My credit card keeps declining in San Marino and I have enough money on there and all international transactions are activated - what do I do?
I had one card rejection in San Marino, but overall it was smooth once I switched to an ATM run by Cassa di Risparmio. Restaurants and shops in the medieval streets mostly take Visa and Mastercard. Expect to spend €70 per day if you’re sightseeing and eating at local trattorias. Small kiosks and cafés may still prefer cash, so keep €20-30 handy. If your card keeps declining, just use another bank ATM or withdraw in Rimini before heading up.
Kept getting the “Transaction Declined” message even with plenty of money. I thought my card was broken. Turned out it was just that specific terminal at a souvenir shop being glitchy. Tried again at a nearby gelato place and it worked. Also, make sure your card isn’t limited to chip-only - some terminals don’t handle tap well. And yeah, declining the conversion prompt really makes a difference.
I faced repeated declines even though my Revolut card works everywhere else. The local ATMs and some POS systems seemed to reject prepaid cards or anything they couldn’t instantly verify. What worked for me was using a traditional debit card with chip + PIN. And yeah, always decline DCC if prompted. If nothing works, use an ATM inside a bank branch to avoid blocked withdrawals and get staff help if needed.
Had this happen at a few smaller cafés and at a museum gift shop. They said the terminal was “offline” even though it looked fine. I called my bank and they confirmed nothing was blocked, but they advised trying chip + PIN instead of contactless - that worked. Also, avoid using Amex here; it rarely gets accepted. If you’re still stuck, withdraw cash from a bank ATM rather than relying on shops.
My card got declined at two different shops and an ATM near the cable car station. I had plenty of balance, and my bank app showed no blocks. Turned out the issue was the machine trying to force a conversion - once I declined it, the transaction went through. Also, try switching cards if you have a backup. My Visa worked fine, but my Mastercard kept failing for no reason.