I guess I will have to do several withdraws if I need more cash. Good thing that there are many BPN ATMs in Paris. =)
And I am definitely bringing a Capital One CC. This is a little off the topic, but does anyone know where on the Capitol One website that says anything about foreign exchange. I tried looking for it, but had no luck. Thanks.

Shellio, that may your experience with BNP in France, but no one bats an eyelash when I ask for a cash advance in the UK. I have done this numerous times in various Barclays Bank branches.

bob - My CU does not mark-up the rate from the interbank rate in the paper. DD lived in Spain for 5 monhs and when the statement arrived I would check the history interate on Oanda and it was always the same for that particular day. It depends on where you bank.

I can't even get cash from my own bank in the Netherlands just with my card - they tell me to go outside and use the machine. It would never occur to me to try it in a foreign bank. I assume they demand some sort of ID before handing over the dosh?

Be careful trying to do multiple withdrawals in one day - your bank may block your card, even if you have said you are abroad, as it is typical behaviour for a card thief.

elyang:

It's FAQ #17 on the Capital One site. Under Customer Service, FAQ.

http://www.capitalone.com/contactus/...lOnce#17_pg_sl

Hetismij, yes, Barclays Bank requires a passport as personal identification when I ask for a cash advance. My USAA checking account has a daily limit of $600 for ATM withdrawals, and $1000 for cash advances.

Although I do my US banking online, and normally get cash from ATMs, I would like to think you can talk to a real person in a bank when you need service. <i>Your bank will only let you deal with a machine?</i>

Heimdall, if I want cash - even pounds, dollars or some other currencies - I have to use a machine. Only if I want a massive amount of cash (&euro;1500+) can I get it inside the bank - by appointment, as they don't hold lots of cash any more. If I want advice I can talk to a real person, but mostly my banking is done on the net and at the ATM. Not that I use cash much, living in a nearly cashless society here.
I am not at all sure presenting your ATM card and your passport at a bank in the Netherlands would work.

Wouldn't work in Germany either.

Okay, assuming you can't get a cash advance over the counter (except in Britain), how would you obtain emergency cash if your card stopped working in ATM machines? :-(

I carry credit cards as backup, but you still need cash for many purchases. In Greece, where I frequently travel, small hotels and tavernas often don't even accept credit cards. Maybe I had better start carrying a second ATM card.

&gt;carrying a second ATM card.
Good idea! I usually carry between 7 and 10 ATM cards with me when on holiday. They don't cost a thing and since many bank accounts and credit cards are free of regular charges anyway, what do you lose having some more. (Some give 5% on gas, one gives 50ct off any purchase above 20&euro;, one can be used to pay by CC abroad without any fees and one gets me &euro; in cash from a banking account without any fees from any &quot;VISA capable&quot; ATM in &euro;-land.

No, never been pick-pocketed in my life and there is no way to prevent a robbery anyway.

Just get the free stuff and be happy ;-)

ATM Withdrawal Limits: There are three! Machine limit, personal daily limit and possible personal limit. The personal daily limit is a safety number. It limits a loss because of theft or fraud. Learn your merchandise purchase limit. Caveat..your debit/check bank balance. Internal bank balance transfers can be arranged in advance or by email. As a practical matter there appears to be little difference between actual bank and credit union or such rates. I find the spread between coffee and beer prices in different shops often over 100%. Check tap beer prices versus can or bottle prices..Wine at the corner shop by the bottle or at the restaurant by the glass. McDonald's coffee or Starbuck's! Business class or Tourist class, early purchase versus day of travel...

Hi H,

&gt;how would you obtain emergency cash if your card stopped working in ATM machines?

A: You and your spouse each have an ATM card linked to the same account.

B: You and your spouse share cards on 2 accounts.

That gives you 4 cards.

C: You bring $1000 worth of Traveler's Checks in USD.

When you get home, you deposit them.

((I))

Federal Credit Union ATM Debit cards charge only $0.75 after 6th ATM transaction (no transaction fee for first 5). They convert back using the day exchange bank rate.

elyang
Be sure to contact your bank and CC card companies before your trip so they know that any attempted transactions outside the states is authorized, not attempted fraud. Otherwise, you could end up in a situation where your bank or CC card holds up a transaction, thinking someone has stolen your card. When contacting your bank, you could find out what the daily withdrawal limit is. I'm not sure about this, but if the limit is low, perhaps you could inquire as to whether the limit could be raised temporarily.

Hi Ira

Which would you recommend for me: to acquire a spouse, or to get a second ATM card? ;-)

Tried to get cash at ATM in Cyprus in 2003. Didn't work. Some error message came up. I did have a spare card (even though here in Ireland we have to pay duty on all bank cards). Bank deducted money. When I got home I complained &amp; they re-credited my account, &amp; told me there was no transaction, which of course I knew. (But they didn't apologise) I wonder if they would have given me back the money if I hadn't complained? Moral - keep all slips or make careful note of all withdrawals. Your bank statement should show amount in foreign currency and rate + any charges.

As far as obtaining emergency cash if your ATM cards stops working, to add to Ira's ideas.

YOur credit card should be usable in an ATM, also, to get cash. It costs a lot more than an ATM card due to it essentially being a loan (and CC companies usually have a 5 pct or more flat fee), but if it's an emergency, it should work. I do take about $100-$150 in US cash with me, also, and you can exchange that at any exchange bureau, most likely. I also take some USD travelers checks, which I deposit in my bank acct back home if unused, but I don't usually take $1000 any more. I used to, but now that I'm more comfortable with ATMs and have two ATM cards (one my regular bank acct, one a Capital One MM), I only take about $500-$700 in USD TCs, depending on the length of my trip. Take them in big amounts to cut down on the amount of paper, I take mostly $100 TCs nowadays (which isn't really that much money, any more, unfortunately), and maybe a few $50s. I never take $20s any more.

I agree on the credit union cards with one HUGE exception that I ran into.

Last year I opened a credit union account in an effort to avoid the $5.00 per transaction off-net fee that Bank of America charges to let you have your own money.

I received a Master Card debit card from the credit union and thought I was all set.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Much to my dismay the card would work at NONE of the banks in Switzerland.

I had tried the card in Germany to see if it would work. It did.

So you can imagine my surprise when I went to a bank in Switzerland and the card failed. I ended up trying every bank in Interlaken and the result was the same everywhere I went. No connection, no money.

So I had to resort to my Bank of America Card and eat the $5.00 fee. I cursed gently as I did it, but I had no choice.

When I got to Scotland, I found that my card would work at some banks but not at others. The first ATM in the Edinburgh Airport that I tried failed. Being stubborn, I went to another one, and my card worked.

Fortunately the Scottish bank where my card was successful was fairly common and I was able to obtain pounds without much trouble.

When I returned home I asked one of the officers at the credit union why my card failed in Switzerland. They hadn't a clue.

As the old saying goes: Dumb looks are free. Except in this case, I had to pay a couple of $5.00 fees in bakshish to B of A.

This year I will be armed with a Fidelity Investments debit card based on my core account, my credit union card and, as a last line of defense, my B of A card.

I fully intend to leave the B of A card in the deepest recesses of my wallet.

The same is true of my B of A credit card. It will not see the light of day in Europe unless for some gosh awful reason my Capital One card is not effective.

bob - The same can be said of any bank cards not just credit union ones. People are always reporting that at some ATM's their cards didn't work and it seems to be quite random. DD had two different CU ATM cards from two entirely different CU's in different states. When she was living in Spain one worked consistently and the other was hit and miss.

My Federal Credit Union debit card is NOT a MasterCard, it is a VISA; in 20 plus years of traveling to Europe it has work EVERYWHERE I have tried it in Europe. Again, the first 5 transactions are free, from sixth one on is $0.75/transaction.

Truth is I never heard of a FEDERAL credit union debit card with the MasterCard logo... Everybody I know that has one, has the VISA logo (??).