nona1

I'm not being critical by the way - I'm just interested in finding out the USA way of dealing with this, it must work just as well. It's just that I can't imagine existing here without being able to get cash from a cashpoint machine.

Carrybean

"I stopped by today to talk to them and nobody was very knowledgeable about using ATM's abroad and the fees they charge."

Oh, come down here if you want an experience dealing with "knowledgeable" bank staff.

My ATM card works here & if I don't cash a check at work for ready money I use it. I take cash when I travel.

jody

I hardly ever use cash in the US. I've had the same 20 dollar bill in my wallet for months. Everything goes on a credit card, even a McDonalds coffee

CRAZY4TRAVEL

My bank charges me 3.00 per transaction for withdraws abroad based on the bank plan I have. My regular bank fees are free of charge so I don't begrudge this extra service fee which I only use one a year. If I take out E250 or E300 that's only 1% per transaction.

I took American Express Euro dollars Travelers cheques in 2000 to Provence and Languedoc and that was the last time I ever used them. The exchange rate to get them was not the best plus most of the hotels, restaurants and even the bank in Arles would not cash them...not even for an extra charge. Apparently they have to pay a fee in order to deposit them. We paid 9% service charge to cash them in Avignon and 12%!! in Arles both at an exchange counter. We said never again and since then have been using a combination of credit card and ATM withdrawl.

I have only ever encountered one problem with ATM, last year in Spello Italy...the only bank machine in town was out of order and we had let ourselves run rather low on cash. We were able to use our credit card for dinner and we hit a bank machine in Montefalco the next day..lesson learned.

Carrybean

Meant to say, I use cash AND credit cards in London.

caroline_edinburgh

I have the same question as nona - how do you get cash at home if you don't use ATMs ? Do you have to take time off work to go to a branch ? What if you need cash out of banking hours ?

I noted that one poster said s/he never uses cash, but surely that can't be true for everyone in the US ? Does nobody ever need cash for a taxi or bus fare, a newspaper, a drink ?

P_M

Cash machines are absolutely NOT rare in the US and most people I know use them regularly. I can't remember the last time I actually went into a bank to make a withdrawal from a teller, there's just no need to anymore.

I think jody said it well, the need for cash is not as great as it once was. Many people pay with credit or debit cards instead of cash.

janisj

nona1 and caroline_edinburgh: I have the SAME question - and I live in the States

Years ago I used to carry my check book w/ me to get cash at the grocery store or whatever. But haven't taken my checkbook out of the house except for some special circumstances in about 15-16 years. But I see folks writing checks at the grocery/mini mart all the time. So I guess lots of people don't use ATM cards.

What seems weird to me isn't that they don't use ATM cards day-to-day, but that there are some who have never used one and seem flummoxed by the whole idea.

P_M

janis, I'm right with you about not carrying the checkbook any more, but I know very few people who don't have an ATM card. But then again, I don't always know my friends' financial business.

Now if only I had never given an ATM card to my DH--we would be SO rich.

jody

The main reason I use a credit card for EVERYTHING is FF miles. Just paying my house and car insurance gives me 3500 miles, add that to double miles for grocery and PO purchases, gas, dentist's restaurants...those miles add up. I use 1 check a month, to pay my water bill. All my other bills are paid online..with a credit card.

Rhea58

Answer for those who asked about how one gets cash if they do not use an ATM which applies to me: I, like Jody,
charge (& gain points) absolutely everything. Pay bills on-line & have
almost forgotten how to write a check.
As for cash needs, I have my own atm-
system as I groc shop for neighbor who
repays me by going to HER ATM & giving me cash. So I usually have to go to bank to get rid of too-much-cash-in-house!

janisj

But my guess is you guys who use credit cards for everything, also know how to use an ATM card, and probably have one. Right? Someone not using an ATM card very often doesn't surprise me - it is the questions we get from folks who don't have/have never had/don't know how to use ATM cards that seem weird.

nona1

Sure, we all pay for loads of stuff on credit/debit cards as well but you do still need cash for some things...and I just wonder how the non-ATM people deal with this.

Or...this is just a theory produced by all the people having to request a special ATM card from the bank....don't your debit cards double up as ATM cards? In the UK your debit card and ATM are the same card. Same pin for both uses.

cheques? Very occasionally use one to pay a bill but most shops won't accept them here now.

ellenem

I live in NYC, a very cosmopolitan place with ATMs on every corner. Still, I go to the bank to deposit my paycheck and transfer funds as needed for monthly bills. At the bank I get enough cash to last 'til my next paycheck. This is the way life used to be before ATMs and I've continued the practice. Call me old-fashioned.

I resisted getting an ATM card for a long time. I finally got one for European travel and have enjoyed the convenience and cost-effectiveness of getting money this way. I have an HSBC card, which has some of the best rates and policies. When traveling, I only put enough money in the ATM account to cover my trip spending.

Having an ATM card has not really changed my habits at home. I might use the card to get cash once every two months.

I can totally identify with fluff and husband's concerns, but encourage you to take the chance--your trip will be much simpler to manage if you're not wasting time with cash issues.

Lexma90

To the question about people in the US using ATM cards. My general impression is that GENERALLY in the US, people might use them slightly less, if only because it's standard practice in the US for banks to provide free withdrawals only to customers of their bank. So there are many ATM machines around, but (unlike Europe) some will be free (those associated with my bank) and some will charge per transaction. If you're like my DH, you'll only use the ATMs associated with your bank, to save the $1-2 for withdrawals. So he probably uses an ATM less frequently, but withdraws more money when he does (and to be honest, I rarely use an ATM, because I don't use a huge amount of cash, so I just take cash from him when I need some).

Something I noticed when moving to the west some time ago, after living in the midwest and on the east coast, is that people in the west write checks more often than other places I've lived. Even these days, I often see people paying for groceries with a check, or at places like Target.

Personally, I use my credit card a lot (though not for real small purchases), so I can get FF miles. I still use checks, but primarily for things like paying the kids' music teachers. We still pay most of our bills with checks, too.

Dukey

Is this thread still serving any useful purpose, Fluff224?

Michel_Paris

"And in last 2 trips (Venice & Paris) I may have been lucky as my AMEX travelers checks were cashed fee-free @ their offices.".....

Rhea, what was the exchange rate?

One of my pet peeves (it drives me crazy) are the bureaux de change that advertize "no fee" cash exchange. What a great deal! Except they ding you had on the exchange rate. ANY time you convert money from one currency to antoher, there IS a fee. What is that fee? There are two ways they can make money off of you...the "fee" and the "exchange rate". The exchange rate is set by THEM, so it can be whatever they want. I'm walking down the street, there are two places that offer currency exchange, one has "no fee"..it's free, the other charges...5 euros. Which is better? Based on this info, no idea.

There is a baseline international rate that banks and governments have access to, not the public. Our rate is worse.

OK, I feel better.

jody

I should have been clearer..I do use an ATM card on trips, just not at home in th US. I do have a seperate travel checking account that it's tied into.

suze

My answer to fluff224 assumes they will not use an ATM on their trip (for whatever personal reasons)...

Options:
1) Get euro ahead and carry with you.
2) Take USD and exchange it there.
3) Purchase travelers checks and go to a bank to cash them.
4) Pay w/credit card when possible
5) Use one of those lame travel cards even though they dont work very well!

gracejoan3

I travel often..mainly to France. I never use an ATM. I have an ATM card that I do take with me. I tried it last fall as I happened to pass one, just to see if it worked..it did!!

I take a large sum of euros with me and 3 - 4 credit cards. This is the way I do it, and that I will continue to do. Works great for me.

Enjoy.........