My local Chase bank charges $3.50 for an ATM withdrawel of foreign currency no matter what the amount and if one has enough of a combined balaance to be a "Select"customer there is no charge. (This in answer to a posting way up above).

When I return from a foreign trip I calculate the rate for both ATM and CC (now with the 3%)and have been surprised that the CC came out slightly ahead. But when I look at the outcome of other methods of exchange the ATM and the CC are so much more advantageous that this whole thread is totally academic.

Okay, I've cooled off a bit. Thanks for all the inputs and suggestions. It really does pay to read the fine print.

degas, no offense, but you wouldn't have needed to read the fine print, if you read the posts on Fodors. I'm surprised with the time you spend here you've never seen any of the hundreds of posts ranting about these charges!