pre-paid debit card?

Question

my wife is going to Paris in Feb. She wants to take a prepaid debit card with her. This is so she doesn't over spend. Is this a good idea? What is a good one to take that will be recognized there?

Answer 1

Stick to Visa and Mastercard. They are accepted everywhere in France. Most stores and merchants refuse card payments under a certain amount, so for small amounts, use cash.

Read about all the fees when comparing different cards.
http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/visa_travel_money.html

Note that American PIN numbers will be recognized in all French ATMs but will not work in the machines in the stores. Therefore merchants will have to swipe the card and make you sign the receipt as in America (in France this sytem stopped a long time ago and was replaced by microchips).

So if the card gets stolen, the thief cannot withdraw money from an ATM without knowing your PIN. In a store, it is a little more risky, there is no guarantee that the merchant will ask for a form of ID to check the signature although some do it for larger amounts.

Answer 2

"Pre-paid" debit cards are actually "credit cards" for which you have to sign a receipt (in most cases), even though your signature may not be on the debit card! Thus, any popular brand should suffice, but it may not be accepted in all stores, and you might have to pay fees for exchange rates, card usage, etc. Also, if they're lost or stolen, anybody can use that card until it is empty (i.e., it's just like "cash").

You'd be much better off with AAA or Barclay's Traveller's Checks (you know what the commercials say, so I won't repeat them here!).

Answer 3

Names like Visa and Mastercard are always good.