Lee

<BR>I was planning on jumping into the modern age and travelling with just my bank cards and Visa this trip. My bank is advising me to stick to the tried and true method of using travellers cheques. They have had people reporting problems with ATM's. The machine cancels their transactions and then when they get home, they find the amount has been deducted from their account after all. Has anyone had this problem? <BR>Thanks for any help.

anne

The only problem we've ever had in frequent travels to Europe each year is when one ATM won't accept our card, so we just find another. It's still the best way to access funds. Haven't travelled with Travellers Checks in years. I used to take some along "just in case", but over and over again I didn't need them.

Lee

Hi Lee from another Lee, You didn't mention where you were travelling to so I can't be specific...but we recently spent a lot of time overseas. We had very little trouble in Italy, Portugal or France with ATM's. The trick is to ensure that you know in advance which bank in the country of your destination offers access to the card you have. For example the Bank of Naples (found everywhere in Italy) did offer access to the system our card uses (Interac) but not all banks did. Also, in Florence we noticed that ATM's were not open late at night (a security precaution?) Additionally, the Italian system only accesses one kind of account and I forget whether it is savings or checking as we made sure we had a balance in both before we left. As an aside, MY bank tried to sell us travellers checks before we left. My brother-in-law travelled with us and had been persuaded to buy them by his bank. They were a pain the neck as in Italy banks have odd hours and are very security conscious, a combination that had our little family grouping waiting outside in the hot sun on numerous occassions as only one person at a time is allowed through security doors. Also you MUST show your passport to cash a travellers check and therefore carry it on you (not the wisest move in Naples and some points on the Adriatic near Bari.) When we examined statements on hour return they were in order and had the appropriate exchange rates. In short our ATM experience was positive with only a couple of (out of order) experiences in England, Scotland, Italy and Portugal, but do your homework on your particular card and destination first.

herself

Never had a problem. As long as you have an ATM card that in linked to your checking account and have a four degit code. (My son had a problem in England a few years ago because his ATM was linked to his savings account, he called home, I went to the bank and had his checking account linked to the ATM card and presto, he not longer was broke.) Love this magic.

Kris

Lee, we never had a problem until our most recent trip to Portugal. When our ATM card didn't work at one bank, we thought we'd find another. After several attempts we realized that all of the machines were linked in one network and we weren't getting moeny that way (BTW, the card had expired so check your expiration date, oddly enough it worked in Spain and the US). We've never had the problem you've described. <BR> <BR>We always use our ATM card when traveling along with our Visa card for larger purchases. In Portugal, I wished that I had a backup-a couple of travelers checks or at least a PIN for my Visa in case I needed a cash advance.

elvira

There were messages in an earlier posting about withdrawals being charged to an account, eventhough the ATM denied the withdrawal and the user received no money. I've never experienced that, but I do mark down in a notepad all my withdrawals (date, location, amount, and if I had any trouble). So far, it's been unnecessary, but I still do it. <BR> <BR>If your ATM card is also a debit card (Visa or MC), almost every machine will take your card. If it is strictly a bank card, then you'll need to find a machine that matches the logos on the back of your card. <BR> <BR>Sometimes an ATM is broken, or out of money (it happens even here in the U.S.), so just find another one. <BR> <BR>You can also use debit cards at cambions and with a bank teller; I don't know if that holds true for bank cards. <BR> <BR>On our trip to Morocco, we used ATMs everywhere; in Europe, they are as prevalent as in the U.S. Be aware of a couple costly matters: ATMs often charge to use them - the screen will usually tell you the amount and ask if you want to continue; your bank may charge a fee if you use an ATM not in their system - ask your bank if you don't know for sure; banks are charging anywhere from 1-3% to do currency exchange - ask your bank what the vig is, and see if you can negotiate it either down or away. <BR> <BR>

Mike

Lee, on a recent trip to Paris (last week of July), I did experience quite a few ATM problems. They were absolutely sporadic, so that some mornings or afternoons, I couldn't get any Bank's ATMs to provide cash, while a few hours later, they would suddenly work. ATMs are everywhere in Paris, so that's not a problem, but connecting back to Canada (in my case) seemed to be sporadic. As a result, I would bring some emergency cash with you, but not necessarily any travellers cheques. <BR> <BR>Mike

betsy

We had no problems at all with our bank ATM in London, France, Belgium and Germany earlier this summer. We took along traveler's checks as a backup but never needed them. <BR> <BR>I have heard that banks in the US can sometimes go off-line during the night to do accounting. This may contribute to the sporadic problems that some people report.

Lee

<BR>I'd like to thank everyone for all the feedback on ATM's. I think I will jump into the modern age and forget about travellers cheques. But I will keep a log of the time and location of each transaction.

Marilyn

Lee: <BR>I know you've made your decision. Let me make another comment to support it. We were in France in May. As it happens, we left just as they were having ATM problems because the people who transported money to the banks were on strike. (We didn't even know it was going on until we got home and I read it on this site.) Anyway, we also brought Travelers Cheques (in French francs) as backup. We hadn't used them in years. We found that many places wouldn't even take them. Also, when we went into a bank to cash them we were charged a rather hefty fee. We will never bother with Traveler's Cheques again.

Brian in Atlanta

Lee, if you're heading to Belgium, be warned that there is not a choice of machines, they are all the same. So if for some unknown reason your card doesn't work in one (as happended to us this May), you're out of luck until you leave the country.

Lee

<BR>Thanks again folks! I have obtained three different cards from 3 different banks just to be on the safe side. I think I've got myself covered!! <BR>

Brian in Atlanta

3 different cards from 3 different banks? You're not one of those pickpockets we hear so much about, are you? <BR> <BR>Have a good time.

Donna

Lee, <BR>I just came home from Hungary (Budapest/Sopron) and Czech Republic (Prague). My ATM worked everywhere. It was a marvelous way to travel. Take a look on the back of your ATM card, then look at the ATM machine to see if the links correspond (just like in the US). The only thorn in my side was my American Express card. LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!