Copenhagen - are cards ok and Malmo or Lund?

purplestar133

Two totally different questions!

I'm going to Copenhagen in April. I have a Halifax Clarity credit card that I was hoping to use for all spending and for some cash withdrawals for any cash I need. We're only there for 3 days/4 nights and I'm thinking it would be cheaper to withdraw cash there on the Clarity card and pay it back as soon as I get back than it would be to exchange cash before I go. Do you think that's right?

Do most places accept cards, as in many big cities? I read somewhere that places may charge you to use a foreign credit card. Is that something I need to be aware of? Do they do contactless there? I just thought that might make a transaction quicker and easier without too much embarrassment when I don't understand what they're saying!

Also I was hoping to go to Malmo on the last day, on the bus so I can see the view from the bridge. However, I believe Lund is a better place to visit? Can you get the bus to Lund easily or would I have to get the train? I'm not a confident traveller so I would probably choose the most convenient option.

Doshwaster

I've been to Copenhagen a few times with work and have found that you can easily get away without having any cash at all - though you may want to withdraw a small amount on your Clarity card when you arrive as a backup.

Don't worry about not understanding what they are saying. I've yet to meet a Dane who didn't speak excellent English.

No idea about Malmo and Lund though.

lyle1993

Hi there! Literally just got back from a few days in Copenhagen last Friday, really nice place!
So... I have a Nationwide Select credit card, which gives me 0% on purchases abroad, and I found I could use it pretty much everywhere! My nationwide flexplus debit card gives me 0% on cash withdrawals, so I took out 500 DKK when i got there just for when we went to clubs and bars. I got a lot better exchange rate using my cards than I would of done getting my Danish Kroner back in the UK, but bear in mind it was only better because I get charged no commission on either purchases (credit card) or withdrawals (debit card). 100% check what you get with your halifax card, otherwise it may be cheaper for you to get the cash in the UK and take the card as backup.

The Visa Travel app was really helpful, locates near cash machines for you and also gives you conversions (so you can stand in shops and work out how much it'll cost).

Contactless wasn't a major presence, but everyone in Copenhagen in the shops spoke really good English!

We went to Malmo and it was a nice place, Swedish are really friendly, being football fans we just visited the stadium, had a wonder round and got some food in the centre but apart from that there didn't seem a massive amount to do! Nice place to visit though. Going from Denmark into Sweden you now need to show your passport as Sweden crack down on immigration.

Good luck!

purplestar133

Doshwaster wrote: »

I've been to Copenhagen a few times with work and have found that you can easily get away without having any cash at all - though you may want to withdraw a small amount on your Clarity card when you arrive as a backup.

Don't worry about not understanding what they are saying. I've yet to meet a Dane who didn't speak excellent English.

No idea about Malmo and Lund though.

lyle1993 wrote: »

Hi there! Literally just got back from a few days in Copenhagen last Friday, really nice place!
So... I have a Nationwide Select credit card, which gives me 0% on purchases abroad, and I found I could use it pretty much everywhere! My nationwide flexplus debit card gives me 0% on cash withdrawals, so I took out 500 DKK when i got there just for when we went to clubs and bars. I got a lot better exchange rate using my cards than I would of done getting my Danish Kroner back in the UK, but bear in mind it was only better because I get charged no commission on either purchases (credit card) or withdrawals (debit card). 100% check what you get with your halifax card, otherwise it may be cheaper for you to get the cash in the UK and take the card as backup.

The Visa Travel app was really helpful, locates near cash machines for you and also gives you conversions (so you can stand in shops and work out how much it'll cost).

Contactless wasn't a major presence, but everyone in Copenhagen in the shops spoke really good English!

We went to Malmo and it was a nice place, Swedish are really friendly, being football fans we just visited the stadium, had a wonder round and got some food in the centre but apart from that there didn't seem a massive amount to do! Nice place to visit though. Going from Denmark into Sweden you now need to show your passport as Sweden crack down on immigration.

Good luck!

Thanks so much for the info!

eDicky

lyle1993 wrote: »

100% check what you get with your halifax card, otherwise it may be cheaper for you to get the cash in the UK and take the card as backup.

There's no doubt, Halifax Clarity is the perfect travel credit card, forget about exchanging any cash.

SavingPennies_2

I visited Malmo and Lund and found them both to be nice:

Malmo has a lovely park called Kungsparken, also Lilla torg a old square with shops and bars. If the weather is nice you can take a walk along the beach and see great views of the Oresund to one side and the Turning Torso to the other. You can walk right up to the Turning Torso but you can't go inside, though it's quite impressive and dizzying to see from below anyway. I'd also take a walk out to the Ribersborgs Kallbadhus (sauna), even if you don't fancy the sauna there's a cafe there and great views too.

Lund is smaller and there's less to do, but it's nice place for a stroll around, lots of pretty old streets and buildings, but the main bit to see is probably the cathedral, make sure you arrive before 12 or 3 (i think - double check the times) so you can watch the impressive astronomical clock chime.

I traveled by train, the staff spoke perfect English and were very helpful. Lund is a short journey from Malmo so if you start out early you might be able to see a bit of both.

purplestar133

eDicky wrote: »

There's no doubt, Halifax Clarity is the perfect travel credit card, forget about exchanging any cash.

SavingPennies wrote: »

I visited Malmo and Lund and found them both to be nice:

Malmo has a lovely park called Kungsparken, also Lilla torg a old square with shops and bars. If the weather is nice you can take a walk along the beach and see great views of the Oresund to one side and the Turning Torso to the other. You can walk right up to the Turning Torso but you can't go inside, though it's quite impressive and dizzying to see from below anyway. I'd also take a walk out to the Ribersborgs Kallbadhus (sauna), even if you don't fancy the sauna there's a cafe there and great views too.

Lund is smaller and there's less to do, but it's nice place for a stroll around, lots of pretty old streets and buildings, but the main bit to see is probably the cathedral, make sure you arrive before 12 or 3 (i think - double check the times) so you can watch the impressive astronomical clock chime.

I traveled by train, the staff spoke perfect English and were very helpful. Lund is a short journey from Malmo so if you start out early you might be able to see a bit of both.

Thank you so much for the tips! I might go for Lund after all and see how we get on from there.:)

purplestar133

Sorry to come back to this but I have another question!

Do the cash machines in Copenhagen offer an English language option?

In the Canary Islands, where I first used my Clarity card to withdraw cash, I was faced with an option that asked if I wanted to use their conversion rate or my own card provider's. This confused me for a minute but at least it was in English! If cash machines in Denmark are going to display a message like that in Danish it'll be guesswork which button I press!

DCFC79

purplestar133 wrote: »

Sorry to come back to this but I have another question!

Do the cash machines in Copenhagen offer an English language option?

In the Canary Islands, where I first used my Clarity card to withdraw cash, I was faced with an option that asked if I wanted to use their conversion rate or my own card provider's. This confused me for a minute but at least it was in English! If cash machines in Denmark are going to display a message like that in Danish it'll be guesswork which button I press!

I'm pretty sure any machine would ask what language you need as it would read the chip and/or the strip.

Chlorine7

I've traveled all around the world, most recently China and I have yet to come across any cash machine that doesn't give you an English option.

Yes, Copenhagen definitely has an English ATM option. As do ticket machines in the train station/airport. They also use contactless and you can even use cards to buy a beer in 7Eleven.

I went over there with 50 euros and only spent the cash because I had it.

There's no need to worry about Denmark/Sweden. Everyone speaks English and everything is posted in English.

As a tip though, don't buy you your train ticket back to the airport until you're actually going. I bought mine in the morning to save time but turns out it was only valid for a few hours after purchasing (I got on the train anyway).

And always use your credit card rate when given the option not the store/bank/airport rate