Cash From Saving Accounts Through European ATMs

Do you have both checking and savings associated with your debit card?

Many ATMs do not allow you to choose between checking and savings when making a withdrawal. The money is taken from your ”primary” account. For most people, by default the primary account is the checking account. However, if you only have a savings account then that would be the primary account.

I have no personal experience using a debit card linked to a savings account; my card is linked to checking.

It's going to be quite a hassle for me to find a work-around if this is the situation.

1. Call Cap One and ask them.

2. Open a Cap One checking account and link them - move money to checking from savings as needed via the app. Use the debit card for the checking account if savings card doesn't work.

Great question!

My card is linked to checking, savings, and investment accounts. Right now, I can't recall which "withdraw from" choices I have be presented with in Europe.

As has been suggested, can't you get a free CapOne checking account?

This brings up a question that goes beyond travel: with so much of banking deregulated, what exactly defines a "savings account" vs a checking account? Many checking accounts and money market accounts pay interest.

By the way, I see comments from travelers online, some of whom appear to have been able to withdraw from savings accounts using European ATMs, others of whom have not. Perhaps it's a function of the banks used both for savings and for withdrawal. Either way, setting up a checking account seems prudent.

I withdraw from my credit union savings account when in Europe, as it has no fees other than the less than 1% network fee. I do not have a checking account with my credit union, thus the savings account is the only account there and I have not had a problem in 15 years.

Put it this way, the guidance of making sure your money is in your checking account (almost always your Primary account) as opposed to savings is decades old and has always been the case, this is not new.

So if your card worked before, then it likely will work still, no problem.

Thank you all for your responses. I took several of your suggestions, and I think I have resolved the situation. I do think I could still access my savings account at a European ATM, as I have done many times in the past, but, just to be sure, I have set up withdrawals from my checking account. Thanks again.

While over there, please do it both ways and report. This is sort of new territory never discussed before. Would be nice to know if you have issues. Not sure why the local bank would care, but .......