no atm access

Old May 11th, 2005, 11:17 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
no atm access

I am traveling to Spain and Italy in a few weeks and was wondering what peoples opinions were on the best way to go about money. I contacted my bank and they said that my ATM card will not work in those countries. I plan on using my credit card whenever I can but the hostels that I have booked will only accept cash, so I will definitley need enough for those. I have read about the horrible exchange rates on travelers checks but would they be the next best thing?
sehernandez is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 11:20 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,605
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Open an account at a bank whose ATM cards will work in Europe. Transfer your travel funds into that account - best to set it up with a 4-digit PIN, that's been the requirement in the past.
Travelnut is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 11:21 AM
  #3  
ira
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 74,699
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi se,

>my bank ...said that my ATM card will not work in those countries.<

That's odd.

Even my local Madison, GA bank issues ATM cards that work in Europe.

ira is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 11:24 AM
  #4  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ira, I found it very strange that they said that too. I have anchor bank and two cards through them. One is strictly an ATM card and the other is a debit card with a VISA logo on the front. They say cirrus and pulse on the back which I always thought were very common and assumed that they probably would work overseas. The bank representative first said that the their VISA debit card would work internationally but when I told him which countries I was going to he just said that it would not work there because they "currently have a block on those countries."
sehernandez is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 11:29 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 19,419
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
"I am traveling to Spain and Italy in a few weeks"

Spain and Italy are blocked????

This is so shocking
FainaAgain is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 11:35 AM
  #6  
ira
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 74,699
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Take Travelnut's advice.
ira is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 11:40 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 97,137
Received 12 Likes on 11 Posts
That is ridiculous (I'm not saying it's not true but I don't understand). I would definitely open a different account at a new bank immediately.

An ATM card has Travelers Checks beat hands down, both for convenience and costs.


suze is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 11:56 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 45,322
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Evidently there has been problems in Italy and Spain. My stockbrokerage ATM was replaced ,evidently all their customers received replacedment ATM/Debit cards, some months ago. The noticed that came with it said until further notice the Debit portion could not be used in Italy due to a high incidence of fraud. Just recently Stu Dudley advised this has been reversed. He checked as they were going to Europe.

And the other day a poster here (do not remember who is was) reported that their credit union advised their ATM would not work in some countries in Europe, think it was Spain and Italy, and maybe France due to fraud.

So evidently, now that sehernandez is reportig the same problem, there has been an unusual amount of fraud. One more complication for travellers.
LoveItaly is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 12:39 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 19,419
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wow, so you ARE serious? Thank you, I better get on the phone! Hopefully Swiss is still trust-worthy.

I got some cash, looks beautiful
FainaAgain is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 12:40 PM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 750
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My major bank (SouthTrust - Wachovia) ATM card (with 4 digit PIN code) WOULD NOT work in Spain. Tried different Spanish bank ATM machines in Madrid, Toledo, Avila, Salamanca, Sevilla, and Granada. None would work. I kept getting a "Your Bank Has Not Authorized This Transaction" message and the machine would spit my card out. It worked fine in Portugal the day after it wouldn't work in Spain. After Portugal, back into Spain, and card wouldn't work again. Went to Morocco and card worked fine. Came back to Spain and card would not work. Even the bank couldn't tell me why. They just knew that other people had reported that their cards would not work in Spain.

Keith
KE1TH is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 01:03 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 19,419
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
All this sounds scary. And I have only 5 business days till my trip. What to do in the worse case scenario?

What do others do when their ONLY card doesn't work? Credit card, yes, but it may be not accepted everywhere. What do people do if everything is stolen?
FainaAgain is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 01:08 PM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 97,137
Received 12 Likes on 11 Posts
Faina,

If you are worried, I would simply go buy some Travelers Checks.

Then on your trip go to a Swiss bank during business hours to cash them. I've done this many times on my earlier trips. The Swiss are very organized about money(!) it will not be a problem.

I don't know a thing about this new/current ATM situation but sometimes the old fashioned way is the best bet.
suze is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 01:12 PM
  #13  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 2,363
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Look into one of those prepaid cards, I think from American Express. They are kind of like a plastic version of travelers checks in that you load them with money when you buy them and you can use them for cash withdrawals at ATMs or like a credit card at point of purchase. I think you can even reload them with a telephone call from the road. Yes, there probably is a fee and probably not a very good exchange rate, but maybe at least they can assure you they will work there to get cash or make purchases if your ATM card doesn't. Go to www.americanexpress.com and look for the "Travelfunds" card section. No I don't work for AmEx nor have I ever used this product but it seemed like it might work for this person in this situtation. If you like it find and American Express branch near you to purchase. Good luck!
laurie_ann is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 01:44 PM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 3,125
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It used to be possible to cash a personal check at the American Express office if you carry an American express card. Back when ATM cards weren't as plentiful, and when Amex actually was more widely accepted overseas, this was not a bad emergency plan. So if you do still have an Amex card, this might be a last ditch way to get money. (I'm sure there was a fee, and the exchange rate wasn't great, I'm just saying if you get stuck...)
china_cat is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 02:00 PM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 19,419
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
OR... I can bring some old dependable cash? I read it can be exchanged at any train station?
FainaAgain is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 08:40 PM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 12,848
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Don't worry! If the ATM uses one of your card's networks, it will be fine---BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE THE BANK 'ENABLE' THE CARD FOR OUT OF COUNTRY PURCHASES. This must be done before you leave. Call and speak to the branch manager. If she or he doesn't know what you're talking about, close your account there and open one somewhere else.
kswl is offline  
Old May 11th, 2005, 08:50 PM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 12,848
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Sorry---meant out of country transactions! The debit/ATM combo must be enabled for purchases AND cash withdrawals. My bank said it is an extra measure of security; once at home, you notify your bank to stop the transactions (if you want) and that protects you from some types of card scams/theft.

However, sometimes (according to my bank) one of the many networks is down and the foreign ATM cannot verify your funds for withdrawal. Then you get a "your bank has not authorised this transaction" notice. I guess it is not surprising that, with as many as 20 different banking networks participating, one---yours!---might be down at any given moment. This has also happened to us, and after several expensive phone calls, we just tried again later.

Having a credit card in addition to your ATM/debit, and having at least some foreign currency up front, will cover most of your bases.
kswl is offline  
Old May 12th, 2005, 11:17 AM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,831
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I've never heard of this also, since I used my ATM card in Spain easily last year -- but if your specific bank knows they have a block on charges from those countries, what can you do. Maybe there has been too much fraud from them. Maybe I'm lucky I have just a local small bank who probably doesn't even have enough volume to have a measurable fraud problem in Spain to initiate a block against charges from an entire country.

I guess if it's your own bank blocking them, one of those prepaid funds cards would work, although they can be pretty expensive. I think the cheaper option on AAA wasn't too bad (the one that was only for cash withdrawal, not for charging) if you had to get one.

I also just believe in the old-fashioned method and carry travelers checks with me in case I have some major ATM withdrawal problem for a long time. YOu can cash travelers checks easily in Spain, I know that much. The rates aren't that horrible to rule them out, if you are a good comparison shopper.

I don't know about Italy -- I think some folks on here have claimed they were really hard to cash in Italy, but I don't know if that's true (seems odd compared to every other foreign country I've been in, but I don't know from experience). Sometimes when people say that, all they mean is they can't cash them at stores or restaurants easily.
Christina is offline  
Old May 12th, 2005, 11:29 AM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 19,419
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I called my ATM bank just to make sure my card will work, and they told me it's good I've done so, or they would close the account after the first "unusual" withdrawal. They also gave me a toll-free number to call in case it's lost or stolen, in Switzerland it starts with 0800

So, just want to remind once again: call both ATM and Credit Card people.

My co-worker went from San Francisco to Wash DC and got a call on his cell phone the same day he used his ATM there.
FainaAgain is offline  
Old May 12th, 2005, 11:45 AM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 97,137
Received 12 Likes on 11 Posts
Faina, and yes you can change U.S. cash at train station exchange bureaus.
suze is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
lgnutah
Europe
16
Mar 11th, 2010 04:14 AM
bob_brown
Europe
6
Apr 17th, 2008 12:23 PM
DCB
Europe
11
Oct 23rd, 2005 05:44 AM
harrowgirl
Europe
21
Sep 22nd, 2005 03:24 PM
Lily
Europe
9
May 20th, 2002 09:18 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -