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ATM withdrawals different in Paris than at home?

ATM withdrawals different in Paris than at home?

Old Nov 17th, 2005, 09:03 AM
  #21  
 
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I can't speak for what French banks do, but I know I have withdrawn more than 300 euro (or US$300, either one) in a single week from French ATMs. I've withdrawn more than that in one day, and that was last summer.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.
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 09:31 AM
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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.
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 09:40 AM
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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.
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 09:42 AM
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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
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 09:57 AM
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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.
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 11:04 AM
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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
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 11:24 AM
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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.
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 11:50 AM
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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 Crédit Agricole account outside the Dordogne. But I could write checks to a third party with no limitations.
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 01:11 PM
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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 "the first day" back in the US. Also both are within 24 hours, but on different days to the withdrawer.
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 01:59 PM
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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 "foreign transaction". This past Sept/Oct. I was withdrawing €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.
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 03:58 PM
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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.
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 05:54 PM
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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.

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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 06:13 PM
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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.
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Old Nov 17th, 2005, 06:19 PM
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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.
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Old Nov 18th, 2005, 05:05 AM
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not across the board Anthony read the entire thread

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Old Nov 18th, 2005, 08:49 AM
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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.
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