Martin Theodor Ludwig

On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 17:24:09 +0100, "TrespassersW"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >I found myself in an identical situation in Calabria a couple of weeks ago.
    >Not a single unattended gas station in the Corigliano Calabro area accepts
    >non-Italian cards ...

... but normally in Italy they accept (as opposed to France) bills.

CU, Martin

B Vaughan

On Sun, 24 Jul 2005 20:31:57 +0200, Martin Theodor Ludwig
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 17:24:09 +0100, "TrespassersW"
    ><[email protected]> wrote:
    >>I found myself in an identical situation in Calabria a couple of weeks ago.
    >>Not a single unattended gas station in the Corigliano Calabro area accepts
    >>non-Italian cards ...
    >... but normally in Italy they accept (as opposed to France) bills.

Since many Italians don't have a credit card, and since many of those
who do almost never use it, this is good business sense.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Mimi

"B Vaughan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Since many Italians don't have a credit card, and since many of those
    > who do almost never use it, .......

So why is this, Barbara? What about Italians traveling?

Marianne

Martin

On Mon, 25 Jul 2005 09:04:03 -0700, "Mimi" <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >"B Vaughan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >news:[email protected].. .
    >> Since many Italians don't have a credit card, and since many of those
    >> who do almost never use it, .......
    >So why is this, Barbara? What about Italians traveling?

Cash cards, Debit cards?
--
Martin

B Vaughan

On Mon, 25 Jul 2005 09:04:03 -0700, "Mimi" <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >"B Vaughan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >news:[email protected].. .
    >> Since many Italians don't have a credit card, and since many of those
    >> who do almost never use it, .......
    >So why is this, Barbara? What about Italians traveling?

Those Italians who do have a credit card may use it when travelling,
but you'd be surprised at the number who just take a wad of cash
along. The first time my husband came to the US, he went to his bank
and bought a big wad of dollars for the trip, even though he had a
credit card at the time. He realized later that the exchange rate was
terrible so he began using the credit card more.

I really don't know the reason. I think it may be a bit difficult to
get a real credit (as opposed to debit) card in Italy. Or maybe they
just don't like paying the annual fees. It could also be fear of
fraud.

The Italians I know are very reluctant to borrow money in any way at
all, so if they do use a credit card, they usually pay the outstanding
balance every month. This may be partially because I live in a small
provincial town.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

B Vaughan

On Mon, 25 Jul 2005 18:12:39 +0200, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Mon, 25 Jul 2005 09:04:03 -0700, "Mimi" <[email protected]>
    >wrote:
    >>"B Vaughan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >>news:[email protected]. ..
    >>> Since many Italians don't have a credit card, and since many of those
    >>> who do almost never use it, .......
    >>So why is this, Barbara? What about Italians traveling?
    >Cash cards, Debit cards?

I know many Italians who don't even have one of those. I tried a few
years ago to organize a trip to London for my adult school English
class. I thought of having each student get cheap tickets from the
Ryanair web site, but it turned out that only one student in my class
had any sort of card that could be used for online purchases. The rest
would have had to travel to the airport to buy their tickets, as
travel agents don't handle Ryanair tickets.

Students in the local adult school tend to be pretty middle class and
I was really surprised that they didn't even have debit cards.

--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Icono Clast

B Vaughan wrote:
    > Those Italians who do have a credit card may use it when travelling,
    > but you'd be surprised at the number who just take a wad of cash
    > along.

To understand why, we have to know whether workers are paid with cash
or other negotiable media and/or whether most Italians have
bank/check accounts. In the USA, it's rather difficult to pay a
credit card bill with cash.

    > I really don't know the reason. I think it may be a bit difficult to
    > get a real credit (as opposed to debit) card in Italy. Or maybe they
    > just don't like paying the annual fees. It could also be fear of
    > fraud.

In the USA, there are many credit card accounts that have no annual
fee. I have two. Perhaps that's not the case in Italy.
__________________________________________________ _________________
One of (as of 2003) 751,682 residents of San Francisco.
< http://geocities.com/dancefest/ >-< http://geocities.com/iconoc/ >
ICQ: < http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 > ---> IClast at SFbay Net

Martin

On Tue, 26 Jul 2005 03:30:09 -0700, Icono Clast <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >B Vaughan wrote:
    >> Those Italians who do have a credit card may use it when travelling,
    >> but you'd be surprised at the number who just take a wad of cash
    >> along.
    >To understand why, we have to know whether workers are paid with cash
    >or other negotiable media and/or whether most Italians have
    >bank/check accounts. In the USA, it's rather difficult to pay a
    >credit card bill with cash.

If you haven't a credit card it's also difficult to get a credit card
bill.

I have a credit card but rarely use it. Like Italians I don't like
giving 15-27% of what I spend on purchases to a credit card company.

    >> I really don't know the reason. I think it may be a bit difficult to
    >> get a real credit (as opposed to debit) card in Italy. Or maybe they
    >> just don't like paying the annual fees. It could also be fear of
    >> fraud.

Some people don't like living on credit, it is expensive.

I did wonder why Barbara didn't use her card to buy the tickets after
her students had paid for the trip with cash.
--
Martin

Go Fig

In article <[email protected]>, Martin
<[email protected]> wrote:

    > On Tue, 26 Jul 2005 03:30:09 -0700, Icono Clast <[email protected]>
    > wrote:
    >
    > >B Vaughan wrote:
    > >> Those Italians who do have a credit card may use it when travelling,
    > >> but you'd be surprised at the number who just take a wad of cash
    > >> along.
    > >
    > >To understand why, we have to know whether workers are paid with cash
    > >or other negotiable media and/or whether most Italians have
    > >bank/check accounts. In the USA, it's rather difficult to pay a
    > >credit card bill with cash.
    >
    > If you haven't a credit card it's also difficult to get a credit card
    > bill.
    >
    > I have a credit card but rarely use it. Like Italians I don't like
    > giving 15-27% of what I spend on purchases to a credit card company.


... I get 26 days to use someone else's money at no additional cost.

jay
Tue Jul 26, 2005
mailto:[email protected]

    >
    > >
    > >> I really don't know the reason. I think it may be a bit difficult to
    > >> get a real credit (as opposed to debit) card in Italy. Or maybe they
    > >> just don't like paying the annual fees. It could also be fear of
    > >> fraud.
    >
    > Some people don't like living on credit, it is expensive.
    >
    > I did wonder why Barbara didn't use her card to buy the tickets after
    > her students had paid for the trip with cash.

Martin

On Tue, 26 Jul 2005 04:31:47 -0700, Go Fig <[email protected]> wrote:

    >In article <[email protected]>, Martin
    ><[email protected]> wrote:
    >> On Tue, 26 Jul 2005 03:30:09 -0700, Icono Clast <[email protected]>
    >> wrote:
    >>
    >> >B Vaughan wrote:
    >> >> Those Italians who do have a credit card may use it when travelling,
    >> >> but you'd be surprised at the number who just take a wad of cash
    >> >> along.
    >> >
    >> >To understand why, we have to know whether workers are paid with cash
    >> >or other negotiable media and/or whether most Italians have
    >> >bank/check accounts. In the USA, it's rather difficult to pay a
    >> >credit card bill with cash.
    >>
    >> If you haven't a credit card it's also difficult to get a credit card
    >> bill.
    >>
    >> I have a credit card but rarely use it. Like Italians I don't like
    >> giving 15-27% of what I spend on purchases to a credit card company.
    >... I get 26 days to use someone else's money at no additional cost.

Good for you. How much do you pay for the card? How much is the price
marked up by the retailer? 5.5% by those who accept Amex cards.
--
Martin

S Viemeister

Martin wrote:

    > Good for you. How much do you pay for the card? How much is the price
    > marked up by the retailer? 5.5% by those who accept Amex cards.
    >
Many US cards charge no annual fee, and AFAIK it's illegal (in the US) to
charge more for a credit card sale than any other method of payment. If
you pay your bill in full every month, you have a great deal of convenience
at no additional cost.

Martin

On Tue, 26 Jul 2005 09:19:08 -0400, S Viemeister
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Martin wrote:
    >> Good for you. How much do you pay for the card? How much is the price
    >> marked up by the retailer? 5.5% by those who accept Amex cards.
    >>
    >Many US cards charge no annual fee, and AFAIK it's illegal (in the US) to
    >charge more for a credit card sale than any other method of payment. If
    >you pay your bill in full every month, you have a great deal of convenience
    >at no additional cost.

Everybody pays more. I shun any shop with an Amex logo.

There is an annual fee for credit cards in Europe.

--
Martin

B Vaughan

On Tue, 26 Jul 2005 03:30:09 -0700, Icono Clast <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >B Vaughan wrote:
    >> Those Italians who do have a credit card may use it when travelling,
    >> but you'd be surprised at the number who just take a wad of cash
    >> along.
    >To understand why, we have to know whether workers are paid with cash
    >or other negotiable media and/or whether most Italians have
    >bank/check accounts. In the USA, it's rather difficult to pay a
    >credit card bill with cash.

No, almost every Italian has a bank account, and pensions, for
example, are often deposited automatically. I often see people waiting
in line at the bank to draw out their pensions in cash.

    >> I really don't know the reason. I think it may be a bit difficult to
    >> get a real credit (as opposed to debit) card in Italy. Or maybe they
    >> just don't like paying the annual fees. It could also be fear of
    >> fraud.
    >In the USA, there are many credit card accounts that have no annual
    >fee. I have two. Perhaps that's not the case in Italy.

I don't know of any credit cards without a fee in Italy.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Luca Logi

B Vaughan <[email protected]> wrote:

    > I really don't know the reason. I think it may be a bit difficult to
    > get a real credit (as opposed to debit) card in Italy. Or maybe they
    > just don't like paying the annual fees. It could also be fear of
    > fraud.

I think it is a sort of diffidence (what about not taking cash with you,
and discovering the hard way that on the other side of the ocean your
ATM card does not work?)

But remember that even in the most advanced countries cash is not
obsolete. I spend my holidays in Switzerland and Austria, some of the
most civilized places in the world, but landlords of private homes and
small restaurants are still likely to accept cash only. As this are
likely to be the largest expenses in my holiday budgets, it may be
easier to (and maybe cheaper) to bring cash.


    > The Italians I know are very reluctant to borrow money in any way at
    > all, so if they do use a credit card, they usually pay the outstanding
    > balance every month. This may be partially because I live in a small
    > provincial town.

Not a bad idea, being reluctant to borrow money to finance everyday
life. It is expensive, and induces you to spend more than you can really
afford. No wonder we receive so many fliers in the mail trying to sell
us revolving credit cards (in Italy, those credit cards offering large
anticipations against interest): it is a sort of financial dope dealing.

Of course, borrowing to finance a business or buy an home not the same
thing.


--
Luca Logi - Firenze - Italy e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.angelfire.com/ar/archivarius
(musicologia pratica)

B Vaughan

On Tue, 26 Jul 2005 13:02:11 +0200, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:

    >I did wonder why Barbara didn't use her card to buy the tickets after
    >her students had paid for the trip with cash.

It would have been risky, but I considered it.The trip fell apart for
another reason. A large proportion of the students worked for the town
government, and they would have had to take one day off work. They
were told they couldn't all go at once, so they decided that if they
couldn't all go, none of them would go. I was left with a group that
was too small to make it worthwhile.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup