Kristy

I'm going to the UK to study, and plan to use my ATM card from my US bank (BB&T) on my checking account and my Visa card. <BR> <BR>Can I get cash advances on my Visa card at most banks? I'll be in the Brighton area. Will my ATM card work at most places. I don't want to end up with no money and no way to get money. <BR> <BR>My bank offers pounds sterling for a US$10 fee. I was thinking of purchasing them instead of travelers checks in US dollars that will need to be changed. Opinions? <BR> <BR>Kristy

Boris

<BR>You ATM card will work almost anywhere in the UK. Depending on which network your bank is associated with: Plus or Cirrus, check out VISA or Mastercard for locations of ATMs in Brighton. <BR> <BR>Yes you can get advances on your VISA card. <BR> <BR>I would suggest getting a few Br pounds at the airport before you leave home to avoid the line ups at Heathrow or Gatwick. This will at least allow you to get to your hotel before looking for a ATM.

Christina

I am pretty sure, although I've never done it, that you can get cash advances <BR>on a VISA card at ATMs that have a VISA <BR>logo on them, you don't have to go into <BR>a bank--just make sure you know your PIN. However, you should check with your card issuer as to the fee for this--generally, this is the most expensive way to get money; most VISAs I've heard of charge at least a 2 pct transaction fee plus charge you interest from the date of the withdrawal. Just about anything else is cheaper. Regardless of what people tell you about how you can avoid these charges by putting money into your acct over the balance, you cannot avoid the transaction fee--it is charged whether or not you have a credit balance (you may be able to avoid the interest charges, though, I'm not sure, but there are easier ways to get money). <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Caryn

You can get money anywhere. It will probably be more trouble to change American into pounds before you leave the to just use the first ATM machine you see in England. And believe me, there will be more than one for you to choose from as soon as you get into the terminal. There seems to be a fear that people won't be able to get money and be stranded. ATM's are everywhere because like it or not, money makes the world go round!!!

Marcia

Ditto to what has been said, with the following additional bits: <BR> <BR>1. Not all ATM machines are created equal - so sometimes they won't honor your card - so be prepared to move down the street to the next bank before you panic. The good news is that the only <BR>ATM processing charges we had were from our home bank. Of course, the British banks were getting their costs in the exchange rates. <BR> But <BR>2. The ATM exchange rate is the VERY VERY best, bar none. And since the charge is per/withdrawal, you want to take as big a withdrawl as you safely can each time to minimize your costs. <BR>The worst exchange rate, of course, is cash at the airport exchange - however, it is good to have some cash in case of a cranky ATM machine. <BR> which brings us to point #3 <BR>3. Make sure that just as you are getting ready to leave the U.S. of A. adn putting money in yo

Marcia

Oooops. Somehow I pressed a button and sent a message before it was done. <BR> <BR>Back to ATM's <BR>Make sure that your funds - or at least some of them - are available. We were in a hurry, and for some reason our bank decided to hold our large, last minute deposit - not only that, but worse yet they duplicated the hold - they had a hold on more money than we had in the account.. Who knows! The upshot was that no ATM would give us any money. It was not fun. Luckily we had a couple of hundred dollasr with us, plus travelers checks - and so we exchanged dollars until we could call the bank late that day (the 9 hour time gap) and sort it out. They were very apologetic - we are not new customers - but it was not a good experience after the usual 24 hours of travel/sleep deprivation! <BR> <BR>4. When I lived in France years ago most of us opened a local bank account and made a single transfer of US funds, so that we could just deal in francs. With ATM's that would be even easier and you could make occasional large withdrawals of US funds at no cost and move them into pounds at the very best rates, and then deposit them in your local British account. You might enquire. It would of course depend on what charges the British bank has for checks etc. I have no idea about that. Perhaps others can offer advice. <BR> <BR>I do recommend some money in traveler's checks, in US dollars. You'll loose a percent or two converting them, but they can be handy. The worst that happens is you come home with the money and put it back in the bank. AAA sells them to members at no charge, and banks do too sometimes, depending on the kind of account you have. <BR> Have a great stay.

Ann

I recently returned from the UK and also had money concerns. I found that ATM's gave the best exchange rates, but the first one I tried refused my transaction for some reason. I got charged $5 by my US bank anyway (but easily had the charge removed when I called and explained). When I revised my request (down to 100 pound) I did get the cash. No problem at any ATM after that. The other best method is to charge anything/everything on your Visa card. Why get a cash advance, which can be very expensive, if you can just charge the purchase and get a great rate? <BR> <BR>Before I left I put an extra large deposit into my checking account, just incase I needed it. <BR> <BR>One other thought, if you're a member, AAA sells traveler's checks in pounds for no cost. At least you don't have to convert them. <BR>