Hi,

I'm going to Spain soon and I'm wondering is there any charge for withdrawing cash there? I'm with HSBC France.

And how about for example if I go to a restaurant and pay by card, will it charge me extra?

Merci

Take care - many places in Spain still do not accept cards.

HSBC Jersey dont never got around to opening a French Account yet, For card purchases I dont think there would be charges, But probably will be for cash out of machines.

Hi
USing a credit card in the EU is easy. Since the euro became the major currency, banks are obliged to apply the national rules to europpean transactions IN EUROS.

ie a cash withdrawal is free of charge in France, therefore a cash withdrawal in all EURO using countries is free of change.
The same applies to payments no charge in France, no charge in the EURO using countries.

I can definately confirm this is the case I have withdrawn and used my card in Italty, Spain, Netherlands, Austria & Belguim.

Hope this helps

Hi, I should post on the Spain forum if I were you, if only to find out how widespread the acceptance of cards is in restaurants, shops, for example.
In Germany (or Berlin at least), there are surprizingly few places that accept cards and I have to carry a lot of cash around between visits to the ATMs. I don't recollect being charged for drawing money out there...

Where did that come from?
I agree it is not a popular option, mainly because of costs, but we do not live in the stone age here.
To answer the question if it has a VISA symbol on your card you will be able to use it outside of France.
WIKI information

It's not being able to USE a Visa/Master card, it's finding a place that accepts it (in Germany, which isn't in the stone age either!

It came from my own experiences of travelling in Spain, away from the popular resorts. I have not always been able to use a card. You say it is not always a popular option. In my experience - and you can be as touchy as you like but my experience is my experience - it has not ALWAYS been an option at all.

It can be the same in France out of big towns, I know for a fact that around here a transaction has to be over 9 Euros before a lot of places will take a card as the costs here for having a card terminal are not suited to small transactions. Plenty of shops prefer a check. I know of a few of places that just don't take cards.

I hate to point out the obvious, But it's yourself that appears to be touchy, There is no need really as everyones advice is from personal experience. "Take care - many places in Spain still do not accept cards." is a pretty broad statement and you have now clarified that you meant off the beaten track and that is no different to anywhere really.

Thanks, yes they did accept it I just hope there was indeed no charge, they haven't appeared on my online banking statement yet

I am not touchy at all: I live and run a business in Spain, I have done this for quite a number of years. I was only posting as someone who has some knowledge of this subject.
I felt I had clarified the situation with no broad statement. I never said it was popular.

Using a Carte Bleu in Spain

Just to be rather nitpickingly explicit..

The term carte bleu was originally coined for credit cards limited to French Domestic use i.e. one issued by "your" bank drawable on "your" account only and it was literally a blue card.

For example, my wife Annaïck (bretonne) held a (blue) Carte Bleu for some years on our joint account with Crédit Mutuel, Perpignan, while I had a Gold Master Card version as we didn't want to pay double GC charges and I still travelled professionally at that time. Each time, while on vacation, we went shopping in Le Perthus, she could use her card on one side of the street (French) for purchase/withdrawal but on the other side (Spain) only mine was acceptable. After I retired and we moved to Perpignan, Annaïck changed to a standard Master Card (brown and black!) as she often went shopping alone in LP.

Over the years the French have come use the term carte blue for any type of credit card (as Hoover for vacuum cleaner, etc.) but make sure your card is not a real blue DOM card before venturing into Spain with it!!

I may be stating the obvious, but wouldn't it be easier just to ask HSBC directly?