More tips on cash and plastic

I was greatly impressed with David Selley’s letter “Tips on Exchanging Currency” (Feb. ’15, pg. 14). I’ve never read such a clear, easy-to-follow and accurate “summing up” of the subject as this letter.

I’m an American who has traveled widely during my life, and now I live permanently in France. I would encourage everyone to reread David’s tips concerning avoiding foreign exchange bureaus plus his note on the added expense of buying foreign currency while still in the US. I would add that preloaded debit cards are pretty much a waste of time and money.

Concerning credit cards, I would like to elaborate on one point. 

A good rule of thumb is to assume that a credit card issued by a financial institution in the US will not work in any automated machine except for an ATM (where you should never use a credit card to get cash, anyway). This is important to remember when planning to use, for example, the Paris Métro system, where some of the smaller stations don’t always have a manned ticket booth.

Just like David, I have encountered some restaurant and shop employees who aren’t aware that the little credit card machines they use each have a long slot running down one side, which is made expressly for swiping cards with magnetic stripes. Just tell them.

Finally, I have to admit that in my first week of living in France (April 2013), before I had my French credit card, I ran out of gas on a Sunday, couldn’t find any manned pumps open anywhere (I was nowhere near an autoroute) and had to throw myself on the mercy of a kind Frenchman. It was embarrassing, as I had been feeling very confident and proud of myself for having made the move to France without incident. 

SUSAN JERRICK

Barro, Charente, France