Any Canadians use their bank cards in Europe? I know it's possible but to do so but it seems like Americans can more easily get by using their debit cards in Europe. Is withdrawing cash with a CDN bank card just as easy as US bank card?
Posted by
Scotland
505 posts
As long as it's part of one the networks like Cirrus etc., you shouldn't have any problem.
FYI, Americans generally cannot use tgheir debit cards in Europe because the technology is different here. YOu can use them to get cash from an ATM, but more often than not, you can't use them to actually purchase items.
Kate
Posted by
Halifax, N.S.
211 posts
You can use your debit card to take out cash, but normally you will have trouble trying to purchase something as european credit cards are chipped
If you have a scotiabank account, you cant often take out money with out the $5 fee, in France its the BNP, there are also others
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Actually it is easier for most Canadians, first time I did it was 10 years ago, and it was simple. One advantage is our bank PINs are four digit numericals which are readily accepted in Europe whereas apparently some American cards had( or have) alphbetical PINs so they would have to have their PINS changed.
I use it my ATM card in Europe all the time, just make sure the money you want to use is in your CHEQUEING account not your savings account as the ATMS I saw in London and France did not offer the choice between withdrawing from chequeing or savings like ours do.
Posted by
Hendersonvlle, NC
486 posts
No more jokes about worthless loonies. Darn! Now have to talk about worthless greenbacks.
Last time I used my ATM in Italy, it laughed at me and said that with my American account, I could only get €1. I hate being laughed at by a machine.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
180 posts
It's very easy. Like a previous poster mentioned, just look for a bank machine that has a logo that matches the one on the back of your card and go. I remember one machine in Paris after we got of the Eurostar frustrated a lot of tourists because it wasn't Cirrus, etc. But that was the only machine we had with a problem.
Just go to your local branch before you travel and ensure there are no restrictions on your card and you know exactly what your daily limit for withdrawals is (which you can hit fast in the UK).
One addition - don't rely on getting to your "additional accounts" that are on your card here in Canada - such as a line of credit, etc.
Pete
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32363 posts
Marlene,
In my experience you shouldn't have any problems using "bank cards" in Europe, at least for ATM withdrawals. As the others noted, it's usually not possible to make direct purchases. Use a credit card for that.
Be sure to review your daily withdrawal limit with your Bank prior to departure, keeping in mind that the amount you're withdrawing will be posted in Cdn. funds, after currency conversion. In other words, if your limit is $300 you'll only be able to withdraw about £130 at a rate of 2.25.
Again as mentioned, be sure your funds are in a Chequing acct. with a 4-number PIN. I always take AT LEAST one "backup" card in case of problems with my primary card, as well as at least one credit card. I use Credit Union accounts mostly, and have never had a problem (with the exception of trying to access the ATM when "housekeeping" is being done on the data system at home in the early hours of the morning).
Happy travels!