Capital One Debit Card Question

In the past the Discover network has been very limited. I would try to stick to Cirrus or Plus for best network access.

I have ignored the numerous notices from Capital One to request that I activate the Discover debit card that was sent to replace the Capital One Master Card debit card that was always accepted at all ATMs in every foreign country. It was my "go to" debit card for accessing foreign currency without fees.
I do not want a Discover Card and will not activate it.
Fortunately I have a Chase Visa debit card tied to my Chase Private Client checking account that does not charge foreign transaction fees. I had to call Chase to verify that there would be no foreign transaction fees if the account was Private Client.
I will be monitoring the responses to Julie's (OP) question.

There have been some discussions about this, here are a couple:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/capital-one-atm-debit-cards-in-france

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/recommendations-for-good-debit-card-that-will-be-widely-accepted

Hopefully someone with more recent experience will weigh in. FWIW, I took the changeover as a sign to move on and set up a Charles Schwab investment checking account to use on my next trip. It was easily done (and you don't have to fund the investment account unless you want to). And though the prior suggestion is to keep using the Visa branded debit card, it does have an expiration date and you will not have a choice but to activate the Discover branded card.

Here is another one who switched to the Charles Schwab debit card. As CL said, you do need to open a brokerage account, but you do not need to fund it. I used it in Romania as I needed more cash there than I usually do in countries, and it worked really well. No fees and very easy. I don't keep that much money in it, either, so I don't have to worry about something happening with it.

I also switched to Charles Schwab Investment checking debit card.

Even Capital One sent either an email or letter several months ago suggesting customers bring a second card when traveling international due to limited acceptance in some countries.

we switched to charles schwab too

We have an EdwardJones investment account, and use their debit card when we travel. There is a 1% foreign transaction fee, which is lower than the interest we receive on the account. We are otherwise delighted with the service. We know our local EJ staff very well, and can settle any problem or add funds to our cash account in minutes.

We do have Capital One credit cards, but not debit.

You can also set up a no-FTF debit card in Fidelity. Just did that to replace my CapOne that I will no longer use, also have the Schwab set=up.

I didn't want to switch, used the emailed map, worked fine in Mexico.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/capital-one-debit-card-9f9d9659-2a36-4b14-8a2c-7240334dd172

Find ATMs on this link, it works

https://cashlocator.discovernetwork.com/dn/cal/search#

The replies/suggestions to the OP's question are so helpful. I am likely going to open a Schwab account as the back up to my Chase checking/debit card and cancel my Capital One checking account.
I used the link in this thread to read the August 2025 discussion about this debit card topic and I have a question about the following comment/suggestion from that thread...
"I would never bring my regular bank debit card on a trip as there is too great a risk if it were to be lost or stolen, even if you just plan to use it as a backup. That's why it's good to have one like the Schwab."
My question - Regarding the use of foreign ATM's to access foreign currency - How is the Schwab account different from a bank or credit union checking account and debit card? Won't I need a physical debit card from Schwab to use a foreign ATM to get currency? Why is there greater risk with a bank debit card versus Schwab?

Thank you for all your responses. I also have a debit card with my local credit union that I will use as a backup for this trip. I will also attempt to use the Discover map to find ATM locations for this trip. (I am visiting Athens, Naxos, Santorini, Rhodes and Symi). If it is too cumbersome, I will open a different account for future trips. I will report back.

PJ, I think that the concern about bank cards is based on the desire to limit access to your main bank accounts. You can google ‘family loses $28000 in atm scam’ for an example of what can go wrong. It seems that the issue is atm withdrawals lack the fraud protection built into a credit card account.

I was advised to set up an account with a limited amount of funds specifically for my atm use. I can always transfer more funds into it if I need additional cash on a trip. I also set a limit on the daily amount that can be withdrawn. This may be overkill but I feel more secure knowing that any losses would be limited. (We were pickpocketed in Rome but the thieves failed because I had nothing valuable in my purse thanks in part to advice on this forum.)

With the EU's changing from Mastercard and Visa systems to WERO. I'm sticking with CapOne at the moment. I'm not heading to Ireland until August. I'm wondering if CapOne has an idea that they haven't quite voiced? (I say optimistically.) Or, I'm wondering if I will need to change my entire system in the future. As the EU wants their bank to bank system, and I don't blame them, what will that mean for us in a more expensive system? Also, it's rare I need to use my debit card anyway. As the world dumps the US, I'm waiting for more information so as not to increase the administration of my life unnecessarily.

Why is there greater risk with a bank debit card versus Schwab?

The Schwab account is a checking account, so the inherent risk is the same. The variable is how you manage your checking account - it shouldn't be your major cash holding account, as you can virtually always get a better interest rate by keeping the majority of your cash in a separate money market account - or else in short term CDs or treasury bonds/notes in a linked brokerage account. Then transfer cash to checking as needed to cover current expenses.

Thank you Markcw. Yes- a minimal amount in a checking account to access foreign currency by using a debit card at an ATM is wise. I have not needed foreign currency despite 4 foreign/Europe & Caribbean trips in the last 14 months. Even little purchases, such as a scoop of gelato, were purchased with my Goldman Sachs Apple credit using iphone wallet tap and pay. I can only report on merchant experiences in Europe & Caribbean who do not keep currency on hand to make change.

I've found an easy solution - I opened a Betterment Bank checking account dedicated to just the portion of money I want to allow for travel. They issue a Visa debit card to access that account. Even better? They refund ANY and ALL fees the very next day directly to you. So far it's worked out perfectly for us. The only drawback is that it takes several days for your personal money transfers to be deposited into your Betterment account. It was easier doing an instant Capital One transfer from their savings account to their checking account. You'll simply have to do it a few days in advance. One plus is that they will issue your spouse a debit card at the same time you request yours with no hassle. https://www.betterment.com/

We couldn't find any ATM's that accept the new Capital One Discover debit card anywhere in Spain or Switzerland several months ago. So....I am also going to withdraw all of my HY savings from Capital One and be done with them. I might store some in a Betterment HY savings that can be instantly transferred to checking thus replicating Capital One functionality.

This made me feel much less anxious - it's nice seeing those refunds the next day!

We did find a few train station restrooms in Switzerland that were not equipped to accept charge cards so some coins were handy.

We couldn't find any ATM's that accept the new Capital One Discover debit card anywhere in Spain or Switzerland several months ago

I don’t think expecting to randomly find ATMs that work is a reasonable strategy. A person has to use the GIS map, at least right now. Thing is, current travel styles require so little cash, only finding a single ATM/trip is normally going to be adequate. Is opening a new bank account for 2 ATM withdrawals/year really necessary? Especially when the Discover ATMs are out there, just maybe a couple blocks longer walk.

I don’t think expecting to randomly find ATMs that work is a
reasonable strategy. A person has to use the GIS map, at least right
now. Thing is, current travel styles require so little cash, only
finding a single ATM/trip is normally going to be adequate. Is opening
a new bank account for 2 ATM withdrawals/year really necessary?
Especially when the Discover ATMs are out there, just maybe a couple
blocks longer walk.

I don't think it's reasonable to spend valuable time locating an elusive ATM that might possibly work. In one instance there was only one available and it was an hour taxi drive away. That's not a good use of expensive travel time.

We take much longer and frequent trips in retirement than you might suspect. We are going to need FOUR currencies during our next 6 week trip. It's reasonable to think we might need at least 4 ATM's.

Actually, we still find plenty of instances where cash is desirable. Often we would rather leave tips in cash rather than the credit card used for hotel staff, dinner, taxi etc. As I said we have encountered instances where currency was needed for restrooms.

Here's an example of an unforeseen emergency one could encounter. I developed a very bad toothache and swelling that became unbearable quite quickly. I needed immediate attention or else I would have to cancel the 2nd leg of the trip. An emergency dental service was identified but the office preferred cash payment in advance of €470 and I could walk in for instant remedy. There were no other dental options available in that city on that day. It was the only day I had free as the next was a flight day. I was glad to be able to get that cash.

Yes, I found it necessary to open an account with Betterment and CLOSE an account with Capital One. It's a shift, not an addition. I'm very happy being able to obtain cash where and when I want it. I'm not at the mercy of poor decisions made by Capital One. It's a problem I solved for both me and my partner.

I've been thinking about this further. I am traveling to Ireland and Northern Ireland. Checking Dublin and Belfast, there seam to be many ATMS listed by CapOne. Only one person, commenting on this topic, indicated they used the map to locate the ATMs. So I guess the accuracy remains to be seen. Again, I am not expecting to need much cash with how things stand right now anyway.

I will have my regular bank card as back up. I always use a tap machine so my card won't get stuck in the machine or the pin be saved with it. My other resource is a credit card with some prepaid cash on it. That way you are not paying interest, etc. This would be just used for emergency cash, not for Apple or charging. I'd use another credit card for that. So there are other back up alternatives if you want to proceed with the CapOne ATM card. IMO

Wray: I’ll be in Ireland in 7 weeks so can test it then. It’s always handy to have euros so can take extra home. But noting I haven’t used an ATM in Europe since 2015, 6 countries since then w/o cash, credit card only. I remember paying for an apartment in Italy in 2015 with cash up front, those days are seemingly behind me.

Toby, thank you for the link to the ATM finder. We are heading to Italy, Scotland and Northern Ireland soon, and while we seldom need ATMs, we will want to add to our currency stash. When we were in Mazatlán, though, the ATMs suggested by Capital One were attached to banks (a good thing), but one had to have an account with that bank to access the ATM. We have a backup debit card with our brick and mortar bank, but it has international transaction charges. We’ll be looking at Schwab. So disappointed in Capital One.

one had to have an account with that bank to access the ATM

For my one ATM experience in Mexico the ATMs were on the side in the entry hall to a HSBC bank, so accessible to all, at least during bank hours.

I'm with Silas. I do not want to waste time on vacation, or here at home, using the Capital One app to locate an out-of-the-way ATM that will accept the Discover debit card that Capital One sent me. I want a Visa or Master Card debit card that is widely accepted outside the US and a short walk from my hotel.
I began yesterday switching all my autopayments from my Capital One credit card and checking accounts to my Chase Freedom credit and checking account debit card. Good bye Capital One. As a Chase private client I have no foreign transaction fees if I use the debit card to access foreign currency at an ATM. It is nice to have local currency for hotel houskeeping and restaurant waitstaff.
I'll still have my Apple Pay Goldman Sachs credit card in my iphone wallet that has been my "go-to" tap-and-pay for purchases while traveling and in the US.
My phone stays in airplane mode to avoid data usage... even here in the US... $20 per month, one gig service plan. I can make credit card purchases while in airplane mode. I would probably have to take my phone out of airplane mode to use a search app to find an ATM that accepts Discover..
And yes, I've read that Goldman Sachs and Apple Pay may be parting ways.

Just fyi - Capital One's 360 Performance Savings account recently lowered it's rate with very little publicity to 3.2%.

Betterment Bank's High-Yield Cash Account remains at 3.25%. Currently you will get a 90 day boost of .65% to 3.9% when you open a savings account.

Of course there are several even better yielding options elsewhere but having the cash account with Betterment makes instant transfer of funds from savings to checking possible much like what can be done with Capital One accounts.

This way whatever money you want to make available for travel doesn't have to be placed in the checking account. You could incrementally add it thus replicating C1 functionality and at a better rate.

........ one had to have an account with that bank to access the ATM. ..... We have never encountered this. Often times the door to the ATM room at the bank is locked but there will be slot on the side where your debit card will unlock the door. Sometimes it is not obvious.

Often times the door to the ATM room at the bank is locked but there will be slot on the side where your debit card will unlock the door.

I think of myself as a reasonably savvy traveler, but this is completely new information to me. Thanks for the tip!

I think I should clarify my post about our experience in Mexico. The ATM, while having the Discover logo and suggested by Capital One, was connected to a bank that was physically open…ATMs just inside the entryway. It accepted the Capital One debit card, but refused to proceed after a few screens. I finally asked a teller, who told me that we had to have an account with that bank access their ATM. Literally with that bank.

And that’s interesting information about locked doors…I’ve only run into that once, in Lucca.

We used Capital One for many years for our travel account/debit card, but switched to Betterment about 3 years ago, and have been very happy with them. Like Silas mentioned, they refund ALL fees associated with using any ATM - it doesn't matter what ATM you use. Worth checking out.