Another flawless week of using :r: in Spain. Top ups, auto top up, manual exchange, auto exchange and ATM withdrawal were perfection. Only needed cash for taxis, tipping and bottled water.
One new experience which intrigued me contactless and pin; several occasions with different merchants all for small amounts. Defeats the point of contactless doesn’t it?
Took the opportunity to confirm my belief about the difference between the MC issued through Wirecard and the VISA card issued by :r:. My base currency is GBP and which means when I’m in the Eurozone I sometimes get offered DCC by merchants, which I always decline. But this only happens when I use the VISA card. The same card readers interpret my MC as being an Euro account and never offer DCC. Consequently I have used my MC card exclusively whilst in Spain. As the reverse happens in the UK I’ll use my VISA card when I’m there. Both cards have an expiry date of 2022 so I’m hoping to at least keep this useful option until then.