ATM card didn't work in Italy!
 

I just got back from Italy, and my ATM card would not work. I contacted my bank (Washington Mutual) while there, and they told me there is no reason for it not to work.

But it didn't!

I tried it in many different ATM machines, different hours of the day and days of the week and varying dollar (euro) amounts to no avail.

I made sure that the machines all had the Cirrus emblem also, but still it didn't work.

My bank did email me today, after I wrote them to try and get a better explanation, and they stated that it would only work where there is a Star emblem, which is the other emblem on the back of my card.

There were no ATM's in Italy that referred to the Star emblem that I noticed.

It is not a debit card, but rather just an ATM card that is linked to my checking account (not savings).

Can anybody shed some light on why it didn't work?

Is it possible that it would only work with a Star emblem, even though the Cirrus emblem is also displayed on the back of my card?

there have been other posts saying that atm only cards often do not work at some banks. some banks require the card to have a visa symbol and be an atm/debit card because they use visa to handle their
atm exhanges.

I don't know as I haven't tried to use mine in Italy, but your bank isn't being very helpful. First, STAR is a US domestic network, they don't have any abroad at all that I know of, so why would they respond that way if you were asking about foreign locations?

Also, that isn't an answer as to why it wouldn't work on the CIRRUS network if you have that on your card. You should make them asnwer that question. What's the point of that on your card if you can't ever use it (I presume they mean anywhere, not just in Italy).

There was another thread on here was I think someone said Italy was a particular problem with these ATM networks as they required something special to use them there, but I don't remember what. Something that I think only a debit card had, but again, I don't know what that would be if they both are using the same network. I also thought that was related to VISA, not MC (and CIRRUS is a MC product).

My ATM card used the VISA network for administrative purposes, which is PLUS. It also has STAR on it, but as I said, STAR doesn't serve any international financial institutions, according to them
http://www.star.com/index.cfm?go=atm....International

Hi Metalmd,

I can't tell you why it didn't work, but I did have a similar problem. My WM ATM card would not work at all the conveniently placed (everywhere) Bancomat machines.


I did have success using it right at regional banks, such as Bank of Naples, Bank of Rome. It was a bit of a problem!

Hi metalmd, good grief, I hope you had a second ATM card that did work.

I believe STAR is not in Italy.

And I have had more than one person say that ATM/Debit cards work without problems (normally) in Italy then just an ATM card.

I learned only right before leaving that my card that was just ATM (as opposed to ATM/Debit) would not work. The local bank people don't know anything about this, but travelers should check with the customer service 800 contact for their bank.

There was a recent thread for ATM cards in Paris on this board. Italy was mentioned and "Henry" replied. Maybe the secret IS in regional banks (as Dayle wrote). Here's what Henry said,

*********************

Author: Henry ([email protected])
Date: 09/30/2006, 03:29 pm

Nukesafe,
Have no fear, your ATM only card will work in Italy. I have used mine as late as this spring at Banca Monte dei Paschi, Banca di Roma, Banca Intesa, Banca Toscana, Banca Livorno and more. These bank are all over.

******************

There was also a thread not too long ago that spoke of ATM problems with WaMu cards not working in Italy. One of the people who responded to that particular thread had a Fodors handle something like, "WaMu manager". This manager kept assuring everyone that the card works in Italy despite a few posters who posted to the thread saying that their WM card did not work in Italy.

Pilates,

I was all reassured by Henry's post, that you copied above. Now I'm flustered again by the negative experiences related on this thread.

I have talked to my local bank, who's ATM cards I plan to use, but all I get are blank looks and platitudes. I still want to try to use these cards, because the bank does not charge an additional fee, but I still have to give our landlord in Rome a whole bunch of Euros. (My wife and I each have a couple of cards on different accounts, so that should work if the cards work.)

Guess I'll transfer some bucks to my BOA check card, which I think will work (Hate that because they are such bandits!), and also stick a wadge of bucks in my sock, just in case we can't withdraw enough from various walls.

Anyone know what sort of rate I might expect to get at a Bureau de Change, in case I have to change money?

:-(

the problem was answered in my first post, the second one of the thread.
if your card is an atm only card and does not have a debit function with a visa symbol -- that is the problem. if you had tried enough banks you would have found some where it worked, but otherwise that was your problem.

Nuke said: I was all reassured by Henry's post, that you copied above. Now I'm flustered again by the negative experiences related on this thread.

I hear ya Nukey. I'm going to guess that you'll be looking for those exact banks that Henry used. I would anyway.

I think it's wise to bring the BoA card just in case and I do understand your reticence in using it. nickle and dimers they are. However, you never hear of problems using a BoA debit card.

As far as exchanging money, DO NOT exchange money at the airport! When we were in Sardinia, the Bank of Sardinia charged 24 euro LESS than the fees for the exact same transaction ($500 U.S.)at FCO which was Bank of Roma I think. Those were the only two times that we exchanged money. The rest of the time we used my ATM only card and it was just fine....but that was 3 years ago! I had trouble only twice. But come to think of it, no problems at the smaller banks.

earl, we understand. It's just that some travelers (Henry) say you don't need the visa or m/c logo while others insist you do. The WaMu card is a completely different puzzle unto itself.

Nuke, Trust me, the people in the banks don't know jack. When I returned from Mexico after having successfully used my Union Bank of California ATM only card, I was pleased to see that I got the correct XE.com exchange and no additional percentage was added. I was talking to the teller about it and she said there would be a fee from the mexican bank (there wasn't) and she said there should be an additional percentage taken out (there wasn't).

When do you go Nukesafe? When you return, I hope you start a thread addressing your success (I'm thinking positively here!) in using your card.

We leave Thursday. No time to get a debit card from my bank - they say it would take ten days.

I thank all of you for your advice, and I will post to let you how things work out. I certainly will be able to get enough money for gelato; that's the most important thing!

:-)

the people who say that you do need a visa symbol or a debit card found that out at some banks. some of them admit that their cards worked at some banks, but not all.

the people who say their cards worked without those things only tried them at some banks where they happened to work. how would they know if their card would have worked at all banks?

if the people who say you don't need a debit card or a visa symbol say so because they used them successfully at every bank in the entire country of Italy then that's ok, but i doubt that's the case.
no one here can say that an atm card will work at every bank in Italy because no one has tried it.
but i'm sure that there are those who can honestly say that an atm card will not work at every bank because they have tried that and found it to be true.

what's so difficult about this?

&quot;<i>No time to get a debit card from my bank - they say it would take ten days. </i>&quot;

You aren't the first one to post something like this. Seems so odd to me. Both my bank and my credit union issues their ATM cards as you wait. They have the blanks right in the bank and they have you select a PIN and try out the card before you leave the bank. What IS it about all these banks that take days or weeks to get one an ATM card?? Just curious.

I got my plain old debit card right away, but if you want a debit card with the Visa or MasterCard logo, it takes longer. See if your bank will expedite it for you. Mine will (LaSalle Bank in Chicago) for a $25 fee, but luckily, I applied early enough not to have to do that.

Earl 30,
I don't believe I said an ATM only card would work everywhere. I am just basing my opinion on my experience. I travel to Italy every year for 3 to 4 weeks and pay cash for everything, so I go through a fair amount of euro. I use an ATM only card to get cash and had very few machines refuse to pay. I don't assume that the failure was due to it not being a debit card. There are many reasons that would stop a transaction. For instance, on the way to Italy we had a change of planes in Munich. I stopped at a Deutschebank ATM and withdrew 500 euro. My wife said she just tried that machine and it would not work. We both used an ATM only card on the same account.
I suspect metalmd had a problem with her bank since she said she tried different amounts which I assume means that the card and PIN were accepted for her to get that far but her bank would not release the funds.

Henry

I went all over Italy and Europe this summer. And not once did I have a problem with my Washington Mutual (MAstercard) Debt card. Both my wife and I withdrawed EURO, charged things etc. No problems anywhere. Sounds like this problem is based upon the kind of card account the customer has. And I suggest you always get your money by ATM rather then a exchange place. I was charged less that way.And do not do it in USA before leaving. I got a better rate for Euro always in Europe. I only carried 100 EURO at airport departure city ( USA ) for TAXIetc. upon arrival. ANd I got that EURO at Airport. Better then local banks.

janisj
Our bank takes days to remake a card. My husband's ATM/Debit card was cracked and we requested a new one. It took seven or eight business days to replace.
They say that is just the way it is.
You are lucky if you can get an immediate replacement.

Thanks for all your responses. Apparently since it doesn't have the Visa symbol (or Mastercard symbol for that matter), it wouldn't work.

And BTW, I tried it in virtually every bank I came across in Rome and Florence and even one or two in Chianti, but nothing.

When I called my bank, they indicated there were no indications that the card had been rejected. I did get all the way through to putting in my PIN, and selecting a dollar (euro) amount, before being rejected. Yet my bank still indicated there were no rejections on the card.

It was as if the banks in Italy could not communicate with my bank.

I did not have another debit, and resorted to having to get cash advances at the Travelex offices and Changes offices from my credit card.

I did find one place in Rome that allowed me to receive 230 euro for only a 5 euro fee, and I should have got more there before leaving. After that all I could find were places which charged a minimum fee of 12.5% to get cash, and that cost a bundle. I actually had to pay 73 euro to get 400 euro!

My bank still has not given me a response.

Oh yeah, my bank did offer to send me an emergency MC/Debit card in two days. The only problem was wouldn't issue the PIN for 7 days, and then they would only send it to my home.

metalmd said, &quot;I actually had to pay 73 euro to get 400 euro!&quot;

MAMMA MIA!!!

I hope you paid those credit card cash advances immediately upon your return.

They socked it to you for accessing cash, but I bet you had a great time and that it was totally worth it!