Just noteced a posting from a Traveler in Italy with an experience similar to mine. This is in regrds to the oft feared US Card not working in a European ATM EXACTLY when you must have cash right now. I am speculating that the US Banks will not allow a withdrawal if the amount EXCEEDS $300 US, with any expected transaction fees, even fees that get waived later. So to be on the same side, you have to start with about $294, then apply the currency conversion, then a bit more to be on the safe side. So a withdrawal of 250 E may work while 260 E may not. Anyone else have this experience?

No, it's 300 euros, not $300 dollars.
One of my banks would not allow me to withdraw over 300 euros, the other up to $1,000, about 900 euros.

My bank has a dollar limit per day. So I calculate approximately how much that would be in euros before withdrawing money.

When I first started traveling to Europe, that happened to me, too. The ATM machine showed a message that I had exceeded my limit.

There's no uniform rule about how much you can withdraw from an overseas bank. You can negotiate that with your bank. I always have my limit raised when I travel. And no, you don't have to figure in transaction fees or currency conversion or anything else. Obviously, if your daily limit is, say, $500 and you try to withdraw 475 euro, it won't work, so you have to have a basic understanding of the exchange rate, but beyond that, no higher mathematics is involved.

Talk to your bank. If they won't allow you the limit *you* want you should switch to a bank who looks after their customers properly.

and in any event be sure to tell the bank the dates you will be in Europe so they don't deny the transaction because they think it's a stolen card.

I also took both my and my husband's ATM cards (he doesn't travel with me, or use the ATM here) and could withdraw twice the limit. I could also have had an official at my local bank raise the limit but chose not to. This worked well for me in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Paris is right! Talk to your bank! I've talked to any number of big banks that I had accounts in, and I never encountered one that would not raise my limit when traveling. Remember, people, the bank is not the boss --- YOU are the boss. Don't be wusses.

Currently when I travel I have my banks raise daily withdrawal lmit from $500 to $750 ... but they are willing to go to $1,000. Jaja, no need to play games with the cards, and no need to worry about raising the limit -- raise if ONLY for the days you will be traveling. Nobody can "drain your account." They don't know your password.