T. Paul

Hi, I just recieved my Visa check card in the mail, they should also be mailing me my 4-DIGIT # password very shortly. Will this card w/ the cirrus emblem work all over northern europe to allow me to withdraw money? Will it only allow my to withdraw from my checking account with my local bank or maybe from my savings acccount too? I have heard that this is the most efficient <BR>way to withdraw money with also the best exhange rate. Specifically I've about $4,500 available, how much should I also take in travelers checks? Thanks for taking the time to read my post and respond. Best regards.

Katherine

I always take my Visa Debit card and my Master Card Debit card and have had no problems anywhere. Sometimes one doesn't want to work but the other one does. I think it's subject to satellite vagaries. I never bring any travelers checks. I stop at the ATM at the airport and get my first cash and off I go. This has worked for me in Great Britian, France, Italy, Greece, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

michelle

We just got back from Ireland recently where we had no problems using our visa debit card to withdraw funds. It was very convenient as long as we remembered to withdraw enough to tide us over during our stays in the villages where there were no ATMs. We used the debit card to withdraw cash and then used credit cards for most everything else. Happy travels!

wes fowleer

For peace of mind you might want to get $100.00 in travelers checks in American dollar denominations. If you don't use them you can deposit them back in your bank account. Withdrawals via ATM card will be made from your checking account, not your bank account.

michelle

forgot one thing -- we were only able to access our checking account, so be sure to transfer any funds you want to have available while traveling from savings to checking before you go.

david

bring at least 2, preferrably 3 debit cards. during a 3 week trip various cards didn't work for various reasons. sometimes banks put a hold on a card if they notice suspicious activity (like lots of foreign withdrawals in a short period of time. someone told me to alert your card issuer that you would be using it abroad. don't know if this really works.

michelle

forgot *another* thing (you can really tell it's friday!) -- check with your back about foreign ATM fees. Some US banks asses a per-transaction fee for withdrawls outside the US that can really add up. Also, some banks monitor purchasing habits and will temporarily block the account if there is suspicious and/or unusual spending activity (as a protection against card fraud). Before I traveled to Ireland, I just rang the bank and informed them of my travel dates so they wouldn't block the card during those times.

Bob Brown

I think you made a wise move. I carry both my check (debit) card and a standard ATM card, plus two credit cards of different issues. I ALSO take a few hundred dollars in travelers checks. I have had to use all of my tools at one time or the other. <BR>Once in Switzerland, the standard ATM card would not work, but the check card did. Another time, the ATM in the Zurich airport was totally down, my train was leaving in a few minutes, and I needed a few Swiss francs. Last year, the waiter in a very small Paris restaurant claimed my tried and true credit card did not work. Fortunately the backup card satisfied him. <BR> <BR> <BR>The episode in the Paris restaurant was almost funny. We suspected that something had gone wrong with the whole credit card authorization process. My wife was in the process of preparing to go to the ATM machine down the street and get paper money. She walked to the door so she could look outside to see where the bank was. I think the waiter thought she was skipping out. I was still there sitting patiently while he dashed about frantically. <BR>I never did quite understand what he was so unhappy about. Afterall, he had me and my other credit card as hostages!! <BR>

Bob

At my bank the debit card and ATM card are one in the same.

sandi

We took our Visa check/debit card w/ us to Italy and used it everyday. The only problem is that someone got ahold of the acct. number, from a transaction at a hotel and emptied our checking acct 3 weeks after we got back. Be careful!

Rich

<BR> <BR>How did they get your PIN? <BR> <BR>Rich

Scottster

Debit cards are very convenient, but they are also a security risk. When paying for purchases in a store, restaurant, etc., identification is rarely asked for. A PIN IS NOT NECESSARY. This means that if a criminal obtains a debit card, he can go to a store and charge thousands of dollars of purchases by simply forging a signature on the credit card slip. Although laws relating to credit cards protect the account holder, laws concerning debit cards are much less strict. Your entire account can be drained (in the U.S. or Europe). You must cancel the card immediately if it is lost or stolen. Although a criminal can't use the card at an ATM without a PIN, they certainly can in a store.

Kathy

<BR>Scott is correct. I avoided getting a debit card for quite awhile until I discovered there are countries where my ATM would not work. Western and Northern Europe should accept everything readily however, I would take at least one or two credit cards also. I have not used travelers checks in twenty years as they are such a pain. And if you get them in the US dollar you may have problems using them.

sandi

Rich, with a check card you don't have to have a pin, or the physical card, to complete a transaction. You can manually enter the card number w/ exp. date etc. into the machine that swipes the card and viola! $3k dollars gone over a weekend. Fortunately, the bank refunded the money and we of course got new cards. Next time, I'll have a seperate acct. just for travel.

Art

I agree with above posters. I only use a credit card for purchases even though I have 2 ATM/debit cards. The problem with the ATM/Debit card as mentioned above is that when you use it as a debit card the security is definitely less. I always take $100 in traveler’s checks and have brought them back for the last 4 years. I then put them away with my passport for the next trip. <BR>I have used them the last few years in Greece, Spain, France, Germany and Portugal with no problems and plan this year to use them in Germany, Poland and Romania. Because of Romania, I may take $200 in traveler’s checks for backup. <BR>Regards, <BR>Art <BR>

Rich

<BR> <BR>Well, I guess I did not read the original post close enough . . thought it was a Debit Card. Had not heard of a Check card. <BR> <BR>Learned something else today . . Rich

z

I learned something too . . if i had acheck card that could be used without the card, I would introduce it to Mr. Shredder.

Martha

I have a similar question about the Visa TravelMoney card - it is a disposable debit card that you can order with a set amount of money on it - there is no link with your bank card. Kind of like a pre-paid phone card, throw it away when you've used up the money. <BR> <BR>I'm thinking of ordering one, but not sure if it will come in time. Anyone have any luck with them? problems?

sandi

The check card acts no different than your regular credit card..except that it comes out of your checking acct...Anyone could get your credit card info w/ exp date and manually enter a transaction without the physical card. Same potential for abuse.