retailers are concerned.

I would check with the BetaKlniik to see about credit card transactions.

You'll find that most large businesses like hotel chains and department stores will take credit cards like we are used to, but small hotels and restaurants may not.

Check with your credit card company and ask about foreign transaction fees and currency conversion fees. They may make a premium on the conversion and this may make a substantial difference... for instance, some hotels may let you opt to pay in Euro's vs. US dollars... if you choose US dollars, you may pay a higher conversion fee than you otherwise might pay.

Some banks that have a large presence overseas might have NO ATM FEE... Chase and Citibank have ATM's there. Other large institutions may have a partner that will allow ATM withdrawals with no or reduced fees.

Be very careful about your phone usage.... American cell phones may work, but have a $2/minute rate... I've seen $5,000 phone bills. Also.... data can kill you... if your cell phone syncs emails, calendars, etc.... you may find that you spend $80 in data every time your turn your phone on or try to use it for GPS.

If you need... you can buy a German cell phone for under $50 that will come with 10 Euro credit and pay only 9 cents/minute to call the US. ePlus and O2 networks are what I used to use.

I wish we had this conversation earlier.... I could have sent you a German cell phone.

Good luck... please keep us posted.

Mark

[Karger]

will do. funny enough. my debit card works for taking $$ off but the visa doesn't. Go figure. I even called visa to make sure. btw the coffee here is strong! Much better then in NA