Belgian ATM Experience -- No ATM Error; See Update in September 27 Post within Thread

Thanks for the heads up. As more and more countries go cashless, this could be a reason banks will no longer support ATM's.

Wow, I always think with two debit cards, I’m good. What an aggravation.

In the past, Belgian banks each had their own ATM’s. It wasn’t rare to find 3 or more ATM’s from different banks very close to each other. Back then, all these ATM’s were needed. But when less and less people use cash, fewer ATM’s were needed. But how to decide which bank should keep their ATM and which bank could remove it? To solve this puzzle, banks in Belgium decided to pool their resources. They started a joint venture that now operates the ATM’s on their behalf. So instead of the name of the bank, ATM’s now bear the name Bancontact Cash.
This isn’t a new thing by the way, it was done years ago already. And it isn’t a Belgian thing. The banks in the Netherlands have done the same thing. The started a joint venture called Geldmaat and at the end of 2020 the last bank operated ATM was replaced by a Geldmaat ATM.

Back to your problem. Since this transition isn’t a new thing, I don’t think it’s the reason your card got swallowed. In Belgium and the Netherlands, both debt and credit cards do have an expiration date. This is so cards are up to date with the latest security features.
There should have been a sign on or near the ATM with the 24/7 number to call in case of urgent issues; 078 170 170
Hopefully they’ll be able to help you.

There was a sign, but with a different phone number, which gave me a recording and no way to leave a message.

We used something similar in Bruges with our credit union debit cards and had no problems. My card was brand new, since it had expired over a year ago and I hadn’t noticed until right before our trip, so perhaps that helped.

We actually had a bit of a panic since our B&B was cash only and we hadn’t seen any ATMs as we walked around town (this was the very start of our trip). I finally asked the ticket sellers at one museum if they knew where an ATM was located and they came up blank. “No one uses cash anymore.” I guess this shouldn’t have surprised me since I also had a brand new debit card from our other credit union and I had to request that one since it was expiring and I hadn’t used it for over 2 years so they weren’t going to issue a new one automatically.

My debit cards have always had expiration dates printed on them but they’ve always been credit union cards, not bank cards, so perhaps that makes a difference?

Bummer for you though. :-(

Thanks for the update and sharing your problem as an experienced traveler!

I, too, travel with 2 debit cards and think I am covered but clearly this isn't always the case. I do usually use ApplePay for everything now but I learned from others here to have some cash in case of some kind of power grid issue or other widespread meltdown.

Glad you are at the end of your trip....let us know what transpires!

And Dutch Traveler, thanks for your extra insight as well.

The disappearance of bank ATMs and (slow) replacement by Bancontact has been a political issue in the recent past, especially as some small businesses (such as taxi drivers) still like cash.

I once had a debit card get swallowed by an ATM in Brussels (like, 25 years ago). I ended up contacting the branch of the bank where it happened and they told me that only with a letter from the home branch of my bank in Australia would they give me the card back. Well, Australian banks don't work like that, I had no recollection of where the branch was that I opened my account at. Any bank in Australia has equal status as accounts are managed centrally. Fortunately in those days my parents were able to help me - they went to the local branch in their town and had them fax the Belgian bank with permission to hand it over to me. I have no idea why the card was swallowed but it wouldn't have been due to an expiry date, as that card would still have been valid. I guess sometimes it just happens randomly. Hope you don't have to request your bank to send permission too!

Lavandula

Hm interesting information regarding the Netherlands as well. Last October I tried using both of my debit cards at two different ATMs in Amsterdam and neither worked although my cards were returned. I still had some local currency with me so it wasn’t a major problem. Fortunately we have an excellent currency exchange business in metro Vancouver that we use and I will continue to get my currency before I leave.

“ There was a sign, but with a different phone number, which gave me a recording and no way to leave a message.”

The phone number you saw posted is the phone number for general inquiries, complaints etc.
That’s why this particular number it isn’t answered 24/7.
The number to call in case of urgent matters like a swallowed card, is the number I gave you in my post above; 078 170 170.
I suggest to call them asap, and hopefully they can help retrieve your cards.

I will try that number; thanks for providing it. I'll report back. First attempt, at 08:59 today (Sunday), failed with what seemed the same message I got on the other number, as described in my initial post.

However, the sign prominently posted on the wall opposite the machines indicated the number I used could be called Mon-Sat from 08:00 to 18:00. I didn't notice any other signage, but I could have overlooked it. I was really annoyed because I had already tried two other locations where there were supposed to be ATMs, but were not, and the ATM search (necessary only because the previous night's restaurant couldn't get its card reader to work) was cutting into my sightseeing time.

How are you trying to call the number? And what’s the exact message you get? You mentioned something about Proximus? In that case, it’s probably not a matter of them not being their to answer your call, but rather your call not going thru. Proximus is the name of the largest telecommunications company in Belgium.
You need to add the Belgian country code to the number, which is +32. You also need to remove the first 0.
So the number to call is +32 78 170 170

I just dialed this number from the Netherlands and it worked fine. You first hear a message in French, then one in Dutch and then one in English which tells you to press “3” to continue in English.

+32 78 170 170 is the number of Card Stop. They will just block the further use of your card in our systems, without any further assistance.
Their review score of 1.2 doesn't require any further clarification https://nl-be.trustpilot.com/review/cardstop.be

Debit cards are physically very like credit cards, and have expiration dates on them. Querying the expiration date is one of the ways that card processors determine whether the user probably has the real card in their possession in an online transaction. I have been asked by B of A for the 3-digit security number, in their ATM, in my home town. (Annoying)

The disappearance of bank ATMs and (slow) replacement by Bancontact has been a political issue in the recent past

This actually means it is a non issue.
Correct, you lost your ATM next to your house or hotel, but every belgian citizen will still find a Cash Point within 5 Km of his house. In cities, it's rather within 500 m of distance. To find all ATM's see here https://www.bancontact.cash/en

I have read reporting in the French press over the past 18 months or so about the continued diminution of the number of ATMs in France, too.

Acraven, I am very sorry both of your cards got eaten up !! What a pain. And then the number being completely useless. Thank you for taking time to inform prospective travelers to Belgium of this vexing issue.

What a hassle! And yes, a wasted use of sightseeing time! I plan to be in both countries in April, with a Cap One debit card, so I appreciate the heads up.

(I also recently read something, which I have not researched further, about Cap One debit cards now being through Discover and not working because of that. I put that in the back of my brain to follow up on. I knew Discover bought Cap One, but hadn’t considered the ramifications yet.)

Most US, UK and Australian bank cards will work in Belgium's ATM. Visa and Mastercard are commonly accepted. American Express and Discover are less common.

I heard from an American collegue that Capital One recently changed to the Discover network. No idea if this is the case for you. And apparently Wells Fargo debit cards can still be either a Visa or a Mastercard.

Read also here https://www.bancontact.cash/en/how-use-cash-point

I knew Discover bought Cap One, but hadn’t considered the ramifications yet.)

Its the other way around. CapitalOne bought Discover.
https://investor.capitalone.com/news-releases/news-release-details/capital-one-completes-acquisition-discover

From another source:

Yes, Capital One is transitioning its debit cards from the Mastercard network to the Discover network, a change that began in the second quarter of 2025. While your account number and PIN will remain the same, you will receive a new debit card with a new 16-digit card number, security code, and expiration date. The goal is to strengthen the Discover network after Capital One acquired Discover, and the change is being communicated to customers through notifications about their new cards.

CapitalOne claims it can still be used internationally. Sounds like this is malarkey.

Thanks, Sam. I was backwards.

I still have my current/previous debit card (and it’s working in Romania) but sounds like this will be an issue going forward at some point.

With the Cap One/Discover issue, keep in mind that there are credit networks (Visa/MC/AMEX/Discover/etc) and there are ATM networks (Plus/Star/etc.).

If you have a Cap One debit/checking card, despite being on the Discover network, it may work just fine as an ATM card since it uses the Allpoint ATM network. It may not work for purchases though, since that would default to the Discover network...but many on here do not use a debit card for purchases overseas. I am not sure how widespread Allpoint is in Europe, or if you might have to look a bit to find the "right" ATM, or if they are working with other networks to add capability, but I would have a backup card available.

If you have a Cap One credit card, you might be out of luck.

I am not sure how widespread Allpoint is in Europe

AFAIK Allpoint network only exist in UK (nowhere else in Europe).

If you have a Cap One credit card, you might be out of luck

AFAIK, CapitalOne credit cards are not changing, only the CapitalOne debit cards are being moved to the Discover network.

AFAIK Allpoint network only exist in UK

I'd never heard of them until now. Link is the the name of the main ATM provider in the UK.

AFAIK Allpoint network only exist in UK. I'd never heard of them until now.

100+ locations in London ;-) https://www.allpointnetwork.com/locator

100+ locations in London ;-)

Ah you're right. They do have a few, even near my house. They seem to have that "ATM inside a little grocery store in the hood" market. I wouldn't usually consider using this type of ATM if I could help it.

Link provide the ATM network for all the UK high street banks and any time you see an ATM connected to a Tesco, Sainsburys or one of the other supermarkets, it's going to be a Link machine. That's what most people use.

Sorry, not Belgium.

From what Gerry was saying I was assuming they are the type of ATM which charges you £2 or so per transaction. That may well be so in London. But from the map there are about a dozen near me- I'm pretty sure only one of those (outside the Wetherspoons pub) charges.
That one relies on inebriated customers being unwilling to walk two minutes over the road to the free Allpoint one at Tesco.

I'm pretty sure they are not branded Allpoint.

So I looked at Keswick- the ATM at Booths supermarket is one of theirs. I'm as certain as I can be that is a free one. If not cross over the road to the Co-op supermarket.

Cardtronics ATMs in the UK are on the Allpoint network as they are effectively the same company. They are mainly branded as Cash Zone, although there may be older names still on the machines, as well as those of a host shop. They state they currently have 15k ATMs which makes them the largest operator, some way ahead of NoteMachine.

Dutch_traveler has identified my problem with telephoning: I forgot to delete the leading zero. I travel a lot but almost never need to make a call to a foreign number, so I always Google for instructions. In this case, I obviously didn't read all the way through the instructions. I'll try again tomorrow, using the correct number. My three attempts today failed, obviously.

After I return home, I'll call Capital One and my credit union to see what they say. I'll be checking my mail, too, to see whether I have new cards mailed to me unannounced.

UPDATE: I called again at 11:00 Tuesday, using the correct number with the leading zero deleted. I got the same recording as before, which is from the network provider (Proximus?). I now wonder whether the company's emergency line accepts calls only from local (or European) telephone numbers. I'm using my Google Fi US number because my Belgian eSIM is data-only. The number I dialed: 011 32 78 170 170.

I think I'll go buy a waffle, which will prohably be just as effective at solving this problem as further telephone attempts. I expect to be near the tourist office today and will inform it of my experience.

I talked to someone at the tourist office today. I hope she will get word to the company running Ning the Bacontact machines that there may be an issue withmcard retention and that it's a problem that foreign phones cannot call either of the two telephone numbers previously mentIond in this thread. The T.O. staffer said the (0)78 prefix is like the (0)800 prefix--toll-free but from limited origins.

Of course, if all the (0)32 line is intended to do is block a card, that doesn't seem to be useful for foreign visitors, anyway. I don't see what impact a Belgian card-blocking service would have on my local credit union or even Capital One. I've had to cancel lost credit cards (but never a retained-by-ATM debit card) in the past, and it was very easy to do as long as I had access to a telephone. I bet it's easy to do online as well.

Within a few days I'll be home and able to call both financial institutions to see whether they are behind the confiscation of my cards. I'll report again when I have that information. It would be good news for all travelers at this point to hear that my cards really were not usable when the ATMs swallowed them up.

"....Within a few days I'll be home and able to call both financial institutions to see whether they are behind the confiscation of my cards."

Acraven, how was your story resolved?

Thanks for the follow-up; you saved me from having to dig through the forum to find this thread.

I've updated the title of this thread, because when I went through the huge backlog of mail upon my return, I found two new debit cards. The ATMs in Antwerp didn't malfunction.

There was no prior notification by email or text of the issuance of new cards, just the mailings containing the cards themselves. There were also no separate advance mailings, telling me to watch for cards--not that those would have been helpful in this case. From its position in the box, it appeared the Capital One card must have arrived in very early May, just after I departed for Europe, so not being able to use the old card in September isn't very surprising.

The new credit union card apparently arrived much later. I suspect the credit union de-validated the old card pretty quickly, but I can't be sure because there was no date on the material sent with the new card.

If I'd known new cards were on the way, I'd have made an ATM withdrawal to cover projected needs for the rest of the trip so I'd be reasonably sure of not being caught short. I'm going to follow up with my credit union about their sending out a new card unannounced and de-validating the old one while I was out of the country. It's not worth my time to try to find the right person at a huge company like Capital One to complain to.

Important for Capital One debit card users: There was nothing about reimbursement of ATM fees in the new-debit-card material. I'm almost certain Capital One used to reimburse, but it appears no longer to be doing so when the new card is used.

I'm going to switch my back-up account to Charles Schwab. I believe Fidelity also provides a debit card that reimburses ATM fees to account holders, but at this point I have only its credit card. I'll be adding a Fidelity debit card to my portfolio, having discovered two debit cards don't provide sufficient back-up capability. I've been to countries recently (Albania, North Macedonia, Turkey) where you really do need access to cash.

I've been extremely happy with my Charles Schwab account. It is set up just for travel needs. I've always really appreciated my credit union, still do, for the personal service. That said, when I've had an issue needing attention, Schwab customer service has been impeccable. We've been unlucky with fraud on our account, and Schwab even reimbursed the fees for our credit union card when we needed to resort to that account because the Schwab card was frozen.

One thing we have noticed and it'd be the same with Charles Schwab or any other ATM card, lately it seems the exchange rates can vary a lot between companies . We first noticed this in Istanbul. My husband commented, that yes, the fees were going to be reimbursed but the rate was not even remotely close to the market rate. We didn't obsess over it because we used very little cash in Istanbul. On our most recent trip to England, we didn't even use an ATM.

Thanks for reporting back. Good to read that as it turns out, the ATM’s in Antwerp did in fact function flawlessly when they informed you your cards had expired. What a bummer though that it happened while you were on holiday.
One thing I’m curious about, both my debit card and my credit card have an expiration date on them. Is that not the case with cards from US banks?

Re those CapOne debit cards. CapOne has never included fee reimbursement on ATM withdrawals, this goes back 15 years with my accounts, a high interest money market account that they ended and replaced with their360 checking account. No fees from CapOne for withdrawal, nor FTF, but they do not rebate any fee the ATM owner charges. I subsequently added the Schwab package, which does pay back other banks’ fees.

An oddity, though both are chipped, with Schwab I have to set a travel notification while CapOne notices this is not necessary (including my additional CapOne Mastercard).

with Schwab I have to set a travel notification

In a couple decades of having the Schwab card, traveling to Europe 1-3 times a year, I have never notified them of my travels, and have had no problems. I view it as: "It is there as an option".

One thing I’m curious about, both my debit card and my credit card have an expiration date on them. Is that not the case with cards from US banks?

Of course, even for cards from US banks, the expiration date is on the Mastercard/Visa card (not always for AMEX cards).

Thank you for thoughtfully updating the thread!

Happy travels!

Thanks, Larry, for the info on Capital One's non-reimbursement policy. I misremembered. In all my travels, I think I've only had to use a fee-charging ATM 3 or 4 times. I can see that is going to change in the future. Maybe my credit union reimbursed me for an ATM fee eons ago.

I'm not sure about my Capital One debit card, which is a back-up I use only very, very rarely. The replacement of my credit union card seems to have been due to some sort of technical update (maybe it didn't have a chip before?), not because the card was approaching an inscribed expiration date. I'll ask about that when I get around to calling.

I guess I need to keep an eye on the expiration dates of my debit cards--something I've not needed to pay attention to since I don't use them to make online purchases and am not asked to enter the expiration date anywhere. My first credit-union ATM card was usable for a very, very long time (decades, I think). I found out it was no longer good on an earlier trip to Europe when it stopped working (but wasn't confiscated by an ATM). It turned out the credit union had replaced all of its old ATM cards much earlier (I think a year prior), but I hadn't received one. It was amazing the old card continued to work as long as it had.

I've just checked the two new debit cards. Their expiration dates are in 8/28 (credit union) and 6/29 (Capital One). Those seem quite short usage periods. I've put reminders on my calendar to check for new cards early in those years, because--health permitting--I'll be in Europe when they send out the new cards.

Re. travel notification on Schwab cards. I only use the Schwab account when I travel, and bring my credit union card as a back up. So, occasionally when I'm away from my state whether its halfway across the country or international, my card was getting pended. When I talked to Schwab, they said that when the account is used after a long period of inactivity that can cause it to be flagged. They recommended informing them of travel and I no longer have the problem.

Thank you, acraven for updating your post. Also, thank you for alerting travelers to possible issues/pitfalls as you travel.

Re Fidelity Debit Card: Fidelity reimburses fees. I have a small “Travel” money management account that supports the debit card. I do have to set up a travel notice for international trips either online or by phone.
Re Fidelity Credit Card: I have only used it as a back up card without problems. You do have to set up a travel notice.
As a retired stock broker (never worked for Fidelity) I find Fidelity easy to work with although their website could use some improvements.

Thanks for the update. Is your new Capital One card now a Discover card? I know they are switching everyone over. I'll be using my Schwab card going forward.

You prompted me to check my atm card from Bank of America, and yes, it does have an expiration date! Thanks

The card isn't labeled, but it bears the mastercard logo--intersecting circles of red and yellow.

BankContact is not a new thing. I grew up in Belgium in the 80ies, and remember when travelling abroad to be surprised to see ATMs that were branded with a bank's name. In Belgium that did not exist.

(There were however two chains then, the other was called "Mr. Cash").

Near where I live in the US, many businesses are charging extra if you use your credit card (or give a discount if you pay with cash), so needing cash seems to be more important. Do businesses in Belgium do the same thing, or are credit cards widely used for most transactions? I'll be going to London, Gent and Brussels. Based upon these posts, I am thinking I will get at least Euros at home before leaving. Please advise. Thanks.

I didn't observe many places looking for cash or offering discounts for cash. These are the occasions when I remember needing cash in Belgium:

• A small restaurant in Antwerp where the card reader wasn't working (legitimate problem; it was working the next day).

• A smallish restaurant in Bruges where credit cards could be used only if the bill was at least 30 euros; this was noted on the menu. There may also have been a sign near the door, but I hadn't noticed that.

• A coffee shop in Brussels where there was a minimum purchase for using a card (maybe 5 euros). This one was a bit of a surprise in that it was a somewhat expensive place charging 4 or 4.50 euros for a cookie.

I think also a small supermarket somewhere in the UK or Belgium had a sign indicating cash was required for purchases under 5 euros. And there was public toilet with a usage fee supposedly payable by credit card, but the card reader wasn't working. That may have been in England rather than Belgium. I often just automatically pull out a 5-pound or 5-euro note if I'm buying just a single low-priced food item at a corner market or street market, so I can't say for sure how easy it is to get by without cash at such places. I don't really feel good about paying for a banana or a can of Coke with a credit card in a little shop.

There's a good chance you'll never need cash, but something might come up. If it does, it's pretty likely to be for an inexpensive purchase unless you do some hard bargaining with someone like an antique dealer who offers a bit of a price break if you pay cash. I wouldn't get much local currency ahead of time. In fact, if I don't have leftover currency from a previous trip, I just hit an ATM after I arrive. That was only a problem in Oslo, where I saw very few ATMs.

Another good reason to bring only cash and 4 credit cards. None of the plastic I bring is a debit card. In Belgium I would use the credit card first, saving the cash for another place. Still, both would be on me.

Taxis in Brussels are the ones I have come across that like cash. And in case you think they are tax dodging, they have to keep records as to where their trips start and finish. I have seen them using a clipboard and pen for this purpose.

Lavandula