I have a debit card with a Mastercard logo on the front that's issued by BECU (a local credit union in Seattle). Will this CU Debit card be accepted at ATMs in Eastern Europe?
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6790 posts
Most likely.
My wife used her BECU debit card at ATMs across Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia when we were there last summer. No hiccups, no issues.
As always, before you leave, contact your financial institution(s) and give them a heads-up about your travel plans so they don't suspect fraud and lock you card.
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
894 posts
Don't be surprised if your credit union issued debit card is unusable in some countries. I am a member of a small local credit union and use of their debit card is limited . Tell them where you plan to travel and inquire about use, there.
Posted by
Seattle
4637 posts
I don't know about Eastern Europe but my card was accepted in the Czech Republic. I have the card which was also issued by BECU only logo is not Mastercard but Visa. I hope that should not make any difference.
Posted by
8 posts
The term "eastern Europe" covers many very, very different countries. As far as CZ is concerned, cards are widely accepted, but ask your bank to be sure.
Posted by
Washington DC
28090 posts
My primary ATM card is from a credit union, though not a small one. It has a Visa logo, but I know of no reason why a Mastercard logo would make a difference. I have used my card all over Europe, well over 150 times, in the last five years, hitting ATMs in a few fairly obscure towns in Ukraine as well as multiple places in Poland, Czechia and Hungary. The only card-related problems I've ever had were on Day 1 of two trips when it turned out the credit union hadn't properly acted on my travel alert. I've also run into three malfunctioning ATMs, but that's just the way life goes sometimes, especially if you use as many ATMs as I do.