ATMs in Paris

They are as safe as any other city location. We’ve never had an issue in Paris.

Bob,
I was in Rome on a Sunday afternoon and went to an ATM at a bank in an enclosure like you described. Quick as a flash, a man rushed in behind me, telling me to hurry up! He reached over me and stole my card. It happened so fast, I thought the machine ate my card and he was gone. The next day, Monday, I went to the bank manager to get my card and was told it was not there. That’s when I realized that man had actually taken my card. I called my bank and discovered he had cleaned out my bank account, several thousand dollars. A friend on the RS tour gave me 200€ for the last couple days of the tour.

Hard lesson learned. Now, I only use an ATM at a bank during business hours in case there’s a problem. And, I try to have a companion with me.
Hope my experience helps.

a young man jumped in front of me after I had entered my PIN and punched in a 900€ withdrawal before I could stop him.

Isn't there a limit to how much you can withdraw from an ATM? I know mine is £300 which is €304 (sob) whilst others are higher (the highest maximum is £500).

The most likely risk are kids who swarm and distract and grab money. I usually use the ATM with my husband so one of us stands back to back to observe the street. Most people stand back as each person takes their turn, anyone who doesn't is a signal to move on. Personally never had a problem. If alone I use ATM inside the bank when it is open. I have spent months in Paris over the years and always use ATMs and have never once had the slightest issue; I have read of a few instances of groups of kids doing this.

I try to use ATM's that are indoors, either at a grocery store, department store or bank. In my mind they are less likely to be tampered with by thieves. If you see a bank with an ATM inside a locked room, swipe your card and it will normally let you in.

I don't worry much about being mugged but I do think about portable card readers that can be put in machines. Even if they record your card, they'll need your pin. Make sure you cover your hand when you type in your pin. People who mess with machines either spy from nearby to catch your pin or mount a camera to record you entering your pin (sometimes on the machine directly above the keyboard).

My favorite ATM's are at Carrefour stores and LCL banks. Many of the ATM's will give you 50 euro notes - which will always earn a frown when you try to spend them for small purchases. Both Carrefour and LCL ask how you want your money. I much prefer ten euro notes because even 20's aren't accepted in automated metro ticket machines (even though it says they are) and no one frowns at you when you hand them ten euro notes - even for morning coffee.

Also, shop for a good travel account. Big banks charge exorbitant fees for foreign ATM withdrawals. It's not hard to find a decent option. As an example my mom's Wells Fargo charges (last time I checked) $5 plus 3 percent per transaction. A $100 (equivalent) withdrawal will cost $8. My USAA charges a flat one percent. The same transaction costs $1. It's not hard for that to add up during a vacation, especially if you're paying mostly in cash. Also I can take smaller amounts without worrying about the flat fee every time. I can pull 40-60 euros more often rather than carrying lots of extra cash taking maximum withdrawals (to keep the flat fees per transaction down).

I have never had issues using ATMs in Paris. I do always have someone with me who can watch my back and with a quick nudge I will cancel the transaction in progress and move on, but have not had to resort to that.

JC: Many banks in the US allow you to choose what your maximum withdrawal per day is and per transaction. My Capital One Debit card was $1500 per cash withdrawal transaction and $7500 cash per day when I first got it (since then I have moved both numbers way down). There was also a fairly large limit on purchases. They apparently thought I had and would spend a lot more money than I actually do. Of course the ATM itself will have a limit to how much it can dispense at one time. Traditionally this has been 15 bills, or 300 in 20s. Some of the newer machines can give more.

Judy B: This is a good reason to have a travel account where you only have a limited amount of funds that is not connected to your other accounts but still easily funded by transfers.

JC: Many banks in the US allow you to choose what your maximum withdrawal per day is and per transaction. My Capital One Debit card was $1500 per cash withdrawal transaction and $7500 cash per day when I first got it

Thanks Mark.

Evidently British banks feel that their customers can't be trusted with large sums of money!

I have always used ATMs at banks in busy locations with no problems. I stand close to the machine and keep my purse in front of me. I tuck the cash and my card away before leaving the machine. I feel it is safer to use the ATM where there is a lot of foot traffic than at a more isolated location.

"They are as safe as any other city location."

That's my answer too. The problems people have described above are not unique to Paris, but can happen anywhere.

Go inside a bank to use the cash machines. Find out from your local bank if there is a French bank that has reciprocity with yours meaning you won't be charged any foreign or transaction fees. Our account is with Bank of America and that means we use BNP Paribas cash machines.

When you use a Bank of America ATM card at a BNP Paribas bank, don't you still have to pay the 3% international transaction fee?

Very safe and very easy. They have always given me instructions in English as soon as I put my card in.

I'll just add that I travel solo so I'll walk by to scope out my favorite ATM in my usual neighborhood. If I have any cause for concern I'll come back or if I can spot another American tourist I'll ask them if they can wait a minute for me to finish my transaction. I've never had anyone say "no".

I also try to go to the ATM in the AM before I head out for the day, then go back to the hotel to stow the extra cash and my Debit Card.

Can I get some cash from an ATM using my Canadian TD bank card like I do here?

Yes, but it's a good idea to check with the bank to see what it's going to charge you for international withdrawals. You can then decide whether it's beneficial to make fewer large withdrawals rather than more smaller ones. (But be careful to protect that extra money.) Of if your credit card has a more travel-friendly policy, you may want to make a bit more effort to pay for things with the credit card where possible, rather than cash.

Whatever the bank says, be sure your withdrawals are recorded in euros rather than CAD. Bad (financial) things happen when you let the bank that owns the ATM do the currency conversion for you; the exchange rate will certainly be inferior. The same goes for anything you purchase with a credit card--keep the transaction in euros.

Gini:

1) To learn all the details of money in Europe, go to this page of Rick's: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money. Read all the pages on it, and you'll be an expert.

2) Since you are in Canada, be aware that the policies are different from those used by US banks and credit cards. So, be careful; even TD Bank in the US is different from TD Bank in Canada. Some of the commonly given advice on this board is only true for the US (such as saying it's easy to get credit cards with no fees for foreign use; apparently, that's not so true for Canadians).

When you use a Bank of America ATM card at a BNP Paribas bank, don't
you still have to pay the 3% international transaction fee?

No. The same with Barclays in the UK & Deutsche Bank in Germany.

When you use a Bank of America ATM card at a BNP Paribas bank, don't
you still have to pay the 3% international transaction fee?

No. The same with Barclays in the UK & Deutsche Bank in Germany.

Okay, thanks. That's interesting because the manager of the Bank of America near me says that customers do still pay the 3% and that the alliance saves the $5 per transaction that B of A usually charges. Bo A's website says the same thing. It's the reason that I did not consider B of A for my travel bank account and went with CapitalOne360. B of A's site says "Bank of America is a member of the Global ATM Alliance, a group of financial institutions that has created the world's first international ATM alliance. Use your Bank of America ATM or debit card within the Global ATM Alliance to avoid the non-Bank of America usage fee for each withdrawal, transfer or balance inquiry, as well as the ATM operator access fee. An international transaction fee of 3% will apply when converting your currency."

The bank I most often use has the ATMs indoors and you have to "swipe" your ATM card just to open the door. Plus it's in a well traveled area. Never had a problem

Just like in the US I don't use ATMs that are not affiliated with a major bank, fees are high and those machines are not as well monitored for skimmers etc...

Okay, thanks. That's interesting because the manager of the Bank of
America near me says that customers do still pay the 3% and that the
alliance saves the $5 per transaction that B of A usually charges. Bo
A's website says the same thing. It's the reason that I did not
consider B of A for my travel bank account and went with
CapitalOne360. B of A's site says "Bank of America is a member of the
Global ATM Alliance, a group of financial institutions that has
created the world's first international ATM alliance. Use your Bank of
America ATM or debit card within the Global ATM Alliance to avoid the
non-Bank of America usage fee for each withdrawal, transfer or balance
inquiry, as well as the ATM operator access fee. An international
transaction fee of 3% will apply when converting your currency."

I can't explain that. We have used our BoA debit cards at BNP Paribas, Barclays and Deutsche Bank cash machines for years now and have never been charged a foreign transaction fee -- same with Scotiabank in Canada.

I don't get charged transaction fees of any type, so I don't know how they would be displayed on my bank statement.

Is it possible that a %-based transaction fee is already reflected in the exchange rate shown on the bank statement. (That does seem unlikely, but I figured it was worth asking.)

To Brad: "My favorite ATM's are at Carrefour stores and LCL banks. Many of the ATM's will give you 50 euro notes - which will always earn a frown when you try to spend them for small purchases. Both Carrefour and LCL ask how you want your money. I much prefer ten euro notes because even 20's aren't accepted in automated metro ticket machines (even though it says they are) and no one frowns at you when you hand them ten euro notes - even for morning coffee."

My question if I can jump in on this post; What are Carrefour Stores and do these stores and the LCL banks have very many locations around Paris? And are they indoor ATMs? I will check Googlemaps and see what pops up that will be near our hotel, but thought you could answer.
Thanks

I just checked Google maps and there is an LCL bank only 6 minute walk from our hotel as well as one of the Carrefour markets so we should be in good shape. Thanks for starting this forum sbtrauma!