Kuna exchange

I used an ATM card in 2015.

What sort of fees did you run into in France and Spain?

If it was fees charged by the ATMs themselves (announced on the screen), the solution is to cancel the transaction and keep trying ATMs belonging to different banks until you find one that does charge a fee.

If it was fees you didn't know about until you got home and looked at your bank statement (fees charged by your bank), you can explore the possibility of opening another account to be used when traveling. There are institutions that don't charge fees to their customers who travel overseas. Check your local credit unions, Capital One, TD Bank or Charles Schwab.

If you agreed to allow the ATM to record your withdrawal transaction in dollars rather than euros, you handed over a blank check and got a lousy conversion rate. The solution to that problem is to decline the offer to record the value in dollars and keep the transaction in euros. That way, you'll get the benefit of a very good exchange rate.

ATM cards are still usually the cheapest way to get cash, assuming you don't bank with a place that charged exorbitant fees.

My credit union charges only 1% (Visa's fee) per transaction for a conversion fee and no per-use fee. Most ATMs in Europe do not charge a per-use fee (some in Spain do now apparently and occasionally elsewhere - but I've never used an ATM in Spain). I've NEVER been charged a fee to use an ATM in Europe in a dozen trips to Europe (including two trips to Croatia). Many regular banks charge huge conversion rates and fees and are big rip-offs. If you bank at one of these places, I recommend opening an account at a good credit union, at least as a second account you use just for travel.

If you are American, a few big banks like Scwab have debit cards for which they will refund the fees or conversion cost. (Andrew's Federal Credit Union had a completely free ATM card, but they discontinued it in favor of a Visa debit card that charges 1%, lik emy credit union, but no per-use fee.) I don't mind paying the 1% - still pretty cheap. I use credit cards most of the time when I travel, and I have at least two credit cards with no foreign transaction fees.

Thank you for opening my eyes. I think I need to go shopping for a new bank, specially a credit union.

I also use a credit union VISA to withdraw money, including the time I visited Croatia. No matter where I am traveling, the transaction cost is 1% of the value of the withdrawal (no other fees).

Not all credit unions are equal! Some are awesome, others not so great. But it is possible to find a good one if you seek one out. (Some have odd rules for who can join; others are open to almost anyone.) Before you join one, ask specifically about their ATM fees overseas. I love my credit union in general, not just because of ATM use overseas. They overall have great customer service, lower fees and higher rates than the big banks, etc.

Thank you all, I didn’t know that some banks charge 1%. Our bank was charging 3% plus other fees, we definitely need to change banks.... live and learn. Thank you again.

Actually, you can get banks that charge zero fees -Schwab and CapOne, for example. There will be a little bit of a frictional fee for using the ATM, it generally is about .3 to .5 of 1 percent with these on our withdrawals.

It was nice having the no-fees Andrews ATM card while it lasted. But really, a 1% conversion fee isn't much, unless you are taking out a lot of cash to pay for apartments or something. I doubt I take out more than 200 euros per trip, probably less. So is it worth opening another account just to save 2 euros per trip?

The really nice thing is the no per-use fee each time you use an ATM, because then you can take out small amounts of cash as needed instead of taking out a lot because your bank charges you $5 each ATM use. This is especially nice in non-Euro countries that you might not get back to for a long time, if ever.

Andrew I am curious now. You said that you use about 200 euros or less per trip? Is that mean that you use your credit card exclusively to pay for things? And how long are your trips for? Normally we make all our reservations with our credit card but we love going to farmers markets and a lot of the time they only take cash there.

Another bank that has low or no fees for foreign ATM use is TD Bank. For their Convenience Checking account with a $100 minimum, you have $3 and no other fee for foreign ATM withdrawals. For their Premier Checking with a $2500 minimum, you have no fees at all for foreign ATM use. I have no connection to them except as a satisfied customer.

They're only in certain areas - here's the branch locator: https://www.tdbank.com/net/absearch/ Note that they have a machine in each branch to create an ATM card, so you can walk out with a full working card (not a temporary), right when you open the account.

Also note that, even if you keep your current bank, you may think you were "hit hard" with fees, but using an ATM is still the cheapest way to get cash. The fees for other methods are even higher than the 3% plus $5 that Chase, Bank of America, etc. charge. That said, you certainly have time to shop around for Charles Schwab, TD, credit unions, etc.

Andrew I am curious now. You said that you use about 200 euros or less per trip? Is that mean that you use your credit card exclusively to pay for things? And how long are your trips for? Normally we make all our reservations with our credit card but we love going to farmers markets and a lot of the time they only take cash there.

Yes, I usually use my credit card for almost everything when I travel. I have a couple of credit cards with no foreign transaction fees, including a true chip and PIN credit card that works the same as it works for Europeans (enter your PIN to make a purchase instead of signing a slip; convenient for certain machines that won't accept US non-PIN credit cards).

My trips are 2-3 weeks. I certainly spend some cash here and there, but for hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, public transportation - my biggest expenses - I use my credit cards.

Andrew, would you mind sharing which CC you use with chip and pin.
Thank you.

I still use my debit card over in Croatian ATMs, taking out the max allowed each time to reduce fees. Last November I noticed that my favourite Erste Bank had reduced the maximum amount you could get. I think it dropped from 2000 Kuna to 1500 Kuna. you can do the math, I usually count 5 kuna to 1 Canadian dollar. Big banks usually offer the biggest amounts. Avoid small banks with unknown names. If you have a few hundred dollars worth of Croatian currency with you in a Pacsafe wallet or purse, you have the flexibility to buy and eat anywhere. Some restaurants don't take credit cards. Cash tips might actually stay with servers, etc, etc.
You can also take $$$ and walk into a main bank and exchange it. Banks pays higher rates for actual $$ than money transfers. But you will need to show your passport - and wait in line/take a number.