ATM surcharges

[farfaraway]

Anybody know what kind of ATM surcharges there are in Europe when you use a debit card to get cash? Are there things like surcharges when you use debit/credit cards to buy train tickets etc.? I'm trying to budget! thanks guys!

[omisan]

It mostly depends on the vendor. Most banks charge a small fee for debit card purchases (pricing structure varies whether it's done as a PIN-based or Visa/MC transaction), and it's up to the vendor whether or not they want to pass on the cost as a fee...

[foofiter]

Best bet is to ask your bank. Most ATMs in Europe will not charge you a fee to withdraw. Your bank, on the other hand, may charge you for using an ATM that they do not own. As far as debit charges thru visa/mc omi is right. Some merchants pass the fee onto you. I found that most train stations eat the fee just like here in the USA.

Foo

[TheWills]

One thing you really wanna do is go to your bank and ask them if they have any partners in Europe, for example my bank is a partner with DeutscheBank so I dont get dinged a fee at all if I use DB If I use any other bank its 5 dollars per withdrawl......ouch!!!!

Or you can ask them if there is a plan you can set up like you pay a flat rate of 25 dollars a month for example and then take out as much cash as you want thats what my buddy is doing over here cause before he called the bank and straightend it out he would pay 3 dollars per withdrawl again that adds up!

You also probably wont be able to use your debit card to purchase stuff from vendors, my mate tried it a couple times but it wont go through so your gonna probably have to carry cash all the time!

good luck though
wills

[thekid]

im in europe right now and all i have been doing is takeing out large amounts of cash from the tellers. my bank charges $5 for each withdrawl, so i just take out enough to last a while. the debit card doesnt usually work at the shop but any type of credit card will, just make sure you pay your bills.

[rugbyrne@hotmail.com]

I just called up washington mutual (in california). They charge $3 per foreign atm use (in addition to what the european bank charges) and don't partner with any bank overseas. The operator told me you can use your your debit card without charge at say a restaurant, but perusing these emails it doesn't seem there are too many places thatt will accept them. Good Luck...the rule of thumb seems to be: nothing to excess. I'm planning on a bit of traveller's cheques, use my atm for larger amounts of money that I'll use carrying around (and ask my hotel/ hostel where I might get the best atm conversion rates) , a little bit of credit card purchase and perhaps a bit of winky-wink barter/exchange.

[omisan]

I have WaMu and get the foreign ATM charge, but luckily, I have yet to encounter an ATM in Europe (or anywhere else outside the US, for that matter) that has dinged me for using their machines. Perhaps it's a courtesy for foreign users, as I've noticed Barclays Bank ATMs have signs on them that claim no-fees for out-of-network users.