I’m going to Italy with a Georgian card — I’m wondering if it will work there. Has anyone used Georgian cards at banks in Italy or when paying in shops? How is it generally handled?
On using foreign cards in Italy and which banks open accounts — a complete breakdown:
Altery operates using international passports and geolocation; transfers from Armenian banks are commission-free.
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Thanks for the link, I’ll read it. And will a Georgian card work there when paying in shops — they don’t block it, do they?
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Georgian Visa/Mastercard cards work fine in Italy; terminals accept them. The other thing is that the conversion fees can be steep — check with your bank what rate they use for euro transactions.
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It’s also important which card it is — debit or credit, because credit cards can sometimes have quirks with authorization. And it’s better to use ATMs from banks that charge a fixed fee rather than a percentage; otherwise, with large amounts you’ll get an unpleasant surprise.
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In theory Georgian Visa/Mastercard cards should work without problems — terminals don’t check where the card is from. But if I were the author, I’d check with the bank before the trip about limits on transactions abroad; sometimes they’re closed by default and the card simply won’t go through, even though it’s otherwise working.