Credit cards in Paris AND what is the best place to buy a...

Hello,

Do they accept AMEX or other major ccards at small bistros and grocery stores? Or, should I have more cash on me at any time?

AND

Can I buy a museum pass without entering a museum? Which stores sell them? Again, do I need cash?

Thanks.

Agnes

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AMEX is taken in most big places. But it is not in small bistros as they charge too much to be affordable for them. You won%26#39;t be able to use them in small stores neither.

You can buy a museum pass without entering a museum. But there are so many places where you can do that. As for an example, you can by them in travel agencies, on the internet, and even at some hotel reception desks.

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And by the way, VISA and Mastercard are taken everywhere as long as your purchase is higher than 10 (sometimes 15) euros

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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;Can I buy a museum pass without entering a museum? Which stores sell them? Again, do I need cash?%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

You may purchase the PARIS MUSEUM PASS at several locations throughout Paris--Tourist Info ofiices, FNAC stores, and participating museum, etc. Most of these locations will accept major credit cards (VISA, M/C)---

OFFICIAL PARIS MUSEUM PASS Info--

www.parismuseumpass.fr/flash/hp_en.html

The one place you should ***NOT*** pre-purchase one of these passes is from internet travel sites, et al. All will add their own %26#39;..premium..%26#39; (anywhere from 25%-35%) to the %26#39;..official..%26#39; price in Paris, while offering little or nothing in the way of convenience.

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for 9 days I tried to put EVERYTHING on credit card, and only did a cash advance at the airport of 200 Euros to tide me over and used the very last coins to take the Roissy Bus back to CDG.

I had MC / VISA / %26amp; AMEX to cover all the bases.

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Thank you. I will have a few hundred euros in cash, and then use Visa or Amex for the rest of the purchases.

I assume that art galleries (should we decide to purchase a small oil painting) would accept credit cards (I can%26#39;t foresee anybody walking around with a thousand or a few thousand euros in their wallets.) ???

Thank you again,

Agnes

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Since the fees charged by Visa/Mastercard/AmEx are a significant burden to smaller shopkeepers and cafés/restaurants, I try to pay cash for purchases below about 25€. It%26#39;s just one of those little gestures that I think owners and staff alike appreciate. Kind of like greeting the person behind the counter when you walk into a shop. No big thing, but little things add up...

There are probably still one or two places in Paris that don%26#39;t accpet credit cards even for four-figure purchases, but I doubt it is something you will need to worry about!

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IrishRover,

Thank you.

Agnes

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Oops.

I apologize. I meant, IrishRovr.

Thank you.

A

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Last year I saw the MP on sale at the Air France gate in JFK airport in NYC. You might want to check out your airport.

In Paris, buy the pass at an uncrowded museum in order to avoid the lines. If you buy it at a popular museum like the Orsay, you need to wait in line to get it. However, if you go to a less visited museum like the Cluny, there is usually no wait. You can pay with a CC.

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Pixfield,

thank you.