We are going to Europe (Italy, France, Spain) in a few weeks and we got an ATM card for the trip. How can we tell if our type of card will be generally accepted? It has PLUS and MAC logos on the card and we have a four digit PIN. Our bank can only tell us that the card "should" work, at weak assurance at best. <BR> <BR>Thanks for your help.

My master card with plus sign worked well in the ATM in Paris and in Italy; however, be aware that some banks charge a $5 service fee for each transaction. We had 2 such cards and one did not charge us anything for ATM, but if I had known about the $5 fee on the other I wouldn't have used it for transactions, or if I had I would have gotten more money each time and made it more practical to use in light of the exchange rate.

When you get to the ATM machine there will be stickers on it which cards they accept. So you need to look for the Plus sign on the machine as opposed to the Cirrus sign for your card to work. <BR> <BR>Your ATM machines at home should have the same signs. <BR> <BR>Was in London in May and all the machines I used had both the PLUS and CIRRUS, don't know if this is common for all of Europe to be on both systems. I know it isn't like that here in Vancouver.

Just returned from Europe, Holland. Belgium France Germany Italy Greece. We exclusively used ATM cards for our cash, and had no problems anywhere as long as the ATM machine had the PLUS logo on it. Our card was from CIBC, but we also used a Visa card. Good luck.

I got the same assuance from my bank. When I was in Paris in 1996, my card did not work, even though the bank said it "should". My cousin was in Austria at about the same time (same bank) and her ATM card didn't work either. This time the bank said that although the ATM card "should" work, that I would be better off getting a check card with a VISA logo. Does your ATM card have a VISA or MC logo? Does anyone know if that makes a difference?

Being kind of obsessive/compulsive, I have been tracking down the answer to this question myself after my bank ALSO said "It should work". <BR>Apparently, a four digit PIN is a MUST and you need to find out exactly which type of machine your card works for (mine ONLY works with Cirrus). <BR>Do not fall for banks telling you that six digit pins work- they rarely,if ever do. it's also a good idea to take along a second card as the machines seem to have a tendency to eat cards more readily over in Europe. This is a reason to use the atm's when the banks are OPEN so you can get your card back (unlike after hours). <BR>Chase seems to have a good card with a 4 digit pin which is accepted in most places. <BR>Fleet does not offer 4 digit pins. Their smallest pin is six digits and they will try and tell you that this "should work" fine. <BR>Each bank has their own ATM departments which can help you with the type of machines you should use for your card as well as an fees you might incur along the way....just go there and have them call their atm department- in front of you. <BR>Hope any of this helps...I'm gonna find out first hand in about a month myself. <BR>[email protected]

Please post your experiences when you return to help the rest of us! Thanks!

Kathy: <BR>There is some useful information in my post. It is unnecessary in this or any other forum to take a "tone" with people who are trying to be helpful. <BR>Why don't you try re-reading some of the information offered as when you arrive in europe...it is too late to accomplish many of these suggestions. <BR>

PAM........ ATTITUDE ATTITUDE , nothing was said to warrant your attack

Pam, my only "attitude" was that of desperation! I really ended up with some problems in 1996 and am hoping for info from someone who has "been there", instead of my bank's assurances, which in the past have not been reliable.

Pam - I have a Fleet card and a four digit pin. <BR> <BR>Have had it for years. <BR> <BR>They assured me that it would work - if it doesn't I'm going to be in deep trouble. <BR> <BR>Donna

Fleet does not issue 4 digit pins ANY LONGER. If you have one, it will work only on cirrus machines. <BR>Pam

Kathy: all's forgiven LOL <BR>Pam

During our trip to France this spring, one of our ATM card did not work inspite of "should work" nonsenses by the bank. Luckily, we did not trust the bank and had two other back up cards. <BR> <BR>For those who happen to have a right setup, ATM seems to be trouble free way to get cash, but after much little and large problems, I now know that there are quite many things that have to be correct for the ATM cards to work in Europe. <BR> <BR>6-digit vs 4-digit pin. There apparently are such rare machines in Europe that take 6-digits. Unless one wants to look for those, one should have 4-digit pins. <BR> <BR>Multiple account. Again there are rare machines in Europe that ask which account to get cash from. Unfortunately run of the mill machine can withdrawl from one type of account. But which one? It is not primary vs secondary. Checking vs saving. After much interrogation at the bank after our mishap, I found out that the only transaction the foreign machine was doing was DDA type (don't know what DDA stands for.) USUALLY, this points to the checking account, but you are at the mercy of whoever sets up your account. If your ATM is linked to one checking account, "usually" this is done correctly. Even if the ATM card is linked to only one account, if it is not setup as an DDA account, ATM would not work, that was the explanation we got from our bank, after the fact. <BR> <BR>ATM network: You need PLUS or CIRRUS card if you are from the US. Most ATMs I have seen in Europe belong to both. I have encountered few in small village that belong to PLUS or CIRRUS, but not both. It is best to carry one of each. <BR> <BR>My advise; suspect what bank is saying; protect yourself by carrying both PLUS and CIRRUS cards; carry multiple cards of same account so even if the ATM swallows one card, other card "should" be still usable "another should work I have yet tried."

Thanks to all who responded w/ advice. It is too late for us to apply for another ATM card as backup, so we will rely on a combination of our PLUS ATM and traveler's checks. Your advice is GREATLY appreciated. I will let you know of our ATM experiences upon our return. <BR> <BR>Pat

Thought y'all might want to know: <BR>I just called Fleet to get a ATM PIN number for my credit card. (I am aware of the outrageous charges for the use of a credit card for cash, but I wanted it for emergency use only.) Surprisingly, I got a FOUR digit PIN number!

Thats a great idea. I am going to call my Visa and American Express to get PIN numbers as an emergency backup to my ATM card. <BR> <BR>Thanks. <BR> <BR>

All of the ATM machines routinly run our of money in Venice on weekends. We really had to hunt for one off the beaten track.