My husband and I have a debit card without a VISA logo. On the back it has Interlink and Cirrus. I just called my bank, Bank of America, to see if my debit card would work in ATM's in Munich, Salzburg and Ljubljana. He said there would be no foreign transaction fee in Munich if we used ATMs at citibank, deutschebank, verkehrsbank, dresdnerbank or postbank. In Austria there's only one affiliate bank: Wienschwech.at He didn't seem to know a lot, so I didn't ask if it mattered whether we had a VISA logo. DO YOU NEED A VISA LOGO for it to work? I don't want money pulled from a credit card, as we've saved for this trip and want to use our own funds with as few extra charges as possible. Would it help to get a credit card at the WSECU where we have a savings account?
Posted by
Bend, OR, United States
1167 posts
If your card works at ATMs here it should work in Europe as long as the ATM has a Cirrus or Interbank logo. You may or not get charged a fee depending on your bank's foreign arrangements. It is always a good idea to have a back-up ATM in case you need more than the ATM allows per transaction, you lose the card etc.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
The Cirrus network is the ATM network run by Mastercard, so it'll be good virtually everywhere...the other is the Plus network, operated by Visa. So you don't need a Visa logo for it to work in ATMs. But I would double check with your Bank of America branch about the lack of foreign transaction fees...I had heard B of A only had an agreement with Deutsche Bank...and only at German branches.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Should your primary credit card not work for any reason, it's good to have a second credit card linked to a separate account for major transactions.
For the same reason it's good to have a second ATM card linked to a separate checking account.
The one thing you do NOT want to do is to use a credit card to get cash from an ATM machine. The money you get will be treated as a cash advance and you will immediately be charged interest. Even if you use your checking account cards in ATMs that are not affiliated with Bank of America and you therefore have to pay a transaction fee, that's far better than using a credit card to get cash.
You also need to know that in Europe ATM cards must be linked with a checking account, not a savings account.
Be sure to notify your credit and ATM card providers when you will be in Europe so some computer doesn't block your card for what it recognizes as unusual and therefore possibly fraudulent use.
Posted by
Ypsilanti, MI, USA
233 posts
The only two places in Europe I've been unable to use my ATM/debit cards over the years are Salzburg, Austria (in 2000), and Ljubljana, Slovenia (in 2006) :) I had to cash a traveller's check in Salzburg and exchange American cash in Ljubljana. I've had no other problems anywhere else in Europe, but now I always travel with two ATM cards from different banks and some back-up US cash, just in case.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12315 posts
Does it have a mastercard logo? I'm surprised BofA doesn't have one of the two.
Cirris and Interlink are big syndicates. You can go online and check for ATM locations near your destinations to see if it will work. Personally, I'd rather have a card with a Visa logo.
Posted by
OP
Edgewood, WA, USA
9 posts
Thanks, everybody! I've just activated a second credit card, and am opening a second checking account where we'll get a debit card WITH a VISA logo. I've printed out ATM listings for the three main cities, will bring traveler's checks for a backup. Thank you, we really appreciate all your help.
Dotty
Posted by
Olympia
62 posts
If you are going to use a credit card don't forget to call them before you go on trip and tell them when and where you are going. If you don't your visa transactions may be denied. I know people this has happened too(even worked at a bank).