Credit Card Roulette

As I posted earlier in the trip, we have had, for the first time, numerous problems using US credit cards in Europe this summer due to increased security requirements.

The place this shows up the most is at the paege - the toll booth on the autoroute. Each time we pull in, it is as if we have pulled into a casino, and are rolling the dice, playing roulette, never knowing where the ball will fall to identify the correct booth and credit card.

Trying to pick the correct booth is a mystery unto itself, as most are automated and have an ez-pass system called telepaege. Some accept credit cards and cash, but we never know until we pull in whether it will accept cash.

Then D. begins pulling out credit cards to determine which one will be accepted. Sometimes, it will accept a credit card, but never a debit. Every other year we could not use American Express in the tolls, but this year, miraculously, Amex seems to be the way to go. What makes the least sense is that the toll booth will accept a certain card when we head south. Then on the return trip heading north, the same location will decline the same card.

So, each time we hit the toll we are playing credit card roulette, unpredictable and impossible. And the adventures continue.