After reading enough reports of how easy it is to obtain local currency using ATM's, I had decided to go that route. Then just read a post that in UK most free-standing ATM's there do not take Visa. Is this accurate and does it also work that way in Ireland? I have Discover, Amex and Visa; alas, no Mastercard!

I have used my Bank One Visa debit card without a single problem at ATM machines in England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Czech Rep, Hungary, Sweden and Norway. I'm betting it will work in Ireland.

Larry J

My boyfriend and I spent some time in Italy this summer. We were stranded in Venice because of the ATM problems. We bank thru US Bank and we could not access our funds through most of the trip. It was really frustrating and there was nothing we could do about it because of the time differences and such. It was really irritating. I would suggest travelers cheques...a lot of them...

The ATM in Venice "ate" my Bank of America card.

Fortunately I had had the foresight to get an additional one so all was not lost but it was a nuisance.

Dealing with the bank and gettin r epalcement

Oops! I hit the wrong botton.

I had started to say that getting the card replaced was comedy of errors.

There was $1.00 transaction fee with each transaction - not 1%. :-B

rubyroo22---i hate us bank...they are the bank associated with northwest airlines and i have had so much trouble with them while travelling in asia on more than one occasion....i call them reverse charge and they straighten it out but it is frustrating....i no longer take their card with me...BUT i love the FF points....

I used my bank's visa debit card in Ireland, England, and France this summer with no problem. I did call my bank - actually a credit union - ahead of time to inform them that there would be withdrawals from those countries. You may want to consider that.

In the UK there are many free-standing ATM's at locations such as convenience stores. It has been reported that some foreign Visa debit cards don'r work at them. This is not a problem with UK Visa debit cards, and no-one has really explained why the reports about foreign cards have been made.

I've seen no such reports - and the replies above imply that there is no problem - with bank-related ATM's, which is what you get - obviously - outside banks and building societies, and, graced by a large bank logo, in substantial buildings. Practically all ATM's in airports and stations, for example, are bank-related.

Sometimes both can be in the same place. At motorway service stations, for instance, it's now common for a "bank" ATM to be in the main service block where the fast food places and shops are. But, typically, the petrol station will have one of these free-standing thingies inside its kiosk.

The free-standers always charge GBP1 to GBP2 per transaction, in addition to whatever other charges your bank makes.

To be honest, a visitor staying in towns shouldn't need to use the free-standers: bank-related machines are almost everywhere. But it can be an issue in the countryside.

BTW, most major supermarkets give you cashback if you use a credit or debit card - often with no significant minimum purchase - and always for no fee. So if you ever find yourself with one card eaten up, you're nervous about trusting your last card to a machine but you're out of cash when the banks are closed, try buying a small bottle of own-label mineral water at Sainsbury's or Tesco. And getting 100 pound back. At least if it bounces, you get your card back. And, certainly in my part of the countryside, most Co-op convenience stores offer this servive at the checkout.

I have only had one or two problems using my Navy FCU ATM or Sharechek (sic) card anywhere in the world, but, to be on the safe side, take another ATM card.

I take both, just in case. One ATM in Buenos Aires (and once in Schwetzingen) it didn't like my ATM card, but when I put in my Sharechek card and called it a Visa, it was more than happy to spit out cash. weirdly enough, it's all coming from checking anyway so go figure...

I wouldn't bother with traveler's checks in the UK - I've been there well over a dozen times, and have only ever used my ATM card with 100% success rates. same with Ireland.

good luck!

I used my VISA debt card in London a year and a half ago, every ATM I tried took VISA.

One warning: sometimes the transAtlantic lines cause a problem and you may have an hour or so go by that the ATMs will decline your card. Don't panic, just wait them out (or try a different card).

Keith

If you go to VISA.com there is an ATM locator service, and I think you can plug in the country you're interested in and it'll show the affiliated banks' atm's. We used our Visa-logo debit card in Scotland, England and Ireland atm's with no problems. Our home bank charges $1.50 for each transaction, so you may want to check this out and plan your withdrawals accordingly. You may want to also make sure your PIN # is 4 digits, I believe that is the limit. Also, calling your bank ahead of time (as well as visa and amex) and letting them know you will be out of the country is a wise thing to do. That way, when they see transactions from a foreign source, they will have your file flagged and won't deactivate your card. Happy travelling!

I used my normal ATM card which is Visa based with no trouble in Ireland.
I had my debit card,but did not use. The ATM card was used several times.

If you go to a bank machine, the only problem that I can foresee is if you insert your credit card by mistake.
That happened to me and the result was that my credit card was blocked.
I fortunately had another one that I could use until I could make a phone call to my bank to find out what was going on.
As I recall, I inserted the card, realized what I had done and canceled the transaction. My credit card information was already in the system however, and the cancellation with no cash advance triggered an alarm.

I just returned from a three week trip to England (including London), France , and Italy (including Venice). I used my VISA Debit card exclusively. (I didn't bring any traveler's checks or even a credit card.) I had absolutely no problems whatsoever.

Jennie

Thanks so much for all the advice! I am calling my bank today to get a second ATM card as backup as well as alert them of my making withdrawals there. I really appreciate all the help! Will post back if I experience any problems that might help others!

I would like to add one caution about carrying no back-up source of spendable money while in Europe.

Debit cards and credit cards are fine, and I use them extensively in Europe and Canada at bank ATM machines when I need pocket money.

But, in 6 trips to Europe I have had 2 incidents where having AE traveler's checks was very handy. The first time, the ATM was broken. The second time we were in a very small village in Switzerland and the only bank was Master Card only. My cards were all Visa and would not function in the ATM machine.
We could have driven to another village to look for a bank, but we wanted to eat and we wanted to take a cable lift ride up the mountain.
Having no money of the Swiss variety we had little choice, forego what we wanted to do or cash a traveler's check.
I cashed a check.

Also, when I was in Austria on September 12, the day after the World Trade Center destruction, this thought crossed my mind: What if the banks were shutdown? That would mean that I could not use my AtM cards!!

Airplane flights were stopped, borders were closed. Why not stop all electronic traffic into and out of the country?
Granted it was a wild thought, but at that point in time, who could say what was going to happen next?

So I carry some of those archaic financial instruments just in case something strange and unusual happens!
They are money! And using them may be awkward, but if that is your only workable access to spending money, I think you would be glad you had them.

I will admit that I have a few checks in my passport case that have logged quite a few miles. Some of them are 3 years old and have made 3 trans Atlantic crossings and 2 trips to Canada.
Right now, with interest rates at rock bottom, I don't figure that I am loosing much interest by carrying them around.

Actually, I was going to convert about $100 before leaving; my bank does not charge to convert. This way I have something as backup as well in case I get somewhere that doesn't have an ATM and my other cards are not accepted. My travel partner (sis) will be taking her Mastercard though, so between the 2 of us; we have them all covered! Thanks again to everyone who replied. This has certainly been educational!

sjbisanz1: You won't lose much converting only $100. But do not think your "bank does not charge to convert". The bank is not doing that transaction for free -- you will either pay a conversion fee, or get a worse exchange rate.

On $100 it will only amount to about $6 or $7 - but you are paying a "fee" one way or the other.

where are you flying into? I can't remember if I had problems finding an ATM in Shannon airport. Dublin's airport is pretty big, you don't have a problem there. Shannon's is SMALL and I also found it was tough to find an ATM on the west coast of Ireland in general. (you actually planned a "day trip" to get your laundry done, get cash from an ATM, etc.)

if you are traveling to London first (not clear) then don't even bother to convert, for pounds anyway. you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an ATM in Heathrow or Gatwick for that matter.

if it's euros you will need the entire time, plan ahead according to your itinerary. depending on how rural you will be, you aren't going to find tons of walkup ATMs. (this info is a few years old though, beware).

I wish to ask Sibisanz1 a question.
How do you know your bank is not charging you for a foreign currency exchange?

Unless you know the bank wholesale rate for that day, and the rate your bank is charging, you cannot say.

For example, I just exchanged a little with Bank of America. The rate of exchange that BOA charged me was 5 cents above wholeslae bank rate. The wholesale rate was 1.15 USD per euro.
I paid 1.20. Now, did I pay a commission or did I not?

If I go to an ATM in Europe, I have checked what I paid carefully. It has always been about 1% more than the bank wholesale rate. How do I know?
I look up the historical rate for that date when I get home, or,while using a computer, I check the price on Yahoo.
It has a very good financial table that gives currency wholesale rates.

Again, as I have said before, if you don't know the bank wholesale rate, you do not know if you were charged extra or not.

dixon, Actually, my bank does charge a fee (not sure what they call it) for converting foreign currency. We have a "Gold" account with them which waives those fees. But I will definitely check to see what their ROE is compared with the bank wholesale ROE before doing so. Thanks for the insight!