ATM's In Europe
 

Are the ATM's in Europe similar to those in the states?? When I use one here (in US) it asks if I want to WD from checking or savings. (Same card) Will it give me that option over there too?? Just need to know which account to have the $$ in.
Thanks
K~

Most allow you to withdraw from your checking account ONLY

For safety reasons, you should only use a card that is not attached to your savings account.

Put the money you plan to use in one account, and use just that account. Otherwise, if the card is lost or stolen, both accounts could be wiped out.

Also, before you leave on your trip, be sure to notify your bank that you will be traveling out of the country. If you will be using a credit card as well, notify the credit card company that you will be out of the country.

You'll want to memorize the 4 digits making up your PIN if you currently know it by a word, as well. Some machines don't have the corresponding alphabet on keypad.

Good luck!

I'm not quite sure what safety has to do with it, but oh well.

The only ATM's I've seen offer no choice - they w/d money from your checking account.

I find it comforting to have 2 different methods of accessing my money, so I carry ATM cards from both my bank and my local credit union. I can electronically transfer $ between the 2 if I need to shift funds around.

They are not called ATMs in Europe. Commonest word I've seen is"Bancomat".

J62, have you successfully transferred funds between U.S. accounts from an overseas ATM?

Using the internet for a transfer will work from anywhere, of course, but I would not expect it to be possible from an ATM.

Sorry for the confusion. I access accounts from the internet, either myself or a family member at home to transfer $.

Thanks all, Your info helps. Looking forward to seeing Europe as a first timer next week.
K~

Anyone had trouble with a pin number with a leading zero? I have read that some have had difficulty.

>>For safety reasons, you should only use a card that is not attached to your savings account.<<
Huh? Why? What if I have more money in my checking than in my savings?

>>Put the money you plan to use in one account, and use just that account. Otherwise, if the card is lost or stolen, both accounts could be wiped out.<<
If they also managed to steal your PIN, too.

I never had one ask that question.

By the way, ATMs are known by different names in each country:

UK - <i>cashpoint</i>
Germany - <i>geldautomat</i>
Italy - <i>bancomat</i>
Spain - <i>cajero autom&aacute;tico</i>
France - <i>guichet automatique de banque</i>

<i>Plus ca change...</i> http://www.americansinfrance.net/images/ATM/02.jpg

Caveats...Inscribe a daily cash withdrawal limit on your check/debit card as well as a purchase limit. Prepare copies of your cards, carry them in your money belt. Learn and write down the phone codes and numbers to call if any card goes missing. Make it a habit to ascertain your card has been returned to you after every transaction. My bank is now refusing email transactions and only doing personal telephone ones. Learn the bank's phone number (write it down) and establish a personal contact person. Learn your card and bank policies about thefts.

Check with your bank about the country/countries you are visiting. 4 digit pins seem to be the norm there. Also, foregin cards sometimes have chips. US ones do not. I've been to ATMs where it said &quot;cards with chips&quot; here, and &quot;cards without chips&quot; insert into a different slot...

Usually it will give a choice of checking or savings. I always use checking. No prob.

Also, make sure you have an idea of the conversion of foreign currency. In Moscow, my card was shut down by Bank Of America. I tried to take out the equivalent of over $600 in cash (but in rubles, of course), and I didn't realize that it was over the alloted deduction amount. The screen only shows you the amount in rubles. So, I triggered some sort of thing in the system, and the bank shut my card down.

I called (furious, since I had been on hold for 25 minutes the week before, to tell them I was going over there!), and the lady explained that it was a few too many rubles over the limit, lol!

The French call ATM's <i>distributeurs</i> and the written name is usually DAB for <i>distributeur automatique de billets</i>.

A <i>guichet automatique is a DAB that accepts deposits, which most of them do not do.</i>

My only caution is that no money plastic works overseas until it has proven to work.

Two cases in point:

1. One night at a restaurant in Paris the waiter claimed my main credit card did not work. I had to use my backup card. I don't why the primary card failed that time because it worked both before and after elsewhere.

2. To escape paying B of A its $5.00 off net access charge, I opened an account with a credit union that issued a debit card bearing the Master Card logo. This particular card totally failed in the Czech Republic and Switzerland; in Germany and Scotland it worked sporadically. I think I invented a new game called &quot;banking roulette.&quot;

After those failures, I closed the account and opened up a new one at Fidelity Investments prior to my most recent trip. That card worked where the other one failed.

kmadsen
you might want to consider getting a bank account/ATM card with Bank of America.

We don't use BofA for our personal USA banking here at home, but their ATM card will allow you to withdraw money overseas with the lowest fees possible (I think the withdrawal fee is 0 - but it may have changed over the last year or two) with the best exchange rates.

The B of A card allows you to use banks in Europe with the no fee/low exchange rate at
BNP in France
Barclays in England
Duechland (sp?) in Germany

You might want to check them out.
I've heard Capital One has ATM banking cards with very competitive rates also.

Nearly all ATM cards whether they charge a fee for using an ATM other than their own will still charge a 3% foreign transaction fee for any transaction not done in US dollars. Capital One charges no fees of any kind. This is true with their ATM and their credit card transactions.

About the ATM asking whether your transaction is checking account or savings account: I have never seen that question asked in France or elsewhere in Europe. Your ATM card is linked to whatever account your money will be taken from. I use a card linked to a savings account. It is not at all necessary that the account be checking.

Larry J

A BofA account is good only for England, France and Germany. Anywhere else in Europe, BofA will charge $5 per transaction. There are better solutions (I use my local credit union which does not charge anything).