Going to be in Paris in 2 days. Planning on leaving everything at hotel safe except for cash needed for the day and metro and museum passes. Do we need to carry around our passport for identification? Will/should anyone ever ask to see it? Don%26#39;t want to fall for some tourist scam and have them stolen you know? Is it okay to just leave it in the safe? LIke will places that do accept credit cards look for identification? If so, what will suffice? And last, I hear credit cards in France are hit and miss depending on whether you have a %26quot;chip%26quot; in yours that allows you to use it? Does this apply everywhere for the most part with a Visa/Mastercard/AMEX sign? Like does it mean my card won%26#39;t work at a major hotel since it%26#39;s from the US or is this only for smaller places like shops and such? How bout restaurants? Just trying to gauge how much cash/cards/traveler%26#39;s cheques (if any) we should bring.
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At locations where one logically finds tourists, your magnetic strip credit card will be accepted except at transportation kiosks. Hotels and Parisian restaurants should all accept them. If you travel outside of Paris it might be a good idea to carry a bit of cash just in case.
Traveler%26#39;s cheques as not really needed as they are exchanged at rates less favorable than cash rates if you can find someone to accept them at all. Simply use an ATM for your cash needs. There is no fee for using a French bank ATM. Pulse or Cirrus will take 1% as a currency conversion fee. Any other fee will be assessed by your local bank and not all banks assess such fees. If your bank does, why pay them? Simply change banks.
In France you need to carry identification at all times. Whether you must have a passport or not I cannot say.
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Hotels and such are no problem for credit cards from North America. About the only places you%26#39;ll have a problem are with ticket machines for the metro/RER.
Oddly, ticket machines for places like the Louvre, for example, WILL take your card.
I have never been asked for ID when using a credit card in Europe. If you choose not to have your passport with you and your card won%26#39;t work or they insist on ID you are never far from an ATM from which to grab some cash anyway.
Be sure to let your bank and credit card companies know you%26#39;ll be in France. I always up my ATM limit as well... 500 dollars here in Canada is %26#39;only%26#39; 300 Euros in Paris...
Have a great trip!
Rob
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As an American, at least theoretically you will need to carry your passport at all times. But this subject has been discussed many time on this forum, and many leave their passport at their hotel and are never checked.
A few times, I%26#39;ve been asked for a passport when paying by credit card. I%26#39;m not sure, but I think it%26#39;s more or less the officia policy at the FNAC stores.
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Just returned and were never asked to see Passport. Would suggest leaving in safe for fear of loosing. I also always carry a copy of my card with a small picture attached. CC worked everywhere we went,but you must call CC company and Bank before you leave.
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I%26#39;ve occasionally been asked for ID when using my credit card and I just show my drivers license, which is what I carry around for ID. I don%26#39;t carry my passport around with me and I%26#39;ve never NOT been able to use the DL as an ID.
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In over ten years of traveling to Paris at least once per year, I%26#39;ve never been asked for identification, either in conjunction with a credit card transaction, or on the street by a gendarme (or anyone else for that matter).
I%26#39;d carry only a copy of my passport if I was going to carry anything at all.
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Thank you. I guess we%26#39;ll just carry our drivers license and leave passport at home. Appreciate all the responses.
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Unlike Happy, I am a very dishonest looking person and I HAVE been stopped by local police asking for photo ID. LIKE Happy, I am a smat girl and I follow the advice at the US Embassy and keep my passport safely in my room.
The only thing I can ever show the police is either a photocopy of my passport, or my US drivers license. They have always been satisfied.
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