German ATM's
 

I've been reading lots of threads regarding the use of ATM's in Europe and have learned that they can be found in the big cities. Can anyone tell me if they're prevalent in smaller places like Rothenburg, Garmisch, Berchtesgaden? Can I feel relatively safe in assuming that they'll be in most train stations? <BR>I'm gambling a bit on my trip....I'm counting on being able to pay for the second week of my vacation by accessing my bank account after my stateside direct deposit goes in that week.

Wes, we just returned from Germany and we were able to use an ATM a few times when the money was low and the banks were closed. I would think that you should be able to find them in the towns that you listed. They are popular tourist towns, and where the tourist go, so goes the money. I would also believ that you could charge most of the hotels or meals in those towns if you were unable to find an ATM at the moment. I don't know about the ATMs being located in the train stations. We did not use the trains on this trip. I would think that you should be able to find a bank in area of the train stations that would have one. I don't think that they are as widespread in Germany as in the US. I don't believe that they are addicted to the ATM as we are in the states.

We went to Germany a few years ago and even back then there were an adequate amount of ATM's. Most machines allow you to transact in English. One caution, make sure your pin number is four digits in length as I do not believe they take longer numbers. <BR>Rick

That's the only way to go. For instance, If you have a Citibank card and use one of their branches let's say in Munich, Berlin, and other big cities, you will be given the option to take money from saving or checking accounts, a conversion rate to US dollars prior to actual withdrawal, and much better rate with no commission compared to the other methods. In smaller places where there's no Citibank, and plan to use other ATM, make sure you transfer enough money to your checking account prior to your departure. Most ATM's automatically get the money from your checking account in the US bank. DON'T FORGET TO RETRIEVE BACK YOUR ATM CARD ONCE THE TRANSACTION IS DONE. I left mine by accident in Frankfurt,Citibank ATM once and luckily I came back the next day, the machine kept my card and was able to get it back.

Both MasterCard and Visa have websites that give you locations of their ATMs all over the world. They also have this information via their #800. I was actually able to get maps of Heathrow and Frankfurt airport with the locations of the ATMs noted. <BR>