Using ATMs in Rome/Athens
 

My teenage daughter will be traveling with a group to Rome and Athens next week.

Regarding using ATMs there - are the screen instructions available in English or do we need to brush up on the local phrases (if so, advice?)?

Also, do the stores accept debit cards (Bank of America) or only credit cards?

Thanks for any help.

I've seen screens in 4 languages in every non-native English speaking country I've been to. The language screen is at the beginning of the process. The ATM machines work much the same way they work here. Your daughter should not have any problems.

I can't answer the debit card question as I only use debit cards to get cash, not for purchases.

You'll be offered the chance to do your ATM transaction in several languages. You may have to select the Union Jack for English if the screen shows national flags rather than words. (It is nice to see ATMs in the U.S. now offering multiple languages too, as European banks have done for years.)

If the debit card has a visa/mc logo it should work for purchases as well as ATM withdrawals. But purchases with the debit card incur the same 3% surcharge that credit card transactions do; ATM withdrawals are usually at 1% -- this all depends on your bank, not the European one.

I just realized that you use BoA debit card. I believe they add a hefty charge for ATM use. There have been some threads on this board about using particular banks to avoid this fee such as Parabas in France. Search on Bank of America to find some of these threads.

BofA charges $5 flat fee for using debit/ATM cards at other bank ATM's in Italy, and there are no BofA or partner bank ATMs you can use for free - it's part of the cost of banking these days. There is also a 1% foreign currency exchange fee charged by the Visa co (the ones who process the Euro - dollar conversion.) Even with the 1% fee it's the cheapest way to get Euros, so don't fret it.

There are some banks and credit unions that don charge ATM fee (the BofA $5) or pass on the 1% fee but they are in the minority. If you have a credit union card, or an account with a brokerage such as Schwab or ETrade, check with them. $5 at a pop can add up, especially if your daughter does numerous small withdrawals.

My experience with a BofA card is exactly as J62 says. We just planned ahead and made a few larger withdrawals, rather than several smaller withdrawals.

I wouldn't use the debit card, because of the steeper fees. We rarely used our credit card at all. We paid for nearly everything in cash.

In Rome the ATM's are everywhere, not as easy in Athens. Credit cards a must.

Here's a list of the European BoA headquarters. I couldn't find a list of local branches from the BoA web site (bofa.com). Perhaps you can contact them for branch locations. Apparently the BoA bank names in Europe begin with BNP.

http://corp.bankofamerica.com/public...s/emea/contact

I found the part of the site that shows where you can use your BoA ATM card w/o fees and Greece and Italy are not included in the network.

Traveling Internationally?

Use your ATM card or Check Card within our Global ATM Alliance in the countries shown with no fees.

Barclays (United Kingdom)
BNP Paribas (France)
China Construction Bank (China)
Deutsche Bank (Germany)
Santander Serfin (Mexico)
Scotiabank (Canada)
Westpac (Australia and
New Zealand)