Travelex Chip and Pin Card makes paying abroad easier

Name: Budget Travel LLC
Price range: $

By Michael Lala

October 3, 2012

Courtesy Travelex

More and More, Americans visiting Europe and the U.K. are finding their credit and debit cards useless at many shops. Fortunately, Travelex has a solution.

While most cards in the U.S. use a swipe of the magnetic strip on the back of the card to transfer bank information to a retailer, many European retail locations have switched to the "Chip an Pin" system, whereby a card containing a small computer chip is waved over the payment station, then a pin is typed in to confirm the purchase. Most credit cards and retailers in the U.S. have yet to upgrade to this system, and with the risk of losing cash or having it stolen and all the fees associated with using a card for purchases or withdrawals, getting around abroad as an American can be quite a hassle.

Enter Travelex's new "Chip and Pin" Cash Passports (by Mastercard). In essence, this new, chip-included version of the long-standing Travelex Cash Passport gives American travelers in Europe the ability to make chip-based transactions anywhere a Mastercard is accepted, eliminating the need to withdraw money from an ATM for many purchases, and consolidating confusing conversion fees into one, up-front payment when you load the card.

Here's how it works:

-The Chip and Pin Cash Passports are available in euros or pounds, and can be found at any Travelex location in the States (many are located in airports and retail centers).

-No fees to open (profit margin built into exchange rate, exchange rate is fixed at time of load)

-No fees on purchases

-No ATM fees other than by the ATM operator

-Free balance inquiries and card loads

-Free second card

-Free "cash out" on remaining balance at any Travelex location

-Monthly inactivity fee (after 12 consecutive months of no use) of 1.75 pounds or 2.3 euros

-$15 closing fee if done over the phone

The cards are offered on a tier system of "Value Packs" ($250, $500, and $1,000), each with their own conversion fee at time of purchase. The more you load onto the card, the lower the built-in fee.

For example, on Friday, Dec. 10, 2010, the euro was equivalent to approximately 1.32 U.S. dollars. A $500 Cash Passport on this day would be offered at an exchange rate of 1.51 dollars to the euro, or a charge of about 12.7% or $63. At $1,000, the exchange rate would be at 1.5, or a charge of 12% or $120.

While these rates aren't particularly attractive, and it's hard to call them deals, another possibility is purchasing a "Total Trip Load" ($2,500+) for your card at select retail stores and all of Travelex's non-airport locations. Here, the rate would be 1.37 dollars to the euro, or about a 3.64% fee (about $91 on a $2,500 card).

Beginning next year, Travelex will offer the Chip and Pin cards online as well, at a conversion fee slightly higher (about 1%) than the Total Trip Load, plus a small delivery fee (right now, it's about $10 for a regular Cash Passport).

Now, depending on your bank and their own conversion fees, it's a toss-up as to whether it will actually save you money to use a Cash Passport, or if you should just stick with the old, tried-and-true methods of currency conversion. What the Chip and Pin card will definitely do, however, is simplify your travel experience, allowing you to make purchases and ATM withdrawals without hassle or worry about unforeseen fees. For travelers expecting to spend more $2,500 or more, the card's use is particularly attractive.

That being said, how likely would you be to use a preloaded Chip and Pin card on your next European vacation?

Would you ever book a trip to Chernobyl?

The word "Chernobyl" conjures many images. Nuclear wasteland. Radioactive deadzone. World's next top tourist spot? Until now, the last option would sound downright laughable. But the Ukrainian government is working to change all that. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('46c0afdb-0373-4370-8964-edb81a817a2b');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)That's right, Ukraine's Ministry of Emergency Situations (!!!) announced this week that the site of the world's greatest nuclear disaster will be open to official tours beginning in 2011. The backstory: in 1986, a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl power station exploded, killing 32 workers and firefighters. Radioactive materials spread by wind across much of northern Europe, and the blast has been blamed for ongoing health problems in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Before now, private tour companies ran trips to Chernobyl out of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, but the Guardian reports that these tours are illegal and potentially dangerous. The big question—is the new plan safe? Ukrainian officials promise that measures will be taken to ensure the medical safety of all tourists. But it must be noted that the area is far from back to normal. When the reactor was destroyed, a concrete "sarcophagus" was placed over the site, but it has been steadily deteriorating for the past 25 years. A new 20,000 ton shell is expected to be slid over the zone by the year 2015. According to a Washington Post article, the new structure will be taller than the Statue of Liberty or Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral. It will cost $1.15 billion. If you're wondering what Western officials think of the plan, the United Nations Development Program chief Helen Clark has toured the facility and gives Chernobyl tourism her stamp of approval. She argues that the move could bring big money to the area and teach an important environmental lesson. I guess I trust her opinion, but still, I'll pass. How about you? MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL The 2007 "Not" List The 7 Most Dangerous Travel Jobs Coolest Small Towns 2011

Hotel deals: Book in advance and save up to 50 percent

Many hotels offer discounts of 10 or 15 percent for guests reserving two or more weeks in advance. Here are some deals that do way better than that. Before checking out any of the offers, take note that there's often a sticky tradeoff for your room rate being marked down: Typically, rooms must be paid for upfront and in full at the time of booking, and no changes or cancellations are allowed. With one notable exception (La Quinta), that's how all of the promotions below work. But if your travel dates are certain and there's virtually no possibility of you needing to cancel or change plans, booking in advance is an easy way to shave 20 percent or more—sometimes a lot more—off of your lodging bill. Country Inns & Suites discounts rates by 25 percent at all properties when guests book with as little as 14 days advance purchase. Sample deal: A standard room at the Country Inns & Suites in Orlando, Fla., normally runs $99, but it drops to $74.25 with the special. Hilton's Any Weekend, Anywhere Sale knocks up to 50 percent off hotel rates in Europe and Africa, 20 percent off in the Americas, and 25 percent in Asia and Down Under. As the name of the deal indicates, this is a weekend special, and in most cases guests must stay over a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night to get the discount. Deals are possible just about every weekend throughout 2011, but reservations must be made at least seven days in advance—and by January 31, 2011, at the latest. Sample deal: The Hilton Garden Inn in Florence, Italy, is $79 nightly for weekend stays in February (breakfast included) with this promotion; normally, an unrestricted room at this hotel is $141, and breakfast costs extra. Microtel has an ongoing promotion in which guests reserving 14 days in advance are eligible for 20 percent discounts. Sample deal: When rates are normally $80 at the Microtel in Dover, N.H., guests who reserve (and pay) in advance are charged $64 a night. La Quinta Inns & Suites don't reveal exactly how much of a discount guests get by reserving at least 14 days in advance, but that's OK: The brand is one of the very few to offer book-ahead deals that don't require pre-payment and allow changes and cancellations. Sample deal: The La Quinta in Anaheim, Calif., (near Disneyland) often costs $89 for last-minute bookings, and $79 if you reserve two weeks ahead of time—and unlike most advance-reservation specials, there's no penalty for canceling or changing. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Chain Hotels with Style The Breakdown on 8 Membership Programs 39 Affordable Chains Only the Locals Know About Vote now: Help us identify the coolest small town in America!

Europe flights on sale!

Two European carriers known for discounting transatlantic flights offer the increasingly rare opportunity to fly to Europe for well under $500—and yes, we're talking round trip, with all taxes and fees included. Aer Lingus is hosting a sale to Ireland and onward to Europe, and while the travel dates vary based on the departure city and destination, the best prices are typically valid for the period after New Year's through the end of March. Tickets from New York to Dublin start at $169 each way, and once the return flight, fees, and taxes are added up, the cheapest round trip comes to $442. Other sale flights include one-way, pre-tax rates such as Chicago to Dublin from $199, Boston to Milan from $199, and Orlando to Brussels from $289. Again, these are all one-way prices based on round-trip purchases, and taxes and fees cost extra. Tickets must be purchased by December 20. Icelandair has special fares out of New York, Boston, and Seattle, with round-trip flights starting at $389 (Boston to Reykjavik), $399 (New York to Manchester or Glasgow), and $439 (New York to Frankfurt or Stockholm). Round-trips out of Seattle are available from just $409 to Reykjavik, $489 to Glasgow, $519 to Frankfurt, and $619 to Paris. To get these rates, travelers must fly between January 15 and April 2, tickets must be booked by December 24, and taxes and fees are extra. For the Boston-Reykjavik flight, for example, the grand total comes to $470 once all the extra mandatory costs are tallied up. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL The Real Castles of Ireland Reykjavik: Cold, Dark, and Handsome Eat Like a Local: Dublin Eat Like a Local: Reykjavik

What's new for theme parks in 2011

Nobody knows theme parks like the editor of ThemeParkInsider, Robert Niles, who has tracked the industry for more than a decade. We asked him to peek into his crystal ball and tell us what the big stories of 2011 will be. Here's his take: The biggest new theme park attractions for 2011, says Niles, will be the debut of Legoland Florida, the new Star Tours ride at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and the new multi-million-dollar Little Mermaid ride at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim. Legoland Florida is opening in October 2011 on the site of the old Cypress Gardens park in Winter Haven. It's a nearly hour-long drive from the Orlando theme parks, but Legoland's strong line-up of kid-friendly attractions ought to encourage many families to make the trip to check it out. Fans have consistently rated Legoland's California park as the best in the nation for children, even ahead of the Disney parks and I know many east coast and Midwestern families who've been waiting for a Legoland on their side of the country. The Little Mermaid ride is the next step in Disney's multi-billion-dollar make-over of its California Adventure park. The World of Color show it debuted this summer was the park's biggest break-out hit to date, and Little Mermaid promises to be a richly detailed indoor ride in the tradition of It's a Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean, something west coast fans haven't seen from Disney in a generation. The revamped Star Tours rides, which have been closed for renovations since last summer, will still be based on motion-simulators, but we'll get 3-D effects and a new storyline as well at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. COOL INNOVATIONS COMING SOON TO THEME PARKS Parks will continue in 2011 to try to find new ways to upcharge visitors who can afford to pay extra for a more special theme park experience. Look for some regional theme parks to start implementing new cell-phone-based systems to allow visitors to skip the wait at certain rides, for an extra charge, of course. Disney's making a big push with mobile in 2011, as well. In addition to its own in-park app available to Verizon customers, which allows them to find characters in the parks and check real-time wait times, Disney's partnered with Gowalla to create free Disney-themed guided tours of its various attractions, where Gowalla users can "check in" with their cell phones while in the parks. Visitors can collect virtual goodies, such as Mickey ears, by checking in to enough places, too. You won't see it fully developed in 2011, but theme parks are making a huge push into social media within the parks, trying to create systems that connect visitors with one another in a mass storytelling experience, even when people aren't on physical rides. The lines between theme parks and massively multiplayer games are blurring, and this will result in some fun changes in theme parks in 2012 and beyond. —Robert Niles of ThemeParkInsider MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Readers' Choice: What's the best amusement park? (200+ comments) Extra Mile Award: A theme park opens for children with disabilities (Scroll down to read about "Morgan's Wonderland" Disney buys Marvel: Let the theme park wars begin! (60+ comments) Wow the kids with these dream trips Vote now: Help us identify the coolest small town in America!

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