yet another ATM card question
 

being a relentless planner (or paranoid), I'm wanting to have a spare, duplicate backup ATM card when I visit Greece next month. <BR> <BR>problem is, my bank's policy (Wells Fargo in Calif) is NOT to issue 2nd, duplicate cards to the original card holder. A family member can be issued a spare card, but Bank will not allow "under age 18" people onto checking accounts (my son is 16 yr old). <BR> <BR>So, ... <BR> <BR>1) has anyone REALLY had their ATM card damaged or "eaten" by a european ATM machine?? <BR> <BR>2) I am allowed to open a bank savings account for my 16 yr old, with ATM card, but have heard that european ATMs may not necessarily allow access to "saving" accounts, only "checking" accounts. <BR> <BR>Is this true?

Hi. I am just back from Italy and my experience was that ATMs did not give any choice of which account to withdraw money from. I don't believe that I missed this because of a different language, as the ATMs were very simple to use and often had English text. <BR>I am assuming that the money was indeed withdrawn from my checking account, though I have to wait until my statement arrives to find out for sure! But it seems that if your bankcard is only for a savings account it should allow you to access it; don't know why it would recognize a difference. <BR>Good luck! And, enjoy Greece!

ATM cards that are just for savings accounts work fine. I have a couple and haven't has problems in Europe. <BR> <BR>If you can't get your second card, why not open another account? Look at www.citifi.com (CitiBank); they have a high-interest money market account that comes with an ATM card, and you are refunded up to 4 ATM access charges per month.

We have never had a problem with ATMs eating cards. however, not all ATMs accepted all cards. We usually take two, one a Cirus, ona Plus. This way we are sure to be able to acess without looking for the right one. We found our Merrill Lynch card to be the best and they give at least a dozen or more accesses without a fee. <BR>Just remember to keep the cards in a secure place. I kept mine in a money pocket that attached to my belt by a loop inside my shorts.

I don't think it's a matter of not allowing access to savings accounts, it's simply that the ATM card will access whichever acct is designated as the default or primary acct; if it's only a savings acct, that will be it. However, you won't get a choice as you do with many US ATMs, that's all, so you can't switch between various accounts. I think you're going a little overboard in the complications and time you're spending on this, unless you plan to be gone a very very long time. Otherwise, a credit card can be used to get cash as a backup if you really lost your ATM card (yes, I know, you'll pay more plus interest, but you will get cash)--you only need cash for walking around money anyway, so you shouldn't need that much. Wouldn't it be easier to take $500 in travelers' checks or something as a backup just in case? I have AAA so they are completely free, anyway, so it would seem the easiest solution for a backup money plan--if you don't use them, so what, just return them to your bank and cash them in when you get home. Going through the trouble to open a second banking acct (which will forever take up your time and attention) for a short trip seems overkill. Anyway, yes, I had a machine eat my ATM card in Prague, but luckily after 10 min of trying and some guy coming out of the place it was attached to to help, I got it back, but it was very close and I was afraid to use it again so I didn't in Prague. This didn't bother me in the slightest as you get the same rate for TCs in Prague as you get with your ATM card (with no fee). I think people are getting a little carried away with the idea of refusing to have any cash sources except ATM cards when traveling. As I said, my solution seems simplest, no cost and takes no time, but your solution to open separate accounts, etc, is certainly feasible.

Traveled to London last month and somehow, my ATM card was demagnetized the first day. I've carried the card for years and have never had any problems with it, but someone mentioned that the Tube card may have been the culprit. <BR> <BR>Anyways, having an additional source of cash like traveler's checks is not a bad idea. Just like the above post said, I'd rather not deal with yet another account (my husband is an account junkie--13 accounts!)..if you don't ever have to use your tc, then no biggie--use them at home. If you do--so what, you've lost a bit on the exchange, but won't you be glad you had them??? <BR> <BR>BTW, when my ATM card went dead, my hub used his with a 5-digit pin code and it worked!!!