topeater

Does anyone know the sister banks of Wells Fargo and Bank of America in Paris?

Dukey1

For Bank of America: BNP Paribas

Sarastro

If you avoid B of A and other big marketing budget banks, there are no fixed withdrawals fees at ATMs at all, partner bank or not. The $5 flat fee B of A charges, a Wells Fargo also I believe, originates with them. There is no cost to use a French bank ATM unless your bank makes you pay one.

nytraveler

We have Citibank - and they never charge us any fixed fees for ATM withdrawals anywhere in the world. (There is of course a 2% above the Interbank exchange rate but every bank I know of charges some small %).

Caveat: this may differ depending on how much business you do with the bank and accounts/deposits you have there.

Many people have complained about this habit of Bank of America.

PalenQ

Yes as Sarastro says we need to know why your want to know the sister banks - for what reason - if just to use ATM cards like Sarastro says you can use any ATM in France TMK and they charge no fees for doing so but you only pay what your local bank charges - often a $5 flat fee regardless of the amount taken out - so do not take out say $20 equivalent of euros or you'll still pay the $5 flat fee just like you would if taking out the often max of $250-300/day.

If doing ATM tell your local bank exactly what countries you are going to - if not for security reasons you local bank may block a sudden foreign transaction. And I always tell them these are the only countries I am going to - so those proverbial fees from Romanian banks do not pop up and would be blocked! (Be careful of security when putting your ATM card PIN in!)

Christina

My bank doesn't have any "sister" banks in Europe and I never have to pay an ATM fee for my card, either. I have a "big" bank, Capital One. I think it may be because I have a high-yield level account, though, due to keeping a certain amount in, but I imagine a lot of people would fit that criteria as the amount is really small ($5000). I think B of A charges everyone, even if they had $100K in their bank, which is ridiculous.

Kathie

If you travel overseas often or if you plan to, it makes sense to have a bank account specifically for foreign withdrawals. My bank has no per-use charge, reimburses me for any fees charged by the local ATM and charges only 1% on foreign exchange transactions. Look for accounts at small banks or credit unions or check with your brokerage.

Sarastro

Capital One charges $2 plus 3% on ATM withdrawals, Capital One 360 customers pay nothing. Smaller banks and credit unions typically charge no flat fee and 1% (but this is a currency conversion fee from Pulse/Maestro/Sirrus and is only passed through to the customer).

Schwab customers pay nothing for foreign ATM withdrawals. I would be equally important to compare monthly checking fees. Saving on foreign transaction costs mean nothing if you pay monthly for checking.

KTtravel

Kathie, it sounds like you have a great bank. Do you mind stating which one you use? I have B of A but am thinking of switching or at least opening an account at a bank with better fees.

Dukey1

Here is EXACTLY what B of A does and does not do:

"Be prepared before using an International ATM.
Before you use your card to get cash from an international ATM it pays to do a little research. When you use a foreign ATM, you could be charged a variety of fees, including non-bank ATM usage fees, ATM operator access fees, and international transaction fees for conversion to U.S. dollars. One way to limit such fees is to use your Bank of America ATM or debit card at one of our international partner ATMs. <B>This enables you to avoid the Non-Bank of America ATM $5 usage fee for each withdrawal, transfer or balance inquiryFootnote2 as well as the ATM operator access fee.</B>

Keep in mind that when you use your debit card to withdraw money from an international ATM, Bank of America will assess an international transaction fee of 3% of the converted U.S. dollar amountFootnote3. Foreign ATM operators may offer to do your currency conversion for you, but they may charge a higher fee for conversion. You can refuse the foreign ATM conversion and be assessed the 3% Bank of America international transaction fee instead."

StCirq

<< My bank has no per-use charge, reimburses me for any fees charged by the local ATM and charges only 1% on foreign exchange transactions. Look for accounts at small banks or credit unions or check with your brokerage.>>

Exactly. Adding that I've never been charged a withdrawal fee by any bank overseas (and that includes Europe, Africa, and Asia). If I'm assessed an ATM withdrawal fee by a bank here in the USA, my bank reimburses me for it.

Dukey1

You might want to look at the specific information about Cap One on this site, also.

http://thepointsguy.com/2013/07/avoi...veling-abroad/

Sarastro

<i> You can refuse the foreign ATM conversion and be assessed the 3% Bank of America international transaction fee instead."</i>

Whether you accept a Dynamic Conversion Fee or refuse it, you will still pay Visa´s or MC´s foreign transaction fee. With B of A, you will pay 3% on any foreign credit card or debit card transaction.

gailscout

Topeater, WFB does not have a "sister bank" but you could open a "travel account". You are allowed 2 free international withdrawals without any fees twice a month. Since I have never used it 3 times/month, I am not aware of what the fee would be.

With a Bank of America account, BNP is the "sister bank." Last month I used BNP in France with my BofA atm card and was charged a % on each of 3 transactions. When I returned I called BofA and promptly got the fees eliminated. I have used this card for 4 years now in England, France, Germany and Italy and never had fees, but this time using it in France I was surprised at the fees. I was not given an explanation and did not ask. Look up Global ATM Alliance for more information.

Christina

That article about Cap One is wrong, though. I do live in a state with brick and mortar banks (Maryland) and I have no ATM usage fee and no foreign transaction charge, that article claims I have both. I do not and I am absolutely sure. I think they may have different rules for their online only accounts, and may have different rules in some states. I don't know, but that article makes a flat statement that you are charged all these fees with anything but an online Cap One bank account, and that isn't the case.

This is the actual Cap One statement for High-Yield Checking. It says no fees if you use a Cap One bank ATM, so it must be referring to areas where they have such things, or that wouldn't make sense. Furthermore, when it answer the FAQs about how you open such an account, one option is clearly to visit a Cap One bank in person

http://www.capitalone.com/checking-a...4%3B16-col%3B1

I think to understand a bank's fees, it is better to go to the bank or bank's website than some webpage written by some outsider like that. They may be good for a guide, but can be wrong.

Kathie

My travel account is through my brokerage, E*Trade.

I have friends who have accounts at credit unions that are similar.

I haven't been charged a fee by an ATM in Europe, but all but one of the Thai banks now charge for ATM use, all of the banks in VN charge, the new ATMs in Burma/Myanmar charge for use. The most common amount charged by the ATMs in these countries is the equivalent of US$5

artsnletters

I bank with Charles Schwab, and I'm happy to sing their praises. They have no fees for any withdrawals anywhere in the world. If the other bank charges fees, Schwab refunds them to me! I believe they have a 1% conversion fee - at any rate it's not 3%.

They have no fee, interest-bearing checking with no minimum balance. They provide postage-free envelopes for mailing deposits, although I just use their mobile banking. The only caveat is that you have to open a brokerage account, but you don't have to fund it - mine has always had a zero balance. They have awesome, awesome customer service. I highly recommend them.

tomboy

"Does anyone know the sister banks of Wells Fargo and Bank of America in Paris?"

Yes, bankers at Wells Fargo and BofA would know. Why not ask them?

Avalon2

I have never been charged a fee for BNP Parabis Atm withdrawal on my B of A account. And there are branches Everywhere so it is not hard to wait until you see a BNP.I pay no fees on my B of A Virgin Atlantic Master Card either for exchange. So don't worry and take the timed to search out other banks while you are busy waiting t leave

topeater

Thanks everyone for all the info. I was trying to remember BNP Parabis which I used a couple of years ago without fees.