Holliz

A friend of mine tried to get cash from a bank today here in the UK using her Swiss card with 6 number pin, refused. Went into the bank and asked , they said no chance without the 4 no. Pin. She then tried another bank and the same thing happened. She explained that she had used it in S.Africa, Germany, Italy without problem, they just shook their heads and couldn't help. She is going South tomorrow so will try in a bigger town . I don't see her getting any joy, but I would have thought the bank staff would have phoned or emailed her bank to help her get some cash. Perhaps that is called service and Nat West don't do that. Wait and see what happens tomorrow.

Rubicund

"but I would have thought the bank staff would have phoned or emailed her bank to help her get some cash"

Isn't it more relevant that her own bank didn't tell her that a 4 number PIN was needed in the UK. A bigger town will make no difference, as all the ATM's for a bank are centrally linked, no matter where they are. Why should a bank that's not connected to the ATM customers account start calling internationally for them. Why can't the customer telephone their own bank themselves?

This shows lack of preparation for the trip and if they told their own bank they would be in the UK, why did they not say that a 4 digit PIN was needed?

nononora

We have a 6 digit card because all Swiss banks require it. Live in France and use it all over Europe all the time.

Used it in London three times last week, and many times this year.

nononora

The point is they require AT LEAST 4 digits, not ONLY 4 digits.

NYCFoodSnob

I realize this thread is old, and perhaps still relevant. I'm surprised people experience this problem. I've had my Chase ATM card for as long as I can remember, long before Chase owned my bank. I've had the same 6-digit PIN for the same amount of time. To get cash from an ATM in Europe, all I've ever had to do was enter the first 4 digits of my 6-digit PIN. I have never had a problem getting cash from an ATM in Europe with my Chase card.

When you call your bank to get information on international transactions, NEVER settle on the info you receive from the first person you speak to. Ask to speak to a supervisor who is the expert for "international transactions" (no matter how you may be challenged). You need an employee who is willing to give you his/her full name, title, and contact number. In the event that the information provided is wrong, WRITE your bank and explain how their poor customer service almost ruined your trip. NO ONE should be forced to open multiple bank accounts to prevent cash access from European ATMs. Stop giving banks so much power over your life, and demand better service!

Traveling with a 2nd ATM card (with a 4-digit PIN) does provide more security, but it forces you to worry about carrying another card, and most people don't want to open a new bank account just for the purpose of taking a trip to Europe. Who can blame them?

u1106

4 digit PINs are standard in Germany and in Finland. I know because I have several cards from both countries. They were standard in Sweden many years ago, not sure about the present situation. And yes, merchant terminals and ATM offer us only 4 fields for entering the PIN.

6 digit PINs are standard in Switzerland. According to second hand knowledge I got from Swiss people using those cards is fine nearly everywhere. Obviously the software is smart enough to vary the number of input fields according to the card. However, they knew that problems existed at least in Iceland, it was recommended to have the bank change the card to 4 digits before traveling there. I'm not sure whether the problems still exist today or whether the advice has just survived longer than poorly programmed terminal software. Better be on the safe side, there are many small countries in Europe and practices do vary a lot.

29FEB

^^^"Traveling with a 2nd ATM card (with a 4-digit PIN) does provide more security, but it forces you to worry about carrying another card, and most people don't want to open a new bank account just for the purpose of taking a trip to Europe. Who can blame them?"

This is exactly what I do - my main credit union account plus a small bank account just for travel. Gives me the backup ATM card so often recommended, and an easy place to stash vacation funds.

NeoPatrick

"but it forces you to worry about carrying another card. . ."

Ummm. When I go to Europe I simply take my Capital One ATM card and leave my BofA one at home. I'm sorry, but I don't get how I am being "forced" to worry about carrying another card. What am I missing here?

As to the extra bank account. I've actually enjoyed having that extra bank account. When I have a little extra money I deposit it in that account and then when I travel, I magically seem to have some extra travel money. There's no charge and there's certainly no difficulty in "managing" a small checking account that you use essentially as a savings account.

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"When I go to Europe I simply take my Capital One ATM card and leave my BofA one at home. I'm sorry, but I don't get how I am being "forced" to worry about carrying another card. What am I missing here?"</font></i>

You're missing the 2nd card to worry about, because you decided to leave yours at home. Not sure how that point escaped you.