Andrew

Hi Joy. Yes, I am back. I double checked before I left for Europe about the fees, and I was assured that there were none FROM ANDREWS. What the rep from Andrews you talked to meant was that any non-credit union ATMs could charge fees for use of the Andrews ATM card. If I used my Andrews ATM card at say Bank of America's ATM in the US, I'd be charged $2 or $3 (or more?) by Bank of America - but not by Andrews. They don't charge fees for the use of their ATM card at other ATMs.

I've never had an ATM in Europe charge me a fee over the years. I just checked my online statement, and I wasn't charged any ATM fees in France, Luxembourg, or Belgium for using my card. I double checked the math on one transaction, and there's no buried exchange rate surcharge, either.

I guess there may be a few ATMs in Europe not owned by banks that might charge a fee for use, but if owned by a bank, apparently not.

JoyC

Thanks for checking in Andrew.

You are right.... I too have never been charged any ATM fees by banks I used in Europe but the Andrews rep threw me off about the fees and I got confused.

So is your ATM card from your savings or checking account? The reason I'm asking is that I have always thought that money should always come from checking when withdrawing from an ATM in Europe....(I don't have one from Andrews, just a share savings).

Hope you had a wonderful trip!!

Andrew

My Andrews account is a Savings Account, not a Checking Account. And my card is an ATM card, not a "Debit Card." (So, no Visa logo - can't be used to make purchases like a credit card.) I had no trouble with it at any of the seven ATMs where I tried it in Europe. I've used it at US ATMs a few times too.

I also have the Andrews Visa card that I used for everything when I wasn't paying cash. That worked well, too, though as mentioned above it was always treated as a "chip and signature" card except when used in machines. I only entered my PIN once on the entire trip. At train station ticket counters where local European users were entering PINs to pay for their tickets, I had to sign - not a big deal, just a surprise.

JoyC

Thanks for the explanation, Andrew. Your experiences certainly will help me and the others when using our Andrews cards.

I have the same thing....a Savings Account and the VISA card.

We just came back from France a week ago but I didn't get the cards on time, hence no chance to use them. We will be in Croatia and Slovenia in a few months, and we'll use it then.

Thanks again.

Joy

Andrew

Just remember to contact Andrews FCU, like your other banks and credit unions, before your trip to remind them of your dates of travel. I remembered to do this at the very last minute before leaving the states and they gave me a slight hassle on the phone because I hadn't set a voice password on my account - said they would do a "one time" exception for phone assistance (after asking me some security questions) but in the future I'd need to set a password to be able to talk to them on the phone about my account. For this, I have to mail them a form with the password. Goofy! This just to be able to tell them I'm traveling. None of my other institutions require this sort of thing. Anyway, you should do this now before you leave on the next trip so it isn't an issue for you, if you've not done it already.

Slovenia and Croatia - sounds awesome! I hope to return someday.

just_wandering

I recently returned from a two week road trip in France. I wanted a chip and pin card so I would have no problems using it for parking, tolls, self-serve gas stations, public transit ticket machines, etc.

I contacted Andrews. They told me that it normally takes 30 days to process a request for a credit card, but given that my application was approved immediately and I paid $50 extra for expedited shipping ($25 for the card and $25 for the letter with the PIN), I had the card within a week of my initial contact. The application process is online, but if time is of the essence I recommend you call them after you complete the application to expedite the process as much as possible.

In France, I used the card for parking, tolls, transit, gas stations and payphones, and perhaps a few other places. The card was only rejected once - at a toll booth just south of Paris (although it was accepted in toll booths near Lyon; several different companies manage the French autoroutes so perhaps some companies are equipped to handle foreign cards and others are not). In some cases, I was asked to enter my PIN, in at least one case a signature was requested, and in some cases no verification was requested, perhaps because the amounts were relatively small.

I was glad that I had the card and would recommend Andrews, although give yourself enough time to obtain the card unless you want to pay the expedited delivery fee.

Andrew

just_wandering: <i>I contacted Andrews. They told me that it normally takes 30 days to process a request for a credit card, but given that my application was approved immediately and I paid $50 extra for expedited shipping ($25 for the card and $25 for the letter with the PIN), I had the card within a week of my initial contact. The application process is online, but if time is of the essence I recommend you call them after you complete the application to expedite the process as much as possible.</i>

FYI, I received my new Andrews Visa card less than two weeks after I applied without expediting (I applied on a Tuesday and got the card Saturday a week after), and I got the PIN in the mail same day as the Visa card. I briefly considered expediting my cards as well (also got an ATM card, took about the same time), but given that part of my goal was to save money on fees, spending $50 to do that seemed pointless. I guess if you wanted a Chip card for convenience vs. cash for parking and gas, perhaps $50 would have been worth it for some.

DebitNM

I also got mine very quickly; about the same as Andrew. I was one of the early ones here that got one and was surprised at the time and difficulty others had after me getting the card. I think they got REALLY busy as word got out about the card.

JoyC

<i> Just remember to contact Andrews FCU, like your other banks and credit unions, before your trip to remind them of your dates of travel </i>

For some reason I just saw your post today. Thank you for the reminder, Andrew. I'll do as you've suggested.

We got our cards (both VISA & ATM) about 2.5 weeks after applying. The ATM came first (mailed from MD), and a week later the VISA (return address: NE).

isabel

I got my Andrews visa card a few months ago. The whole process was extremely easy and it came within a couple weeks. I just called them last weekend to tell them my travel dates - just took the info over the phone like all the banks/credit card companies - I had no mention of having to send them anything like Andrew reported. I hope it works as well for me as it seems to have for most of you. Will report back after my trip - I leave in two days!!!