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Bank card usage and crowds in Santiago

Bezotz

Member
I have more questions, this time about using credit cards. I have heard that I need to get a chip credit card, my swipe one will not work in Portugal or Spain. I want to be able to use a visa or Amenican Express card for ATMs or hotels, meal etc. will my regular US bank cards work?
Next question I know all roads lead to Santiago. How busy will it be to get a certificate at the end of our camino? Will we have to wait in line for hours? We will be arriving in Saniago in early September.
Thank you to all fellow travelers who have gone before to enlighten us newbies.
 
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Chip and (4 digit) PIN is the European standard. Many ATMs choke on a 6 digit PIN. VISA & AMEX are best placed to advise, and provide replacement cards if needed. Please bear in mind that the Camino is essentially a cash economy; though many places will accept card transactions freshly crumpled Euros are far more widely accepted.

You may have to queue for your Compostella, depending on time of day and day of week, but not for hours. And, hey, what more pleasant way to spend your time at the end of a line of pilgrims than in a line of pilgrims...
 
Your US bank cards will work fine for ATMs, restaurants and hotels ... you only need the chip cards for automated ticket places and gas stations I believe. I have used my bank debit card to get cash from ATMs all over Europe with no problems at all. Most small establishments only take cash and I believe everyone prefers it. I also carry a credit card but only use it to secure a reservation and/or pay for a hotel. Just make sure you notify the card issuer(s) where you will be and for how long. I've done a camino in May and another in October and have not had to wait in line for more than 10 or 15 minutes to get my credential but who knows, some things you can't predict.
 
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... and yes, as Tincatinker mentioned, you need to have a 4 digit PIN to use your card at ATM's (but that's what mine have always been).
 
My experience is that Chip and Pin card are necessary to purchase from an unattended machine. For example, it is impossible to purchase gasoline from a gas station at night where the pumps are still operating but there is no one in the store. When you come back the next day, you have to go inside and have them run your card manually through a reader.

But more importantly, why use a credit card at all? Virtually all ATM's along the Camino dispense money just like in the United States. I have never had a problem using either my US Bank or Bank of America ATM card all over Europe. Most Americans on the Camino take out $200 - $300 from an ATM and pay for things along the way with cash. You will pass at least one ATM a day, so it's easy to get more cash. And, the Camino is relatively safe. Sure, there are antidotes about the occasional theft in an albergue when someone goes to dinner, but no one should ever let their money, credit cards, passport, phone, and pilgrim credential leave their immediate possession. It's just common sense that applies to Spain and the United States.
 
In a three day span last August (23-25), the Pilgrim Office issued about 5,800 compostelas. There were lines!
 
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falcon269 said:
In a three day span last August (23-25), the Pilgrim Office issued about 5,800 compostelas. There were lines!
Click to expand...

Yes quite and in one day alone we issued more than 2,400 Compostelas. However the question was about waiting times. The system is quite different nowadays from the "good old days" when pilgrims have literally to wait for hours at the Pilgrims' Office. On most days last year the waiting time was no more than 30 minutes and at busiest times the Amigos were able to advise those in the queue what the likely waiting time was. This year we hope to deal with larger groups separately to make waiting times less. We'll see.
 
falcon269 said:
In a three day span last August (23-25), the Pilgrim Office issued about 5,800 compostelas. There were lines!
Click to expand...

August is by far the busiest month. Yes there were long lines almost all day during the period falcon mentions - I was there - but a week later is was much quieter.
 
There were still 3,700 compostelas issued the first weekend (3 days) of September, and 3,500 the second weekend. It stays pretty busy for a while as the July and August departees arrive in Santiago in September.
 
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The day I arrived in early July was a paltry 1200 or so, and there were lines during the day for several hours after the main hump of pilgrims arrived, but later in the evening there were no lines. In fact, we walked in all the way to the counter without a wait and caused frustration on the part of the staff because we hadn't separated and organized our passports and credencials (I was carrying mine and my son's and they were intermixed). My lesson was, don't count on there being a line in which to get organized; be organized before ever walking through the door.

My question to Johnnie Walker and co. is what are the typical volume patterns at different times during the day? What are the typical lowest volume windows?
 
Thanks again for all the advice. I am planning on using cash, but also wanted to use ATMs along the way
 
Bezotz said:
Thanks again for all the advice. I am planning on using cash, but also wanted to use ATMs along the way
Click to expand...
One thought on using ATMs . . . I was concerned about the use of skimmers (where my ATM card number is picked up while I'm using it), or if I was pickpocketed or subject to theft.

I set up a different bank account so the ATM card couldn't transfer money from my other accounts. Using online banking on my smart phone, I would transfer about $400 (daily limit) into the account just a few seconds or minutes before I would withdraw it. This way, if someone did skim my account info, it was only to an empty account, and there would be no way to drain my main family account.

To guard against pickpocketing or other physical loss, I kept my credit card with my passport inside my money belt and not easily accessed. As a failsafe to physical loss of the card, I had a second account with a separate ATM card, which I kept separate from the first ATM card.
 
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