We are leaving for Italy shortly and I don't know if we will have time to exchange money before we get there. I plan on using my ATM card in Europe and am wondering if I can just withdrawl money at the airport or maybe it is best for me to exchange it from dollars. Any suggestions?

We usually exchange enough for a cab ride and drinks before we go or at the airport, then find a bank once we're settled in. <BR> <BR>If you use your ATM card to w/d at the airport, make sure you do so at a bank ATM and not a "change" ATM -- as in the US, the ones that are not operated by a bank can charge large fees. <BR> <BR>And make sure you have a 4 digit PIN!

We just got back from 12 days in Europe, with most in Italy and there are ATMs everywhere. We exchanged enough money to get us from the airport to our hotel (knew what it would cost, thanks to this site)and took out what we needed from there as we went along. I'd exchange a small amount here so you don't have to stress over finding an ATM just to get to your hotel, but after that you'll have no problem.

Spent the 1st 2 weeks in May in Northern Italy and only used ATM's. We went there with no Lira and no travelers checks and had no problems. I think the max at all the machines was 500,000 lira (approx. $250) In Venice we at 2 ATM's our card would not go in and we finally figured out that the machine was out of $. On to the next one and had no problem.

We just returned from Italy and had terrible luck with the ATM machines.<BR>We got money in the airport in Texas just before we left so we know that the card was working. Had called Mastercard<BR>before we left to let them know about our travel plans and also talked to someone else at MC to be sure that we were doing everything correctly. We tried several different machines and they were working for other people but not for us.<BR>We had the four digit pin number. Luckily the MC people had told me that I could go into any bank and use the card for a cash advance which is how I had to handle our money transaction.<BR>We had gotten some lira before we left the US and had AMEX to use for cash<BR>advances plus travelers checks, US money<BR>and our own personal checks. Just be sure that you have all of the options covered in case of a problem. Could seriously damage your shopping plans!<BR>Kay

Shelley,<BR>We just returned from Italy and had no problems with ATM's. They give the best rate of exchange besides credit cards. I went to American express before we left and got enough for the water taxi in Venice. Easy, Easy!!! Enjoy your trip!<BR>Mary

Just got back from 2 weeks in Italy and for the first time we went with no lira and used our ATM card several times, starting at the airport when we arrived. Just before leaving I read that some American banks were tacking on added charges for over-seas ATM usage so I called our bank (Regions) and they said their only charge was still the $1.50 for a site other than a Regions ATM. We always took increments of 500,000 lira and when I got back and checked my account withdrawels, they were each $221-$223, plus the $1.50 each time of course. It's definately the way to go and so easy and convenient! Have fun!!!

ATMS are everywhere and shouldn't be a problem, but I would have secret cash stashed in your money belt or an extra, (and different) VISA/MC. Last year on a Sunday I went to an ATM in Paris for cash. The card had been working just fine for 4 weeks. The card wasn't working, nor did it work at any other ATM I tried. When I called my bank, they said there were problems with the European systems and that cards would be down for 36 to 48 hours. I didn't have secret cash, but I did have an extra Visa and was fine. Without that extra Visa though I would have had a tough time eating for the next 2 days.

This topic seems to come up repeatedly.I think we must be the older generation when it comes to being apprehensive about strictly depending on ATMS for cash!My kids do it w/out missing a beat allover the world.I finally weaned myself off travellers checks last summer and had no problems.I do know from Europeans to use ATMS early in the day so that there is money in the machines.If the machine rejects your card,don't keep trying because it will keep it after a certain number of attempts!<BR>I don't worry about any extra charges because I get the most current exchange rate and the convenience!<BR>Remember to check your card for the Cirrus or Plus symbol and have the 4 digit pin.I know some machines accept 0 as the first digit but why stress out,it's easy enough to change.I also try to use ATMs that are in front of or in the lobby of a bank for safety/probem reasons.

Re: PIN beginning with "0"<BR><BR>I didn't realize there might be problem with "0" in the PIN. It's too late for me to change mine as I leave for Europe in 3 days! Has anyone encountered any problems with this? Please advise. Thank you.

Our 4 digit pin # starts with 0 and we had no trouble in Italy or in Paris 2 years ago where we used our ATM card outside the country for the first time. We did have a couple of hundred dollars stashed just in case we had a problem, but our card worked the first time, every time.