Thought I would share this will all you Fodorites going to Italy.

I just received a new ATM/Debit card which is through the stock brokerage account I have.

Along with the card I received a separate notice that until further notice their ATM/Debit cards has a restriction regarding Italy.

The ATM portion of the card can be used in Italy. The Debit portion of the card CANNOT be used in Italy due to an overabundance of fraud in Italy regarding Debit usage.

Yes, if you lose your debit card (visa/mastercard), someone could wipe out your account. If you lose your ATM card, one would need the pin to make withdrawals.

I disabled the VISA portion of my debit/ATM card when I went to Italy, and left it that way when I got back. I use my credit card when making purchases.

After a couple of isolated cases of not being able to get money from ATMs (in Italy as well as everywhere in Belgium) I changed by ATM only card back to an ATM/debit card.

My officer at Bank of America assures me that in the odd case where someone steals my card and "attempts" to wipe out my account, all I have to do is make one call to Bank of America and they will credit every charge back into my account immediately that was not mine. There is NO danger with their ATM/debit card.

Hi Budman and Patrick. What I am saying is that the information I received from from stock brokerage is that I have NO choice.

Because of an abudance of fraud with the debit portion of ATM cards their clients will ONLY be able to use their ATM/Debit cards as ATM cards in Italy. No client, until further notice, will be able to use the debit portion of the stock brokerage card.

I can only assume that they, the stockbrokerage firm I use, has had an overabundance of fraud regarding the debit portion of clients cards.

So again, clients have no choice. One can use the ATM of the card but CANNOT use the debit portion of their card until further notice.

No problem for me. I have plenty of credit cards.

But it sure tells me that their is enough illegal problems regarding debit cards in Italy going on that my brokerage firm had to make this decision.

That would be fine with me. I've never used a debit card anyway. I never understood why someone wants to take money out of their checking account now when they could use a card and not take that money out of their checking account for about another month. Meanwhile, getting FF miles for using the credit card, and not having to remember to go home and mark down what you spent.

Patrick, I completely agree with your last post. I too do not use my debit portion of this ATM card. I always use a credit card that give me FF miles and that I pay in full when the statement is received. So of course I do not pay any interest charges either.

I simply started the thread so that those who do want to use the debit portion of their ATM card might be aware that their is evidently a potential problem with same in Italy. At least according to my brokerage house.

Wow! Great info - thanks. I was off to the brokerage firm tomorrow to get a card. I will be sure to ask!

Salomon Smith Barney's debit card accrues points that can be used for airline upgrades and freebies or various gifts and certificates.

<b>http://www.smithbarney.com/products_services/travel_rewards/</b>

The Cardholder Agreement protects the funds against fraudulent usage above $50 (which is waived if it is timely reported stolen).

&gt;The Cardholder Agreement protects the funds against fraudulent usage above $50 (which is waived if it is timely reported stolen).&lt;

Thank Lyndon Johnson for the Consumer Protection Act.