Greek islands cruise - money

foolofbeans

We're due to set off on a cruise around some Greek islands soon :T
Does anybody know whether cards are ok there? I recall the news last year when the banks were limiting cash withdrawals and wondered if that has stopped now? I have been looking at the Post Office mastercard which is a terrible exchange rate but has the safety of replacement card if it gets lost and we would prefer not to have to carry too much money about with us.

eDicky

foolofbeans wrote: »

I have been looking at the Post Office mastercard which is a terrible exchange rate but

This is one of the worst options. For prepaid Revolut is best if you use a smartphone. A Metrobank debit card is ideal for Europe if you can visit one of their branches in SE England to open an account.

General advice: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money

I'm not totally sure that daily ATM withdrawal restrictions have been lifted, but it shouldn't affect you much and cards can often be used for purchases.

foolofbeans

Thank you for that info. I have looked into Revolut but the card can take up to 10 days to arrive and we could be gone before it turns up.
The link was really useful though and I have looked through to see what other options there are.

z1a

Cash withdrawals were only for Greeks, no restriction for others, subject to your normal daily limit.

eDicky

foolofbeans wrote: »

I have looked into Revolut but the card can take up to 10 days to arrive and we could be gone before it turns up.

Revolut will send you an 'emergency' MasterCard (without your name on) to arrive in a day or two for £5, if you sign up and ask them on the in-app chat tomorrow. When you sign up using the promo code 'MSE' they give you a £5 bonus when you have loaded at least £500.

howlsatthemoon

foolofbeans wrote: »

Thank you for that info. I have looked into Revolut but the card can take up to 10 days to arrive and we could be gone before it turns up.
The link was really useful though and I have looked through to see what other options there are.

I ordered the Revolut card and it only took 4 days to arrive, and I live in a post code area that is classed as "Highland's & Islands" even though where I live is neither.

glider3560

Greece still has a "cash is king" economy outside the major tourist areas. On the island I visited earlier this year, I only found one restaurant out of the six visited that accepted credit cards. The island's ATMs (three on the whole island) also ran out of money by Sunday evening.

Even in a Carrefour supermarket on the mainland, credit card acceptance was seen as unusual, with most customers paying cash. After declaring you would pay by card, the cashier printed a slip of paper and took you to the customer service desk where the store's only card machine was based. They had an old dial up style standlone machine which took forever to gain authorisation.

Since the restriction on Greek ATM usage started and since tax receipts are now compulsory, many more places have started accepting credit cards, especially in Athens.

With a foreign card, you can take as much cash out of the ATM as your bank will allow. I took €200 out in one go earlier in the year.

sharronima

depends on what islands you are visiting
Usually the ones included in the cruises are quote popular and touristy so ATMs are OK - you can withdraw money with Visa/Mastercard. But not many shops and restaurants would accept bank card payment
if you are visiting smaller/not that touristy islands, it is possible for ATMs to be not working / running out of money
But the islands are generally quite inexpensive so - just bring some cash with you, just in case.

daveyjp

From our experince of cruising very little on shore money is required. What do you intend buying which needs a lot of cash?

£100 of euros should be plenty for the time you are on shore. If you run out you can get money from the ship which is usually charged to your cabin account.