ntandrews

We arrived in Uruguay and tried to get money from ATMs in the Redbanc and Redbrou networks. We tried varying amounts from 1000 pesos - about $50 - to 5000. No luck at machines in bank lobbies, grocery stores, or even the casino in Punta del Este (we figured those would take anything, even from foreign banks.). I read online that the Citibank machines would take cards from the US, but they didn't have any machines. We finally gave up and got a Visa cash advance when the Pesos we obtained with US dollars ran out. Any advice, other than to carry dollars when traveling in Uruguay?

Graziella5b

I go to Uruguay all the time and never had a problem. If I am right I usually try Bank of Boston machines.

crellston

We spent several weeks in Uruguay and didn't have a problem (unlike Argentina and Chile where we had loads!). In recent months, many banks have changed there procedures for overseas withdrawals and now insist that you advise them in advance if you intend to use ATM cards abroad. Unfortunately, whilst the press have picked up on this the banks don't seem to have advised their customers (don't you just love them?). Maybe this was the problem.

ntandrews

Thanks for the suggestions. We had absolutely no problems in Argentina or Chile (had to use only Banelco in Argentina.)My bank issues a Plus card, which is supposed to be part of the Visa network. I called my bank and credit card companies before we left to notify them of our trip. I also Skyped during the trip to see if I could solve the problem. Banks in Uruguay said the problem was with the card. My bank said the problem was with the Uruguayan ATM networks. Next time, we will get an ATM card from another bank where we have an account that is tied to the Cirrus network. We will also take cash - the exchange rate was the best and there were no outrageous fees.