Hello. I may be confusing the two issues. People recommend waiting to get your Euros until you are in Italy. But I've seen info that ATMs may limit you to 250 or 200 euros.

We are traveling to Rome (then to Florence and then to Venice). What if you need a large chunk of money upon arrival (ie pay for apartment rental). Do the ATMs at the Rome airport (FCO) have any limit on withdrawal?

Just a small addition: do you know where the ATM is located at FCO? Everywhere or have to find a particular spot? We are arriving on Air Canada (if that makes any difference)

Thank you.

I called my back and had them raise my daily withdrawl limit to $500, but I never attempted to pull that much out at one time.

Keeping in mind that I've been to FCO only once, the ATMs that I know of are in the arrivals hall. There is one to the left about 50 yards down and there are two to the right.

Bill

How many people are you traveling with? How many credit cards do you own? Can you arrange to pay your deposit over a two- or three-day period? If none of these ideas work, then you're simply going to have to get some cash ahead of time.

gamidtown,
There is a bankomat in the luggage area about 20 meters past the exit. The last time I used it I withdrew 500 euro at one time. If your limit is high enough just repeat the transaction.

Henry

Hi G,

>I've seen info that ATMs may limit you to 250 or 200 euros.

That's per transaction. You can take out as much as your bank will allow in multiple transactions.

European banks don't charge for use of their ATMs.

I have no experience with the ATM at FCO, and haven't ever needed to take out so much money at once, but have always wondered about the advice like Ira has suggested. Are you really sure that is true? That you can take out as much money as you want, as long as your bank allows it, just be making multiple transactions?

Maybe so, it just seems like an idiotic rule for a bank to have and completely pointless (to limit a transaction to 250-300 euro) if they really are going to allow a person with the same card to stand there making 4-5 transactions in a row to withdraw a lot of money.

I just am having trouble understanding why they would allow that if they are going to set a limit in the first place.

Perhaps banks don't want a few people cleaning them out. It's not rare to find ATMs in busy place during the high season out of money on weekends.

The withdrawal limits are usually a default limit set by the bank to prevent excessive loss if the card is stolen and/or compromised. We had higher limits set by our banks for a specific period and informed them that we would be withdrawing in Rome around particular dates (for two apartment rentals). The transaction limit at the machine is a different item (set by machine proprietor or local bank) and thus the possibility of multiple withdrawals up to the limit for that card's account as determined by home bank.
We withdrew funds upon arrival at FCO using 2 cards/accounts in order to present 1300 euros to apartment agency.

Christina,
I regularly withdraw 500 euro at a time. When the machine limit is 250 euro I do two transactions, never a problem.

Henry

Arrange it ahead of time with your bank. I had to get about 1600 euro immediately upon landing to pay for an apt. I told the bank and they increased the amount that I could get out that day. It worked out perfectly. I used the ATM in the luggage area.

Thank you!