Ashes

Hi All,
So, I've been trying to hunt down info and see if I can find anyone who has used the new WaMu gold debit card in Greece. It's been a topic bandied about on other forums because WaMu has replced their Visa Debit card with the Plus and Interlink symbols with a new MasterCard with the Star and MasterCard symbols.
I keep getting conflicting info as to if the card will work in Greece or not. I'm going to Greece in September and would love to know if the card will work.
Has anyone tried the new card in Greece? If so, did it work or were there problems? Thanks for the help!

JoanneH

don't trust it. I have the WM card and the manager at the bank admitted they are having major problems.
A WM manager posted on this list that the Star is only good in US.Some folks have not had problems and others can't find anyplace that will take it.
Get another card so you don't get stuck thats what I have just done.

Eleni

here's a link to alpha bank (one of the largest in greek with lots of atms) that shows the ATM cards they take:
http://www.alpha.gr/page/default.asp?la=2&id=3463 (scroll down to the bottom of the page)
The cards listed are pretty much the same for all atms in greece. remember, you need a 4-digit PIN number for these atm machines.

TexasAggie

Thank you for the very useful link Eleni. We mainly used Alpha Bank ATM machines on our recent trip and our Credit Union ATM card with the Plus logo worked just fine. We did run into a couple using an ATM card issued from a small bank that did not any recongizable logos on the back and they had problems using their card.

Ashes

Thanks for the help. Yeah, I know about the Star, It's a domestic network. I had to tell that to the Wamu rep I talked to, he didn't even know. I've got a credit union card that could probably use tha has the Cirrus on the back. So, I'll probably bring that along.

kari92037

My only input is that we found Banks closed very early (2pm and are closed the entire weekend) and that Greeks do not like to take creditcards/debit cards. THEY WANT CASH! They even charge more if you use your credit cards ( i guess they pass on the transaction costs to the customers.) Just a word of advice since I've traveled extensively in Europe and always used by credit cards more than I could in Greece.

Eleni

kari is correct about the bank hours, although the cash machines are always open

kari is also correct about many greek merchants wanting cash and charging extra for using credit cards (often characterized as a discount for using cash). this is particularly true any time you venture outside of the major tourist areas.