ATM Machines

They give you cash in the local currency. Rarely can they give you your cash balance, but it sometimes happens. Again, it would be converted to the local currency. Cirrus cards will work fine. Shazam? Is that the bank in Mayberry? :)

The other standard piece of advice is to call your bank to let them know you'll be traveling in Europe. Otherwise it's possible they may suspect fraudulent use and suspend the card. And that's a hassle...

Two months! Wow!

Overall, there is really a lack of information on the ATM receipt. We used our WAMU and BofA ATM cards and it was tough to reconcile where the bank ATM was located. It did give us the date (their date) and amount withdrawn in the local currency. Also, there was no match on the receipt with the tranaction number on either of our bank statements. No account balance was shown on any receipt. I would suggest writing a bit of information on the receipt as to location and date to assist with account reconcilement.

Mayberry...almost. I actually think my town's a little smaller. ;)

If you want to have the ability to track your account balance, activity, and be able to transfer money between checking/savings, sign-up for your bank's on-line service. This way you can use any computer connect to the web to access your account. Also, ATMs in Europe only have the ability to withdraw cash from checking accounts. Your not given the choice of checking or savings like in the US.

Michael's advice is great. I forgot that Internet access makes tracking your account from Europe easy. But don't forget to sign out of your account when using a public computer. Several times I used a hotel's computer finding the previous user still logged on to personal sites.

With internet banking, you can keep track of your bank balance and also pay your bills while you are gone. You must have your credit card and other accounts set up for internet payment in order to use this feature. After several long trips to Europe, I finally got all this set up; now I just check my bank account a couple of times a week while traveling and take care of my business. I keep the ID and PIN written on a card which I keep in my money belt. I even have investment accounts at another institution which allows transferring funds into my bank account.

Nate, as someone else mentioned, your funds must be in a Chequing account if you want to access at ATM's in Europe. Also, use a four-number PIN. If the card has Cirrus/Interac/Maestro logos, it should be compatible with Euro banks (check with your financial institution to confirm).

I've heard of a few people that were able to get balances at Euro ATM machines, but this seems to be very rare.

I find that I can keep track of the approximate balance by noting down withdrawals (converted to home currency using approximate exchange rate) and deducting these from my starting balance.

My financial institution provides phone access also, so I can get an accurate balance if needed (any time, day or night). I always travel with a Cell phone, and don't mind pyaing for a short call every so often. I'm a bit reluctant to use Net access on "public" computers (also, it's sometimes hard to find the time to get to a Net Cafe when I'm touring).

Happy travels!

One ATM I used in Italy (Florence maybe?) offered to let me check my balance. The other two did not. I have a Star network card (WaMu Gold Debit), which I heard was not very common in Europe, but it worked just fine. I did not try to use it for purchases.

Ive used ATM machines many times and never got a balance listed.The only advise Id give is have accounts at two different banks.If one doesnt work the other one will bail you out.If traveling with another person and they have a different bank that is ok also.

As has been said above, but maybe should be repeated: For the first timers, the two big rules re ATMs in Europe, that will keep you out of trouble most of the time, are: Assume you'll only be able to access your checking account, and have a 4 digit pin.