INTRODUCTION - Croatia and Slovenia - page 25

example, if your daily limit is $300, withdraw just €200. Many frustrated travelers have
walkedawayfromATMsthinkingtheircardswererejected,whenactuallytheywereasking
for more cash in the local currency than their daily limit allowed.
• Get your bank's emergency phone number in the US (but not its 800 number, which
isn't accessible from overseas) to call collect if you have a problem.
•Askforyourcreditcard's PIN incaseyouneedtomakeanemergencycashwithdrawal
or encounter Europe's “chip-and-PIN” system; the bank will not reveal your PIN over the
phone, so allow time for it to be mailed to you.
Chip and PIN: While much of Europe is shifting to a “chip-and-PIN” security system
for credit and debit cards, the countries in this region still use the old magnetic-swipe tech-
nology. (European chip-and-PIN cards are embedded with an electronic security chip, and
require the purchaser to punch in a PIN rather than sign a receipt.) If you happen to en-
counter chip and PIN, it will probably be at automated payment machines, such as those at
toll roads or self-serve gas pumps. On the outside chance that a machine won't take your
card, find a cashier who can make your card work (they can print a receipt for you to sign),
or find a machine that takes cash. But don't panic. Most travelers who are carrying only
magnetic-stripe cards never encounter any problems. You can always use an ATM to with-
draw cash with your magnetic-stripe card, even in countries where people predominantly
use chip-and-PIN cards.
Dynamic Currency Conversion: If merchants offer to convert your purchase price into
dollars (called dynamic currency conversion, or DCC), refuse this “service.” You'll pay
even more in fees for the expensive convenience of seeing your charge in dollars.
Damage Control for Lost Cards
If you lose your credit, debit, or ATM card, you can stop people from using your card by re-
porting the lossimmediately tothe respective global customer-assistance centers. Call these
24-hour US numbers collect: Visa (tel. [phone]), MasterCard (tel. [phone]),
or American Express (tel. [phone]). In Croatia, to make a collect call to the US,
dial 0800-220-111. In Bosnia, dial 00-800-0010. In Slovenia, dial 1180—but this number
only works from Slovenian phone numbers. It's not possible to make collect calls from
Montenegro—dial the above numbers direct. Press zero or stay on the line for an English-
speaking operator. European toll-free numbers (listed by country) can be found at the web-
sites for Visa and MasterCard.
Providingthefollowinginformationwillallowforaquickercancellationofyourmissing
card: full card number, whether you are the primary or secondary cardholder, the cardhold-
er'snameexactlyasprintedonthecard,billingaddress,homephonenumber,circumstances
of the loss or theft, and identification verification (your birth date, your mother's maiden
name, or your Social Security number—memorize this, don't carry a copy). If you are the