When I went to France a couple of years ago, I did not take any traveler's checks or credit cards. Instead, I just used my ATM/Visa Debit card to walk up to ATMs and got just the amount of Euros I needed at the current exchange rate. Is there any reason I could not use that strategy in Italy? I've never been to Italy before. We are going to Florence and Venice and Tuscany. Are ATM's as plentiful in Italy as here in the US? Thanks for your help.

Hi quin,

>Are ATM's as plentiful in Italy as here in the US?<

Many more of them.

Do in Italy just as you did in France.

I do suggest a few hundred dollars in USD TCs in case of emergency.

You can always deposit them when ou get back.

You should have no problems using that same strategy in Italy -- lots & lots of ATM's everywhere.

The only caution is if you were to lose your ATM/Visa Debit card. What do you do then? What if someone uses the VISA portion of the lost card to wipe out your checking account? Of course, you could get your money back, but think of the hassle vis-a-vis losing a credit card.

I would bring a back-up credit card for emergencies, and if you are traveling with someone, make sure they have a back-up in case you lose your cards.

I recently had the VISA portion of my debit/ATM card disabled and use the card in ATMs only for cash (with a PIN), and use the credit card for all other purchases (rental car, hotels, etc.).

A lot of the banks and other providers of ATM cards have recently added extra fees to their transactions. Some are very up front about the fees, some are concealed in the exchange rate. Be sure to call your provider before you go and see what their policy is on currency conversion. An extra charge of one or two percent can make a difference on large items, like your hotel bills. We were in Florence in March and got the best rate from our Visa card, but they upped their rates as of April first. You really have to check before each trip.

In Florence and in many towns in Tuscany, ATMs are much much more common than in the part of US where I live (NJ), and I rarely walked more than a block without noticing one. I don't remember using them in Venice, but I think they were very common there, too. (However, they aren't common ALL over Italy. I very rarely saw any in Basilicata, and in many places in Sicily there were no ATMs for miles around.)

I had few problems using the ATMs in Italy. I think maybe twice I encountered ATMs in Palermo and in Bergamo that didn't work for me, but within a block there ones that worked fine. In Provence, France, on the other hand, there seemed to be many ATMs that did not work consistently.

While I use my ATM card as my primary source of cash, I would never recommend traveling with only one method of obtaining funds (i.e., <did not take any traveler's check or credit cards&gt.

ATM, euro, U.S. dollars, credit cards, and TC's... I'd have at least a couple of those because ya just never know what might happen.

The more you plan and the more careful you are, the fewer number of "backups" you'll need.

HI Intrepid--you may be correct but to travel w/*no* backups is not to have planned very well nor to have been very careful...

Hello quinn, one thing I do in Italy when I use my ATM card - I use the ATM's at banks. And I do this when the bank is open, just in case there is a problem. I learned this from my friends in Italy. It is good to have a backup, I agree with the others here. I always have another ATM card just in case there is a problem with the one I generally use. Always of course have credit cards. And always take some money with me as do not want to bother with an ATM when I arrive. Always have US money with me also, for when arriving home. I have stopped getting traveler checks.

Have a wonderful time in Italy!

I just recently got a notice with my credit union statement saying that for right now they (our credit union) are blocking all member ATM transactions taking place in Italy "for our protection" b/c of a run on ATM fraud over there. You might check with your bank just in case. This was the first I've heard of that -- and I haven't read that anywhere else (and don't mean to alarm you) -- just thought you should know. Has anyone else heard anything like that or gotten a notice like that from our bank?

I agree with socialworker, to not have a back up plan is imo the same as not planning well. And 'careful' is of very little help if the ATM eats your only card, or your only card is stolen,lost, or disabled despite your precautions.

Hello my2cents, I was interested in your comments as some months ago I received a replacement ATM/Debit card from Morgan Stanley along with a notice that until further notice their clients could use the ATM portion of the card in Italy but they would NOT be able to use the debit portion due to a high incidence of fraud in Italy.

Since then Stu Dudley, who is an infomative poster here on Fodors advised that they had called Morgan Stanley and this restriction is now lifted. I am not going to Italy this year so I have not called them.

But reading your post indicates again that there have been problems.

And again, my friends in Italy use the ATM at the bank and only when the bank is open in case of problems. But of course regarding the problem, if one is on vacation it would be devastating unless one does have back up plans. Life does get complicated.

If you have,lets say, two people travelling, and each carries a debit card and credit card from different banks and networks(ie VISA and MC), then thats 4 different ways of obtaining money/purchasing things. I would have to believe you would be well-prepared for any contingencies.

Given the possible intermitant problems right now with ATM's in Italy, if I were going this year (which I'm also not) I would take some traveler's checks (in addition to my Visa) as an emergency backup to cash in for those places that don't take plastic.