Do the ATM machines in France make the withdrawal from the checking or savings account? Our ATM card used in the US gives you the option to withdraw funds from either account, just wanted to know what we will encounter in France?
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8138 posts
I rarely, if ever, ever recall seeing a menu to choose one or the other. The traditional advice has been to put your cash into checking, as that was the account it would draw from. However that advice probably dates from when Checking was always the primary account of the two, but now you can have debit cards on savings only accounts.
The prudent advice now would be to have funds in both accounts and have online access to your account. in case you need to move things around.
The good news is you really do not need much cash, use your contactless credit card for big and small purchases, so all you really need is a few hundred Dollars to draw from. The days of daily withdrawals and paying cash for everything are long gone.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
4009 posts
You should ask your bank which is your primary account. That is the one that you will be able to access at an ATM in France.
Posted by
Chicago
8617 posts
they use the 'primary account'; I have never seen a choice. What you will see is the request to approve a withdrawal in dollars or a request to approve a transaction cost -- NEVER approve those. Choose the withdrawal in Euros and decline or skip any verbage about approving a % for the exchange. Both of these are grifts. You withdraw in Euros and you then only pay one exchange fee which is close to the international rate and is applied by your bank.
Shops and department stores will also give you the option on the credit transaction of using 'your own currency' -- this seems sensible if you don't know. i.e. 'my account is in dollars, so maybe I should do this transaction in dollars?' what it doe is add a second layer of exchange which can cost you as much as 5% more for the transaction.
Always decline any attempt to make the deal in dollars and choose Euros and never accept a suggested exchange process on ATMs.
Some ATMS will let you choose denominations of bills and you definitely want to go with mixed and not get stuck only with 50s unless you are collecting money for rent or something like that.