ATM withdrawals different in Paris than at home?
 

Friend from France just told me that twice she had problems in France with withdrawl limits. She said at home (U.S) you would have a limit of 300 euros a day, in France that 300 euro limit is meant for the week!

Have you had this experience and been stuck without the ability to take money out of bank?

To the best of my knowledge, these limits are set both by your bank and the local bank and in effect it is the smaller of the 2 (you bank might have a limit of $300/day and so you would not be able to get €300 and if you are a Bank of America customer, they would then stick you with a declined fee those near criminals)....but in almost all cases it is a daily limit although you have to remember that in US banking circle and I suspect in French banking circles, the entire weekend is considered 1 day so if you make a withdrawal after 3PM Friday, you probably won't be able to make another withdrawal until after 9 AM on Tuesday...but don't hold me strictly to those times.

Me, I don't bother. The most I ever withdraw at a time is maybe €30 as I use credit cards for everything no matter how little and I can last 2 or 3 days on €30 cash.

I was in paris last week and was able to withdraw upto my limit in the UK. I can't imagine that US customers will find any difference.

Hi S,

Itis unlikely that in the US the daily limit would be 300E. It might be $300.

It is also unlikely that your friend's bank would have changed her weekly limit to 300E if she had a daily limit of $300.

Ask your bank what your daily and weekly limits are. If they are too low ask them to raise the limits.

It is always a good idea to notify your ATM and CC banks that you are going abroad.

It keeps the computer from blocking your account. (mostly)

((I))

€300 in the States? Probably means $300. But anyway - a couple of comments:

1) one is not limited to their normal daily limit. For instance my limit is $300 but before every trip I have the bank raise it to $500 or more.

2) Limits are per day - not per week.

and 3) usually the limit is per machine/per withdrawal. So if you need more than the machine's limit (but are still under you own bank's daily limit) simply go to another ATM and get more.

A daily withdrwal limit is just like what it states it is - it is the limit that is set by (or agreed to with your) bank that you can withdraw in a 24-hour period (from 12:01:01 to 23:59:59 , or something like that) and regardless of whether it is a weekend or weekday.

Daily transactions, or ATM withdrawals, are authorized ONLY by your bank at the time of the transaction. The French ATM machine will not release any more than your daily limit as your US bank will instantly ("real time") instruct them what you can withdraw.

Hi

This is really a coworker I am talking about, she said this happened to her on 2 trips. They forgot about the restrictions on the following trip over. I am aware that 300euros is different in dollars and so is she. Remember she was born and raised in France and goes home frequently. I just threw that number out there. They were restricted from their funds for a week when they anticipated that the account would only be restricted for 24hours. She said this does not happen to her in other european countries only France.

Her home is not in Paris, so I am curious if this is a country bank policy. She insists this happened to her in and outside of Paris. Just wondering if this is something that happened to anyone here. VERY REASSURING not to hear confirmations of her experience.

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful responses. I never carry much cash or travelers checks on trips to europe so I was a bit alarmed to hear this.

My experience mimics janisj's - I have a $300 limit normally here in the USA. When I go to France I have my bank raise it to $500.

There aren't any weekly limits -that's just fiction.

The only problem you might encounter is during the morning on Sundays in France. Often, US banks seem to do their weekly "housecleaning during the middle of the night on Saturdays" - at least mine does - and aren't corresponding with French banks at that time. I've found if I wait until 2 pm or later on Sundays in France to get cash from an ATM, it works fine.

How many of you rely on your atm when in Paris

Yikes another French national in my office confirmed her story. He also said that he does not rely on his Atm in France though. He thought the limits was 375euros for the week for most banks but it was particular to your bank at home. He understood that it was week based and not day based as in U.S.

Anyone rely on their ATM in France?

Sorry for the drill, just a bit surprised here. I am calling my bank.

I think I am right namely that some banks do impose limits on withdrawals on their machines which are different than your US bank's limits. This goes on all the time in the never ending battle against fraud. For example, the ticket machines in the London underground restrict you to 1 transaction/day..I'm not clear if that's per machine or per station even though your own bank holding the card might have no such restriction..I'm not willing to stake my reputation, no matter how small it is, on stating absolutely that is so but I think it is so....

To answer Sarah, I use atm's exclusively when travelling but as noted, I hardly ever use cash. A typical day I spend in London for example might consist of breakfast at the hotel, an hour on the internet (50p - cash), a couple of drinks at a grocery (£1.25 - credit card), a sandwich and a soda from a grocery (£4 - credit card), a pint at a pub (£2.20 cash at a pub), theatre tickets (TKTS - £25 credit card), dinner at say Wagamama (£10 - credit card), drinks at a grocery for half time at the theatre (£1.25 - credit card), some snacks at the grocery for the hotel such as ice cream, chips, soda say £3 (credit card)...a very full day and let's see in cash only the internet and the pub...everything else credit card. Tube ticket - credit card of course so quite frankly there is very little reason to spend much cash...London is a lot like the US where more and more credit cards are being taken everywhere such as at fast food places (the pret a manger near Leicester Square takes credit cards now)...unfortunately there are some British establishments I have run into with a silly moronic rule requiring a minimum amount for a credit card's use (such practices are luckily illegal in the USA) but the chain places such as Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury and the others could care less as long as it is over £1 (they claim their machines don't recognize amounts less than that and even I wouldn't use a cc for less than £1) but to me, it's the only proper way to travel in the 21st century.

Thanks XL...I am going with a young person who has only traveled by herself once to Spain and there she met a lanuage class. So, I am more worried for her getting cash strapped, we both have our visas and we I guess are just going to have to rely more heavily on them.

Sarah - I typically spend 6-10 weeks in France a year, with that time divided up between Paris, the Dordogne, Provence, and sometimes other areas. I've been doing this for decades. Because of the nature of my trips - not just pleasure but a lot of work involving upkeep and renovations to a property there, plus giving organized tours - I need cash from ATMs usually at least every other day. Except for the problem I previously mentioned about Sunday morning withdrawals, I have never encountered any problem, whether in large cities or very rural areas, withdrawing many hundreds of dollars per week from ATM machines. So, unless ATM machines can distinguish between a French national and a visitor - and maybe, just maybe, they can - I'm not inclined to believe the weekly limit story. At any rate, you're a visitor and it wouldn't apply to you.

I completely rely on ATMs when travelling - with one exception - Belgium.

For reason's best known to themselves, them wacky Belgians have a completely incompatible ATM network (for instance, there are only three or four places in the whole of Brussels that I can use my "plus" network card).

Otherwise I've used my card all over the world.

Are you sure that your friend is not talking about a French checking account? I have one, and was told by various branches in <b>other</b> parts of France that there was such weekly limits when withdrawing money with a check. And even then it is not clear whether the limit applied to all branches of that region or to that specific branch. But I have never had that limit imposed on my American account.

Thanks Cirq...seems bizarre to me to but I don't go there too often to judge.

Bank manager told me their limits are the same in U.S and abroad and he had not heard of a problem in France.He did add that nations can and do impose their own restictions on banks that reside inside their respective country.

I have not heard of a US bank that imposes a weekly limit, but all do have a daily limit, which can be increased when needed by special arrangement. You haven't named the bank(s) that impose this limit on your associates; I wonder if it might be a French bank that issued their ATM cards?

There is also a transaction limit imposed by every ATM, and the amount varies. I have seen some European ATMs that will not issue more than 200 euro in a single transaction; but I have always been able to immediately do another transaction, subject, of course, to the transaction limitation amount, and the amount of my daily limit I have not used. If ever I find a machine that refuses to do a second transaction, I will simply use my wife's ATM card, or go to the next ATM. I have been able to draw far more than 300 euro per day on too many occasions.

I have found ATMs to be the simplest and most economical way to obtain local currency, but you should be aware that some US banks charge higher conversion fees than others, so I suggest you find out what your bank charges, and if it is over 1%, find another bank or credit union for your business.

Also, me experience is that mastercard is the most widely accepted credit card in the parts of Europe I have visited, followed by visa, with AMEX trailing surprisingly far behind. So my advice is that you take both a visa and a mastercard.

cleveland it was the French banks imposing the limits not the U.S banks

yeah cleveland that has been my experience in the rest of europe as well but I don't have a lot of experience in France. Yes friend said this was her experience with limits imposed by French banks. Called the manager at my bank and he said countries frequently impose policy on top of individual bank policy. He was not aware of this issue in France though.

Sarah: &quot;<i>They were restricted from their funds for a week when they anticipated that the account would only be restricted for 24 hours</i>&quot;

Thsi doesn't sound like anything to do w/ a daily limit. It seems to be realated to how soon after a deposit is made the funds would be availble to withdraw. That sort of thing happens all the time - when you deposit a check the bank may impose a hold and not allow you to take any out until 3 days or 7 days (for an international check) to make sure the check clears.

If there isn't enough other money in the account to cover the amount of the check the bank may block it until the check clears.

I can't speak for what French banks do, but I know I have withdrawn more than 300 euro (or US$300, either one) in a single week from French ATMs. I've withdrawn more than that in one day, and that was last summer. I have a US bank ATM card.

I've never had a major problem with French ATMs, except occasionally you can't withdraw at a certain time (perhaps Sundays as others said, I don't keep track), but you can later or at a different ATM. For some reason, I have also never been able to withdraw from CIC ATMs in France, but can with no problem from BNP or BP or other French bank ATMs.

I rely primarily on ATM's and did not have any problem on my one trip to Paris. But I also always carry a two credit cards that I use for major expenses like hotel bills or an expensive purchase. I also carry U.S. cash which I could change in a pinch.

jansig it was about the daily limit, scroll back in the thread. It happened to them twice, married couple.

Also a second French national in my office confirmed her experience. This second person is actually from Paris. He never relys on atm cards though, I suspect he is frequently there on the company card. My bank also said it was not just up to bank policy, national policy can sometimes further restrict bank withdrawals.

Again all of your counter experiences are reassurring. Just relaying what coworkers who are from France told me.

I can't imagine French banks or ATMs have a single thing to do with the withdrawl limit. It can only be the US bank imposing the limit. What else would make sense? The French banks do not keep track of you - when you put your ATM card in the machine the ATM simply communicates with the US bank to get information about your account.

As always, call your bank for the real answer - best BEFORE you leave for your trip - and ask such questions.

Andrew

I did call my bank Andrew and the bank manager is who told me that is was possible that France imposed this restriction on French banks.

I see what you are saying though it does seem bizarre to me too.

I still question whether this is true or not. I guess I would need to hear from an authority in France to believe it for sure.

Andrew

Not that majority experience makes something necessarily true, but you'd think we would have seen/heard this problem posted here on Fodor's before. This is the first I have *ever* heard of a weekly limit imposed by the country you are visiting or the country's banks.

Sarah, if you really feel that your French co-workers are correct, they need to tell you if they are dealing with ATM cards or checks, and if either one of these is used to withdraw money from an American bank account. I assume that you do not have an account in a French bank, so that whatever limitation such a bank might apply to its account holders would not apply to you. As I already stated, I was told of a limitation in using checks to withdraw money from a Cr&eacute;dit Agricole account outside the Dordogne. But I could write checks to a third party with no limitations.

I don't believe anyone has yet offered this possibility:
The person ATM'd at 10:00PM on the first day, and 6:00AM the second day, which might both be &quot;the first day&quot; back in the US. Also both are within 24 hours, but on different days to the withdrawer.

I have spent at least 2 months per year in France for several years and rely more and more on ATM withdrawals, especially since so many of the major credit cards have begun the onerous practice of charging an extra 3% just for the privilege of making a &quot;foreign transaction&quot;. This past Sept/Oct. I was withdrawing &euro;300 about every other day all over France; this was the maximum I could withdraw at a time from the ATM, but I could make separate withdrawals up to the maximum set by my bank of $600.

I heard or read something about weekly withdrawal limits at ATM's in France some years ago. NO ONE was ever able to verify this. I have many acquaintances who live/work in Paris and none had ever heard of this or had such an experience (all with bank accounts in France), and checked around but were unable to confirm any such thing.

I have never had a problem withdrawing more than 300 euros in a week in Paris. I made a lot of withdrawals last May rather than put meals, etc., on credit cards, to avoid the 3% currency conversion fee on top of dismal exchange rates. I am more comfortable with an ATM only card than a debit card, since you could be quickly relieved of your balance without the PIN if your debit card is lost/stolen.

I'm guessing this is one of those urban legends like a PIN starting with zero does not work (mine starts with zero and it's worked everywhere I've ever gone).

I do rely on ATM's, but always have one or two forms of backup.

yeah I am starting to think hubby of co-working spent a wee too much money and then convinced wife of this story. ...just kidding.

I do think more people here would have been stuck.

Young friend I am traveling with has just informed me that she will not be needing to take out $500 a day but its a nice dream, LOL.

Thanks everyone for engaging me here.

and if you are a Bank of America customer, they would then stick you with a declined fee those near criminals

We couldn't be in warmer agreement...Bank of America is a miserable organization from a customers perspective. I'd banked with them for five years until today, when I finally closed my account. I expressed my disenchantment with their substandard customer service and ridiculous regulations to the branch manager and was met with an almost Gallic shrug... she couldn't have given the proverbial rats' buttocks.

There's merit in the old saw...a small bank makes you feel important, a large one, insignificant.

ATM limits are determined by the bank issuing the card and the bank that owns the ATM, with the lower of the two taking priority. There are usually daily, weekly, and monthly limits. Most banks in France limit daily withdrawals to a few hundred euro.

not across the board Anthony read the entire thread

I don't think many people would need that much money in a day, but I have withdrawn over 300 euro in a week, as I'm sure many others have, also.

I was assuming from the story about these being French people, etc., that they were talking about a French bank account and the limits were from their own bank. If they had a US bank ATM card, then this is definitely not true that France as a country imposes limits on weekly ATM withdrawals of 300 euro. Whatever happened to these coworkers was probably due to some other issue.