Atm, credit or cash in Italy?
Apr 26th, 2009, 12:38 PM
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Atm, credit or cash in Italy?
Trying to figure out how to organize my funds for our 2 week trip to Italy...3-4 nights each in Montepulciano, Florence, Cinque Terre and Rome....our first stop once arriving will be Montepulciano for 3 days(rental car for that portion)...do you advise I land with the total amount needed for Tuscany? How easy will it be for me to find an ATM?
Apr 26th, 2009, 12:43 PM
#2
There are ATMs in every town - I'd perhaps arrive w/ just enough to tide me through the first day or so. But even that isn't necessary since you can use an ATM at your arrival airport or train station.
Apr 26th, 2009, 12:44 PM
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I had no trouble finding plenty of ATMs in and around Montepulciano during a full week there. Ditto for Florence and Rome.
I used credit cards a lot everywhere - roughly 1/2 my expenses were on credit card and the other 1/2 on euros from the ATM. For a 3 week trip I brought $200 US cash with me and returned home with the same $200 US.
I used credit cards a lot everywhere - roughly 1/2 my expenses were on credit card and the other 1/2 on euros from the ATM. For a 3 week trip I brought $200 US cash with me and returned home with the same $200 US.
Apr 26th, 2009, 01:53 PM
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I always like to have about the equivalent of $200.00US in the foreign money when I arrive..just in case. I also always take US money too so that I have it when I return to my home airport. I use credit cards wheneever possible and of course use my debit/ATM card to get cash at the ATM's. I have had problems at times with ATM's in Italy and it isn't me..my Italian friends have tried to use them for me also and it wasn't possible (probably the ATM was out of cash?) so that is why I like to bring some money with me.
Apr 26th, 2009, 05:07 PM
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Have never had any long-term problems with ATMs in Italy or elsewhere.
You just need to be sure:
your ATM car is linked to your checking account
your ATM card has the symbol of one or more of the major networks
The one time we had an issue - in France - was the third day of a holiday weekend - and I thin the machine was just out of cash. (The same thing often happens late on the last day of a holiday weekend in NYC). We got money at the next machine a couple of blocks away.
You just need to be sure:
your ATM car is linked to your checking account
your ATM card has the symbol of one or more of the major networks
The one time we had an issue - in France - was the third day of a holiday weekend - and I thin the machine was just out of cash. (The same thing often happens late on the last day of a holiday weekend in NYC). We got money at the next machine a couple of blocks away.
Apr 26th, 2009, 07:37 PM
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I have never had a problem finding an ATM in Italy including in "smaller" places. We have previously arrived with around 200 to 300 Euro in cash that we changed at home - only because it completely unnerves me to arrive in a foreign country/continent with NO currency!
Apr 26th, 2009, 07:48 PM
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Finding an ATM is not the issue. Whether you can get money out of your account is.
Here the advices diverge depending on whether one had problems getting money from the ATM. Whether one falls on the side of never have problem or on the side of in need of a backup plan depends on many factors.
I always have at least two days worth of cash. So far, I could sort out problems with my bank in one day.
Here the advices diverge depending on whether one had problems getting money from the ATM. Whether one falls on the side of never have problem or on the side of in need of a backup plan depends on many factors.
I always have at least two days worth of cash. So far, I could sort out problems with my bank in one day.
Apr 28th, 2009, 12:51 PM
#13
hi horatio,
what no-one [I think, sorry if you did] has posted is that most US banks will reject foreign transactions unless you ahve told them in advance that you are gonig abroad. some even have a "window" during which you need to give them the informartion. there a number of threads about times when this has all gone wrong.
strangely, UK banks aren't bothered, though I did have them phone me once when someone tried to use my card for a transaction worth £4.99 in Birmingham!
regards, ann
what no-one [I think, sorry if you did] has posted is that most US banks will reject foreign transactions unless you ahve told them in advance that you are gonig abroad. some even have a "window" during which you need to give them the informartion. there a number of threads about times when this has all gone wrong.
strangely, UK banks aren't bothered, though I did have them phone me once when someone tried to use my card for a transaction worth £4.99 in Birmingham!
regards, ann
Apr 28th, 2009, 02:03 PM
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I always seek out an ATM outside a bank during banking hours, whenever possible. This way if the machine eats my card, or if there is some other problem assistance is readily available, i.e. like when I used the numbers on top of the alphabet to put in my pin and it didn't work so I just went into the bank and they told me to use the numeral keyboard.
After a long flight and time zones the last thing I want to do is wait on line at an ATM in an airport that may or may not have a cash supply. I learned from the expert posters on Fodors to carry a little foreign currency to cover the first day or two.
After a long flight and time zones the last thing I want to do is wait on line at an ATM in an airport that may or may not have a cash supply. I learned from the expert posters on Fodors to carry a little foreign currency to cover the first day or two.
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