stokebailey

A friend of mine, native of Geneva living in U.S., went to a family reunion last year in France. She checked with US Bank (a large banking presence in our town) before leaving, and they assured her that her ATM would work fine there. Her card didn't work at all ever, and she ended up borrowing cash from her family. Somehow her card lacked the proper logos on the back. She says will use traveller's checks from now on.
Lacking softhearted relatives in France, any thoughts how to prevent this for ourselves?

PalQ

For the last ten years i've used hundreds of European ATMs with my local bank ATM card - if it has Cirrur or Plus on the back it should work fine.
But make sure the strip is in pristine condition - some ATMs in Europe are more sensitive perhaps than your local ATM and make sure it's hooked to a checking account - ATM cards hooked to savings accounts in my experience often do NOT work. And you need a four-digit PIN number and you should call your local bank ATM card issuer and tell them what countries you are going to - at times as a security measure banks may put a hold on transactions abroad unless pre-notified. Ditto for credit cards.
Travelers cheques - yes i take as a backup in case the card doesn't work but i always bring them back home. In fact cashing tr checks now often involves a heft transaction fee and in some countries, like France, it seems few banks even cash them anymore.

stokebailey

thanks, Pal!

Kate

As well as PalG's advice, I always take more than one card. I have occasionally found that, for whatever reason, sometimes one card works when the other does not.

I've also recently discovered that, in Italy, debit cards now require a 5 digit pin for use in shop transactions, as they've introduced chip and pin technology into all the stores there. I found I couldn't use my 4-digit pin UK issued debit card in shops (something to do with the chip technology being different). I could, however, still use my credit card (Mastercard and Visa).

Dayle

On my previous trips to Europe, I had no problem with my debit cards working in almost all ATM machines. However, in Sept, I found that my debit cards would not work in the Bancomat network machines found everywhere in Italy. Evidently, my banks had changed networks since my last trip!

I had to find actual banks, such as Bank of Naples, Bank of Rome to access cash. Just very inconvenient. I'm sorry I can't tell you what networks (logos) the Bancomat machines had.

You might be able to find some information on the internet.

grsing

Her card may very well have worked fine, you just have to make sure you use it on the networks it says it works on. If you have Visa and/or Plus, that'll cover pretty much everything, no problem. Though, opposite to what PalQ said (at least in my case), the funds come out of my checking account, not my savings (in the US, they give me a choice, and I usually don't keep much in my checking, but in Europe, no choice, so it was a bit of a surprise). And yeah, 4 digit PIN is good, some places will let you use 6 (I've seen a few that'll take up to 12), but why bother having to search?

If you try to use your card in an automatic machine (train tickets, esp.), make sure you check that it takes your Visa or Mastercard or whatever, many of them only take a handful of cards, which are often regional direct debit sort of things. Or just pay cash.

docdan

I called each one of my banks to tell them I was traveling - then an unrelated security issue caused them to lock up one of my cards anyway! I was in one situation where I wished I could use traveler's checks - otherwise, the ATM/credit card logic worked fine during a 9 day trip to FR/Bel. bottom line: Tr. checks are OK, but I would not recommend them as a must, but do have several credit/debit cards handy with up to date PINs and make sure to call each card's cust. service and tell them your itinerary.
(Not to mention, make sure you know the procedure to use if one gets lost/stolen)

PalQ

Yes i think you misread what i said - cards linked to checking accounts have nearly always worked in my experience - those that take funds out of savings accounts often do not, in my experience. ATMs in Europe will often give you a choice of withdrawing from checking or savings accounts if both are hooked to the card chose checking.

grsing

I know it's a faux pas and all, but I'd almost recommend cash over travellers checks these days (either in USD or Euros/GBP/Swiss francs/whatever). If it's in $, it's still cheaper to change than cheques, and if it's in the local currency (just withdraw a bunch when you show up and hide it well), then you're all set, just use it up as you near the end of the trip. Certainly not going to be a universally popular strategy, but futzing with travellers cheques just seems like a waste of time and money to me, so long as you're careful.

grsing

PalQ: yeah, you're right, my brain decided to ignore the "NOT" in your post, we're saying exactly the same thing

KE1TH

Not to throw a wrench into the works, but I had an experience last year in Spain that still has me befuddled.

I have used my ATM card for years with no issues in England, Scotland, France, Italy, Greece, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and all over the USA.

Last year, however, I arrived in Madrid and immediately went to an ATM machine (like I have always done) to withdraw the euro I would need for my first few days. I received a message "Your Bank has not authorized this transaction" Thinking it may just be that particular ATM machine, I went to another one in the airport. Same message. Luckily, I had exchanged about $100 in USA at Thomas Cook before I left. But I knew that that wouldn't last but a day or two.

I tried my atm card at several different banks in Madrid, always getting the message that my bank had not authorized the transaction. Again, luckily I had already paid for most everything, but still was getting nervous.

I was in Spain for several days, going to Toledo, Avila and Salamanca and never once being able to get money from my atm card.

Next I went to Coimbra in Portugal. I tried my card at the first ATM I came upon and it worked fine. Used my ATM card several more times in Portugal with no problems. Knowing I had had the problems in Spain previously, I got enough Euro in Portugal to cover my remaining time back in Spain.

Once back in Spain (Sevilla), just to see if it would work, I tried again. Nope. Would not work.

Next, across the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco. ATM card worked fine in Morocco. Used ATM machine in Tangiers, Fez, Marrakesh and Casablanca. No problems at all.

Finally, back into Spain. Attempted yet once again to see if my card would work and once again I got the message that my bank had not authorized the transaction.

So, for some unknown reason that even my bank could not explain (Bank is Wachovia/SouthTrust), my ATM card would not work at any ATM in Spain, but worked fine in Portugal and Morocco on the same trip.

Keith

stokebailey

The mischievous ATM genie.

grsing

I had one of them the first time I was in Germany (Ibbenbueren, little town), too. Not sure how it got all messed up, but it did. That was, goodness, about 8 years ago now (still on D-marks), haven't had problems since, except one stubborn ATM in Trier that would only give me €50 at a time, but I could get as many in a row as I wanted.

scottvan

Have had no problems in Spain or Italy with an ATM-only card over the last 10 years, but: in Belgium our card (a "Plus" card) worked nowhere, not even at "Plus" machines (this was several years ago). Also, on a recent trip to England, the card worked only at Barclay's ATMs (but not at non-Barclay's "Plus" ATMs). I have no explanation (neither did my bank).

suze

PLUS/Cirrus = Visa/Mastercard network are the most common and the logo you'd want on the back of your ATM card.

I would never travel with only one method of obtaining funds. I use my ATM card first, but also carry USD, Swiss Franc, and a couple credit cards.

Travelers checks are getting to be a thing of the past except for a few specific reasons (need to pay a hotel bill in cash, for example). Most likely you will have to cash them at a bank not spend them directly in businesses.

suze

Oops, or GBP or euro (obviously!) depending where you're going. I was thinking of Geneva that was mentioned in the original post, but I see the trip was actually to France.

Neopolitan

At the risk of being told I don't know what I'm talking about -- but I do -- more and more banks in Europe are now using VISA international services for their ATM transactions. If you have an ATM ONLY card -- in other words, one without a Visa or MasterCard symbol or Cirrus or Plus and one which can't be used as a charge or debit card, then it is more and more likely that it will not work in many ATM's. After our last trip to Europe we switched our ATM only cards (without a debit card function) to ATM/Debit cards so we would not have any further problems. Belgium is one such country where ATM ONLY cards simply will not work.
Might that have been the problem in any of the cases above?

Maire

bookmarking

scottvan

Neapolitan --

My ATM-only card has a "Plus" symbol, but no VISA (or MC, of course) logo. Supposedly that means it will work at all "Plus" ATMs (as my bank insists), but in Belgium (and some in England) it did not. I really don't want a debit card, for several reasons, but if I'm forced to get one for wider acceptance of the card, I might consider it.

Is the problem in Belgium that no ATM-only cards will work, even if they have the "right" symbol?

Thanks for your feedback.

Neopolitan

That's what one bank manager in Belgium told us after having our cards denied time and time again. We were traveling with friends who had no problem. Ironically one of them had an ATM card from the same bank (Bank of America) but hers was also a debit card.
We were also told the same thing in Rome at a DeutscheBank where our ATM ONLY cards had always worked before. The bank manager told us that DeutscheBank had very recently switched to Visa Services and that the ATM only cards without the VISA or MasterCard connection as a debit card would no longer work.