Updated ATM info for Greece and Turkey
 

The last time this topic was discussed on these forums was in 2011, so maybe things have changed, and I'd be interested in any updates.

It looks as though (but I cannot be too sure) that BofA still has no partner alliance in either Greece or Turkey. I only have BofA and Chase.

What debit cards have you used for ATMs where you have found you do NOT have a fee for using an ATM in Greece or Turkey?

Charles Schwab & Capital One

I use my credit union ATM and credit card when traveling in Europe.

My credit union charges only the 1% Visa conversion fee on the ATM card.

Are conventional, magnetic strip only (no 'chip'), _Debit_ cards still OK to use in Greek ATMs ?

What about mag stripe _Credit_ cards in shops & hotels?
My preferred CC provider, CapitalOne (1% cash rebate & no exchange fees!) told me they are _Not_ presently offering 'chipped' credit cards.

I discovered that with Eurobank in Greece they are starting to jump on the DCC band wagon for the unwary. That becomes one of the questions (convert to your currency) and you have to decline. It becomes a bit of a process (are you SURE?!?) and takes a lot longer to make the transaction.

I am also seeing DCC at ATMs as well. At machined I dealt with, they phrased the instructions in such a way to make it look like DCC was the only option available. You have to read the instructions very carefully to detect this scam. And if you choose the non-DCC option button, that does not look like an option, they present you with an intimidating warning that if you choose local currency, all the evils in the world will fall on you.

It may not work well in greece, but I am currently in Norway and have not once gone to an ATM or have I gotten local currency. I've just paid for everything with Chase Visa card. Would that work?

Chase Visa card will give you a card with a chip which makes it very convenient to bypass ATM s completely.

Nanabee, is your Chase Visa card one of the upscale ones, named for a jewel, like "Diamond" or "Sapphire"... where you have to spend a whole bunch, and maybe an annual fee, and then you get special amenities?? If so, you are OK using it for everything; you won't pay extra.

However, for most of us with "garden-variety" no-fee Visas, it's different. In the USA, if you pay the whole amount owed every month, there is NO fee for card use.

In Europe, on such "regular" Visa cards & Mastercards, every single charge on that card, they add 3% (THREE) on. Doesn't sound like much, but $1,000 worth of charges = $30. And some people run up charges of $5000 in course of 2 weeks just for hotels ... and that's $150. Why do they do this abroad, and not at home? Because they can.

Another issue w credit cards in Greece -- OK in upscale restaurants & hotels... but that cute little taverna at a hidden beach, with 4 tables, is not going to take a credit card. Neither do the wonderful little hotels where I stay, right on a beach, 10-12 rooms €30 in May-June.

Of course, the banks get you coming or going. If you shun the credit card, and use ATMs you pay too. Greek ATMs charge no fees -- any fee comes from your own bank, back in US, UK or Canada. The big banks (chase, wellsfargo, B of A etc) charge a transaction fee of $5 PLUS 3% of whatever amount you withdraw... unless you have some special deal for having a premium level account.

Adrienne & Michael (above) are the smart ones; they use credit union ATM cards -- only the 1% that Visa/Master charges everyone for converting. And now credit unions all over US are available to the public, not just to employees. I'm a retiree, I use one avaiable to any resident of Pennsylvania.

Just spent 10 days in Santorini, Mykonos and Athens. Used ATM card at BANK ATM machines several times and no DCC and no fee (using my Cap One Card Linked To My Checking account.)

To my knowledge, no debit/ATM cards issued by US bank has chip, those are credit cards. And NEVER get cash using credit card unless you have no alternative.

latest news 1/2 of all US debit/credit machines will be able to take chip and pin by the end of 2015

Right, DebtNM, you're another smart traveler. Aside from credit unions, online Capital One is another fee-free way to go ... many travelers get that card specifically for their trips.

Piraeus Bank & Geniki Bank ATMs offer DCC so watch out on those, as stated, read carefully before pressing any buttons!

I think you are confused about the topic, it is your ATM card/bank that determines your fee, so whether it is in Greece or France is irrelevant as it depends on your bank.

If an ATM fee were charged to everyone in Greece/Turkey, then the brand of your card would be irrelelvant. And apparently no one has said anything like that.

So why use terms related to which card doesn't have a fee in Greece?

There are some countries I found out recently where the ATMs charge every foreign card a fee -- Mexico. It wasn't just one bank, either, and it wasn't DCC, as I still was getting peso. They just charge about a 2.5% fee to every foreign card. For all I know, it was any card that didn't belong to their bank network, even Mexican, I have no idea, but I haven't encountered that in any other country in North America or Europe.

Christina, there are a few cards that have "partner banks" in Europe/Greece that do not charge a transaction fee IF you use only the ATMs of their Greece partner ... however, this proves to be very limiting, because often there is only a "partner" ATM in Athens and maybe Santorini and/or Thessaloniki. I think Citibank may be one like that.

The Original poster has B of A & Chase NO partner deals. If she wants to avoid costs, she needs to read the above advice and get a Capital One debit card or a credit union ditto. That's it.

Ah yes, Surfergirl, we were "unwary" (clueless!) in Scotland, having never run across that DCC question before and being totally confused by it, and so it cost us, even when using the B of A partner bank! :(

Just to give an idea as to how much selecting DCC will cost you. I got 300 euros from a Piraeus Bank ATM. The DCC option would have been just a few pennies over $400 with an exchange rate of 1.33+. When I declined DCC, the machine warned me in red letters that I wouldn't know what rate I was going to get and I had to again decline DCC.

When I got home I checked my bank statement and see that the 300 euros cost me $377.82 which was a difference of $23.

$23 extra isn't going to ruin a vacation but still it's $23.

I know what the OP has, she specifically said she had no partner banks in those countries, so that's why I answered the way I did. Besides, she specifically asked for the brand names of other debit cards, she didn't ask what banks to use. I can read.

Let me clarify. I did get a Citibank card because they have citibanks in Athens. If you have a debit card without a partner bank, you generally get charged a fee at the ATM . . . around $5.00. We found, however, that using Eurobank in Greece, they have the DCC option, which they don't call it that, but, yes, when you decline that, you get the "are you sure you want to do this you stupid fool" question, and it's posed in such a weird way that mistakes happen. My poor husband went bonkers after declining and getting the message and accidently hit "no" meaning yes, he'll take the DCC and, needless to say, that little mistake cost us $15.00. He was so pissed about it.

It's kind of like going to the ballot box where No means Yes.

I also discovered with another friend who I went to the ATM with in Athens, that at another ATM (not Eurobank) her refusal (or declining) caused the machine to refuse the transaction entirely.