Iceland Travel 101

On my recent travels to Iceland I was really impressed with the country’s natural beauty. From the volcanic formations to the waterfalls and natural geysers, Iceland has a diverse and unique landscape that is out of this world. It is no wonder TV and movie producers have picked Iceland for their filming locations (e.g., Game of Thrones, Batman Begins, Justin Bieber’s music video)!

For those planning a trip to Iceland, here is a list that may be helpful to your planning.

No cash? No problem!

Iceland’s currency is the Icelandic Krona. The bills are colorful, and the coins show fish and dolphins. To be honest, I don’t remember much about the currency, because I didn’t use much cash. Iceland is essentially a cashless society. Plastic is accepted everywhere, even with the smallest transactions, such as the 420kr (~$3.40 USD) hotdog from Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, the world’s most famous hot dog stand. While it is possible to travel Iceland without any cash, you may want to consider getting a small amount of cash in case your credit card gets declined or machines break down.

“Chip & PIN” credit cards

Iceland (and pretty much the rest Europe) uses the “chip and PIN” system for its credit cards. The credit cards all have a smart chip embedded in them, and a unique code is generated upon every use to enhance security. The user verifies each transaction at the counter with a protected PIN.

On the other hand, US credit cards use the “chip and signature” system for its credit cards. This means that while the new cards will have the smart chip embedded in them, verification is done via signature instead of a PIN. With that said, I did not have a problem using my US “chip and signature” credit card in Iceland/Europe. Instead of asking me for my PIN, the merchants printed out signature slips for me to sign. Simple.

Now where this gets interesting is with unmanned gas stations. There are many threads in forums on this topic, and so I want to make sure I share my experience with those who may be wondering. If you are planning to rent a car and drive around Iceland, you may end up needing gas at unmanned gas stations. One such station is the one closest to the KEF airport. When you use your credit card at the unmanned pumps, you will be asked to enter a PIN….

But wait….what if you don’t have a PIN? My gas tank is empty, I am in the middle of nowhere, and I need gas now! (Just hypothetical so I hope this doesn’t happen to you…) To prepare for this scenario, you may want to consider/try the following:

1. Use cash.
2. Buy prepaid gas cards in advance. When the gas stations are open use your credit card or cash to buy prepaid gas cards. These will work at the automated pumps. N1 stations are everywhere, so this would be a good place to buy the cards.
3. Ask your credit card for a PIN. When I found out I needed a PIN while in Iceland, I called my credit card company (Capital One), and they were able to assign me a 4-digit PIN instantly after some security verification. If you are reading this before your trip, you may want to get started on this because normal process takes a few days. The PIN worked!
4. Hit the green button. DISCLAIMER: this is untested. A gas station attendant near the airport told me that I can always bypass the prompt for a PIN by hitting the green “Enter” button. It worked when I tried it at the Orkan station in Keflavík, but I did not try this method at other gas stations, so try at your own risk!

Now before you get yourself into the situation of “I am in the middle of nowhere with no gas at the unmanned gas pump,” I recommend you test out these approaches to see what works best for you. It doesn’t hurt to have a few backup prepaid cards with you just in case.

Tipping?

Tipping is not customary and therefore is not expected. However, no one will say no to you if you really want to tip….

Road Trippin’ Encouraged

Even though Iceland is not a very big country, you still have a lot of ground to cover if you want to take in the sites it offers. To really see Iceland, you would want to rent a car/4×4/camper. Don’t be intimidated about driving in a foreign country. With only 330,000 people + tourists, driving in Iceland is pretty easy and relaxing. Even on popular routes like the Ring Road, we sometimes found ourselves alone on the road. This really helped make our sudden “oh-wow-it’s-beautiful-let’s-stop” pit stops so much easier (and less dangerous!).

When road tripping, you may want to think about the vehicle you want to rent. If you plan on driving to sites off the beaten path, you may run into F-roads, which would require 4×4. Rental companies are very strict about their policies. If you do not have a 4×4 and end up taking the F-roads, you will violate your rental agreement. Believe me, the F-roads really do need 4×4 vehicles!

Wifi and data plans

I found WiFi to be so widely available in Iceland that I decided not to purchase a data plan. And I got by. Yes, I was disconnected from the world when I was on the road, but other than that, I was able to find WiFi at most locations such as hotels, restaurants, and visitors’ center. For navigation, I found Google Offline Maps to be very helpful. Click here for instructions on how to download maps for navigation offline.

For those wanting to be connected around the clock, you can purchase a SIM card with a data plan from the KEF airport duty free shop (you will need an unlocked phone) or subscribe to a roaming plan from your service provider. Another option would be to rent a WiFi hotspot from your rental car company, but I found the plans to be expensive because you are charged a fee per day.

Conclusion

I love Iceland and I want to make sure everyone has a good experience visiting. I hope you find this helpful and don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions!