Which part of Greece specifically? The touristy areas would probably accept card except at smaller stores, especially in restaurants. There are lots of ATMs around too.
Hi All,
This is my first post on Monzo community
I can confirm the following that may help the community
@MrArkadin and @jackmicklethwaite are 100% into the point.
Let me give you a small brief :
I have born and raised in Zante (yes this party island: sunglasses:)
last 3 years work in London, of course, I am a Monzo User
All the previous summers obviously I was going back home (zante and withdraw money from ATM) and
of course i am avoiding the DCC ( Dynamic currency conversion)
But this summer everything changed the Greek Banks start charging a fee for the transaction if you avoid the DCC
National Bank of Greece ** 2 EUR Fee**
Piraeus Bank ATM 3 EUR Fee
Eurobank ATM 2.50 EUR Fee
Alpha Bank ATMs **no fee ** as @MrArkadin says its just a matter of time
I DONT KNOW IF THIS FEE IS EVEN LEGAL
My suggestion is people try to avoid the packages tourism.
Package tourist worth for a place or a country that you feel unsafe (under my humble opinion)
Zante is a very welcome place( donāt forget with packages everyone is getting commision )
Hope that helpsā¦
@anon61087081 you have valid points on your zante tips.
Hi sorry thought Iād said lol⦠kefalonia, skala⦠thank you
The card machines in Crete are sneaky. They type in the amount in ⬠and then ask you for your pin, once approved it then goes to a final screen and asks the merchant if to pay using Ā£ or ā¬. With Ā£ being the default option.
Most of the ATMās now charge a ā¬2.95 transaction fee too, regardless of if you decide to use DCC or withdraw in the local currency. We saved around Ā£20 on a withdrawal of ā¬180 vs. their rate (which was around Ā£1 to ā¬1 ).
In Alykes, Zante at the moment. There is still an Alpha bank ATM that is free to use but as others as said, Eurobank and Piraeus are charging a fee of ā¬3 even if you decline DCC. On one day the Alpha bank ATM ran out of cash but was restocked the next day.
Have not tried to use POS much, have been declined at one bar and successful at a supermarket so I think it is still hit or miss here.
Just accidentally chose DCC on the alpha bank cash machine and just lost myself £1.40
Other than that no issues on holiday, everywhere has charged in euros and only one place asked for cash over card.
Canāt say that Iāve seen anyone mention it.
Here is the Monzo in Greece topic which is a little sparse. Perhaps you could kick off the discussion in there and it might get more attention?
@Avril this is the discussion group for Greece and the wiki is in the above post. I have personally use my card in Faliraki, which is a few mile south, had no issues. If you read above thereās advice how how to draw cash but most places take card
I was in Pefkos about a year ago and had no issues whatsoever using my card in bars, shops and restaurants there, although some places did have a 10 euro minimum spend for card purchases. There was a eurobank ATM that didnāt charge any fees if you needed to get cash out, although this might have changed since I was there!
Thankyou x
Totally agree!
At Greece - Crete (Chania) at the moment. I did a test by buying with A Starling card and Monzo card and Monzo came out tops. So itās Monzo all the way.
Thank you for making travelling a breeze. We have been conned for too long.
Well, back in Corfu. Was just reading my old posts from 2017. Havenāt used an ATM yet. Will go with finding an Alpha Bank for fee free. I know thereās one near m&s in Corfu town. Used my card in Jumbo (toy shop) and Lidl. Rate for transaction was ā¬1.17 / Ā£1. Great rate
All Greek ATMs charge a cash withdrawal fee on foreign cards. Alpha Bank is ā¬2.50 if I remember correctly.
Hi all I will be heading to Kardamena in Kos this June and was wondering whether it is wise to go with just my Monzo card in my wallet and leave the cash at home? I was planning on withdrawing cash if I needed, but having seen the fees now is it really worth it?
I got back from Kos last week, i only ever found one shop that didnāt take card so I just went next door and was ok, take some cash just in case of emergencies if probably the best option
Card acceptance is increasing / improving in
There for too long cash has been king. I used to specifically ask for 50 euro notes when exchanging here as they have no problems with them and I find too many ā¬20 notes stick together.
Iām off to Santorini this month. Iām taking some cash but will mostly use Monzo or Starling.
Apple Pay has just arrived in Greece so I might try to confuse them and try to use my phone. Not sure it will work though as itās relatively new.
Card acceptance in Greece is very high as its obligatory for merchants to have a POS. Only a few professions remain out of scopeāmost noticeably taxis and kiosksābut they will soon be forced to accept cards as well.
Almost all POSs accept contactless transactions.
Registering for Apple Pay with a Greek issued card is new but paying with Apple Pay is not: Iāve been paying with Apple Pay around Greece for more than a year.
So my trip to Santorini is near an end. Apple Pay has worked in lots of places - it has generated discussion with locals & brits.
One waitress in a taverna was amazed you could pay with a phone.
I have had 2 experiences where establishments asked me to pay cash for tax purposes. I refused on the basis that all ATMs where I am charge ā¬3-4 to take cash out.
One restaurant owner said if more people pay by card he will have to put his prices up.
He didnāt think paying ā¬4 ATM fee was that bad - we agreed to disagree.
I have had no where that has refused to take card at all. Quite a few have POS terminals that are not contactless so the card has had to be used.
Iāve used monzo, starling & dozens with the rates on each day being very close - monzo providing better rate by ā¬0:01 - ā¬0:0015 I mean I donāt spend enough on holiday for this to be a major factor.
I remember the days of American Express travellers cheques so nowadays is so much easier.