I just read on a trip advisor post that they are limiting foreigners' withdrawal at ATM machines to R$300 per day. Is this true? Does anyone know anything about this. It used to be R$1000.

I'm in Brazil right now and the max I could take from a random ATM was 800 BRL. Prior to this successful withdrawal, my bank blocked previous attempts and I had to contact them to lift it. This has never happened to me before, including previous trips to Brazil--so I suspect they have new restrictions in place, which may take different forms with different banks,

"Just read"? When was this post dated? There hasn't been any post recently on the subject, afaik, with current info, only from well before the World Cup iirc.

Also ATMs in Brazil are erratic at best. I have withdrawn at one without problem and the next time, it rejects my card entirely, then is OK with it again. No logic or "restrictions" to it. So while some ATMs may indeed have had restrictions imposed by a certain Brazilian bank, that's not always the problem. And ATMs in certain locations have had limits after a certain hour(as supposed theft protection), but this is not new, except maybe to those new to Brazil (inc. some of the WC visitors).

I did not have this problem while I was in Brazil last year. Called Citibank, which I use at home, to notify them I will be in Brazil and used their branches in both Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Thanks! I'm here now and was able to draw R$780 at the airport in Sao Paulo. Am in Salvador and haven't tried yet. Will know tomorrow.

I spent 2 weeks in Brazil in June and had the most difficult time trying to get $ out of an ATM machine. I notified my bank (Bank of America, so this was no rinky-dink bank) before I left as I usually do. I tried a total of 6 different banks and was denied from all of them. I wound up cashing in the few US dollars I had. When I returned home I contacted BofA and complained. They had a record of all of my attempts and said that they approved the transactions but it was the local bank that denied them. I do not have a chip in my card and they thought that was the reason. Evidently, Brazil has experienced a lot of ATM fraud and now require that all cards have the chip. My bank sent me a new card with the chip.
As for limits - I don't know since I never got that far in the process.
My advice to you is to contact your bank before you leave and make sure your card has the chip.

Good luck!! Brazil was beautiful!!!