We need advice on using an ATM debit card for cash in Paris and Italy in 1998. Are American bank cards readily accepted for cash withdrawals where we are traveling (Paris and Italian lakes)? Is there a typical limit on the amount of cash that can be withdrawn per transaction or per day? How much US cash or travelers cheques should we take as a backup? Any assistance from your experience is greatly appreciated!

We used our ATM in Paris and Bordeaux when banks were closed and we needed money. They took our Visa/Mac card just fine. There was a $2 surcharge each time which we were not aware of, but the exchange rates applied were not bad at all.

I don't know about daily withdrawal limits, but I certainly think an ATM card is the way to go if you are visiting large cities in Europe. I've skipped travellers checks entirely the last three times I've visited Paris & Frankfurt...I dont miss them at all!
With an ATM card you get a better rate and you can withdraw $$$ any day or any time of day. In Paris especially, when you find yourself running low on cash in the evenings.....

Have used an ATM card extensively in Paris and all over Italy. Have never run into a surcharge, just the usual $1 which our local bank charges any time you withdraw money from a bank other than their's - just as in the States. The only limit would be whatever your bank limits you to here in the States. If you go over, you just get the message to try again, requesting a lesser amount of money. As the above postings already stated, the ATM is the only way to go for convenience as well as economy as you get the commercial rate of exchange, not what the money changers are charging to cover their profit. When one advertises "NO COMMISSION" you can be sure the rate of exchange they are using is considerably higher than the commercial rate.

I agree with the other responses re using your atm card-it's convenient, the exchange rate is good and they are everywhere. I did have a funny experience in Paris last year - I went to use the atm machine and when I went to punch in the PIN number there were no letters on the keyboard-it was not alpha numeric! Needless to say, I remember my PIN number by using a 4 letter word! Anyway, I went to another machine and again no letters, so I figured it out, hoping that the machine wouldn't keep my card because I used an incorrect number! Have a great trip!

For Americans traveling to Europe, ATMs (and credit cards,) are the only way to go. With travelers checks you have three problems--a lot of places just won't take them; you almost always get a lousy exchange rate; and, lots of banks and hotels impose a service charge in addition to the bad rate. (The largest bank in Toledo, Spain has a fifteen dollar minimum service charge!!)

When you buy with a credit card, you are going to get the so-called 'million dollar' exchange rate--the same one you see in the newspaper. With many GOLD or Amex cards, you have added free protection if the goods are broken in transit, lost or stolen, or in some cases misrepresented. (There was a great report in Conde Nast Traveler about Amex refunding about $3,000. someone paid for an antique that turned out to be a cheap copy.) Call the 800 number on your card before you leave the US to see what benefits you have and if you have to register purchases, etc.

If you're paranoid about charging things, or if you have an low credit limit (you can often call ahead and have it raised just for your trip,) you can still use your card by sending the card company a payment the day you leave the US equal to what you expect to charge on the card, even though you don't owe them anything! This way, you are spending your own money just like a bank card, no interest, no over-balance problem.

For cash, an ATM is best because charge cards usually have a 'cash advance fee.' (Find out what it is--if it's a flat $2-$5 per transaction, it is probably still MUCH LESS than changing money at a supposedly 'no fee' cambio that pays a lousy rate.)

If you intend to give a particular ATM or credit card a lot of use while on vacation, it wouldn't hurt to call the 800 number on the card and ask that they put a note on your record that you will be on vacation, what country or countries you will be visiting, and that you will have ‘unusual' activity on the card. This will keep them from questioning charges that may ‘trip' the computer to check for possible fraud. (If you use your card abroad regularly, this probably isn't necessary.) Unusual patterns of use bother some companies, especially AMEX, it seems.

BEWARE OF WHAT MACHINE YOU PUT YOUR CARD IN!! While there are thousands of real ATMs all over Europe, (even the Netherlands finally has them,) there are also 'cash advance terminals' owned by moneychangers, not banks. THESE CAN IMPOSE LARGE FEES AND GIVE YOU A BAD EXCHANGE RATE. When checking a machine, you DON'T want one that says CAMBIO or EXCHANGE or CHANGE in whatever local language. You want the same kind of bank machine that 'locals' in that country use for their everyday transactions. Look for the name of a bank on the machine and see if the machine ONLY dispenses cash (bad sign,) or has facility for making deposits (not that you want to,) just like ATMs in the US do.


PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK: You ask for money in the local currency (francs, etc.,) not dollars. The local currency will come out, not dollars. The maximum will be about the amount that is equal to your maximum in US currency. That is, if your limit is a withdrawal of three hundred dollars, a machine in France will let you take out about three hundred dollars worth of francs.

At foreign ATMs, you will be dealing with the machine in English. When you insert the card, you will be asked to pick a language by touching a 'flag' on the screen. For English in Europe/Africa/Middle East, just touch the United Kingdom (British,) flag. Sorry if you're xenophobic, they usually don't show the US flag, except in North, Central & South America.

Your bank may impose a fee for using a foreign ATM. (Don't let them tell you its a network charge--everything over about fifty cents your own bank is setting, charging and keeping. Ask before you go. A few lousy banks, charge as much as five dollars. (But, once again, even at this usurious level, it may still be a bargain.) Most banks charge about $1.50 per transaction. Always withdraw the largest amount you will spend in the particular country as a single transaction--don't make lots of small withdrawals! (If good friends are traveling together, use one card in one country, another card in the next, and share the money.) This will keep the 'per transaction' fee a small percentage. If you withdraw four hundred dollars worth of currency and pay $1.50, that is well less than one half of one percent (even $5. is just over one percent,) and using the machine will save you from the four to nine percent average loss in changing money at a lousy rate.

ABOUT YOUR PIN NUMBER: Be sure you know what your pin is in numerals, not letters. In the US, the letters you use are based on the numbers on a phone dial--in other countries, the letters may be based on a keypad that has letters in different places. Letters then correspond with other numbers (in US, A-B-C-D is 2-2-2-3, in France its 1-1-1-2) Don't try to figure this out--just learn your PIN in numbers before you leave the US. Also, many European ATMs will not accept a pin of more than four numerals. If yours is longer, contact your bank and have it changed, AT LEAST TWO WEEKS AHEAD OF TIME--try out the new one before you leave the US. If you have trouble using a particular ATM, don't try it more than twice. The last thing you want is to have the machine eat your card Go to another machine. If you have no luck with machines, you can usually get cash from a bank teller with your credit card. Just as here, don't give the teller or anyone else your PIN number.

Changing money "back" or to another currency always costs you money. If you have extra currency when leaving a country, pay part of your hotel bill in cash instead of putting it all on your credit card. (Be sure to get receipt and check how much they are putting on your card.) If you have an American Express card, you can take any extra currency to their office (they have one in all large European cities,) and pay it towards your next bill. This way you lose nothing in the exchange.

If your ATM card is good on the "CIRRUS" network (look at the card and look at the machine you use at your own bank for their logo,) you can call 1-800-cirrus from the US to find out what machines will take your card in a particular country, but, there are so many thousand machines that take these cards these days, the knowledge is more comforting than truly being informative. Cards on the PLUS network are also widely accepted in Europe, but, I've never found a phone number to call them at.
-----Bob Kavin