On a trip to France in '98 we found no problems changing travelers checks, but I'm guessing things have changed since the debut of the euro and ATMs everywhere. Can we safely use ATM cards and depend on them and credit cards? We did this in Montreal, but being so close to the States it was no big deal. Or should we get euros from the bank here? Thanks so much.

Your ATMs will work fine if you have ever used it in Europe before...but there are some quirks with ATMs in Belgium. Many banks have ATMS that are only for their customers. You need to look for the Bancontact/MisterCash ATMS. But they have a fairly low WEEKLY allotment of cash...somewhere around $600 per card. Fortunately, there are several Citibank branches and the Citibank machines don't have that restriction (for example, there is a Citibank by the Arts Loi/Kunst Wet metro stop). Take a few travelers' checks as backup. I would also take about $50 to $100 in euros with you (in bills of 20 euros or less) in case th airport ATMs aren't working (it happens) and you want/need some cash right away. <BR>FYI, Belgium has the ugliest Euro coins in Europe. All the same profile portrait of the same not very attractive king. Italy, Ireland, Spain have much more attractive coins.

Good advice but what the other poster forgot to include is that European ATM only use 4 digit pins vs. 6 in the states. I live in Germany and roadtrip all over and use my ATM and Visa. I have yet to encounter an ATM that would take more than 4 digits. Something to think about before you get to Europe and realize that you have a major financial crisis on hand. The lack of accessiblity to ones cash, can bring down a vacation in a heartbeat. There are countless threads on ATM posted here, just do a search and you will be overwhelmed with info and the need for a 4 digit pin #.

We have cards from three different U.S. banks and they all have 4 digit pins, as did all those of our visitors from the states (from Florida, NJ, Illinois, Tennessee, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Washington State). In fact, we've NEVER had a U.S. bank card with a 6 digit pin. As I noted in the first sentence, the ATM card would work fine if they have used it before in Europe (as in their 1998 trip to France). If not, they need to check with their bank.

I had recently opened up an account in the U.S. at Fleet Bank and they have a 6 digit pin. <BR><BR>I will be traveling to Europe next month. Thanks for the advice on the 6-digit pin. I'll leave that card at home. I have previously used my VISA and M/C cards with 4-digit pins last year with no problem at all. I'll just leave my 6-digit pin card at home, or just use it for charges.