Dynamic currency conversion at ATMs, that a new one
Sep 22nd, 2007 | 05:46 AM
#22
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 35,162
Likes: 0
You just have to look for a bank name on the ATM, that's all. Maybe you won't know all the names of banks in some foreign country, but I think they are always fairly obvious as to whether they are an ATM from a real bank or not. If you've been in a place a bit, one probably has run across the standard bank names, also.
It isn't difficult to figure them out in the US (the name bancomat clearly isn't any official bank name, and that's a name just used in Europe or elsewhere for this type of machine, I know I've seen it), but for locals in the US, they aren't always a bad idea, actually. They can have a lower transaction fee than the real bank ATMs, if you don't happen to have a card for the bank that is running the ATM. I know in my grocery store, there is a private ATM right next to the local bank's one, which is my bank. I wondered why so many folks were using the private ATM, if they didn't know what they were doing or what. Then I read the screens and noticed that the fee was actually lower on the private ATM than the bank one, if you didn't have that bank's card (maybe $1.50 versus $2).
It isn't difficult to figure them out in the US (the name bancomat clearly isn't any official bank name, and that's a name just used in Europe or elsewhere for this type of machine, I know I've seen it), but for locals in the US, they aren't always a bad idea, actually. They can have a lower transaction fee than the real bank ATMs, if you don't happen to have a card for the bank that is running the ATM. I know in my grocery store, there is a private ATM right next to the local bank's one, which is my bank. I wondered why so many folks were using the private ATM, if they didn't know what they were doing or what. Then I read the screens and noticed that the fee was actually lower on the private ATM than the bank one, if you didn't have that bank's card (maybe $1.50 versus $2).
Sep 22nd, 2007 | 06:06 AM
#23
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 36,842
Likes: 0
But Christina, I may be wrong on this, but I thought many banks have mutual agreements so that bank ATM in the grocery may charge you $2, but your own bank won't charge you any additional for using the other bank's ATM. But if you use the commercial ATM which charges you $1.50, your own bank MAY charge you an additional fee which could be a couple dollars as they have no agreement with the commercial ATMs.
I say this only because the only non bank ATM I ever used was in a Las Vegas casino, and my bank DID charge me a significant fee in addition to the fee that was levied by the machine. But my bank has never charged me a fee for using a different bank's ATM in the US. I've only had the charge issued by that bank.
I say this only because the only non bank ATM I ever used was in a Las Vegas casino, and my bank DID charge me a significant fee in addition to the fee that was levied by the machine. But my bank has never charged me a fee for using a different bank's ATM in the US. I've only had the charge issued by that bank.
