Navy Federal Credit Union ATM Usage

I worked for the US government for 30 years and my primary bank is a credit union. It is not the NFCU, but I worked for the Navy for several years and know it is a great place to bank.
Federal credit unions have great loan and mortgage rates. Also, great deals on credit cards and checking accounts.

My credit union credit card has been used a lot in Europe without any problems.

Quite possibly the best credit union going. I'm a navy retiree and they've been my primary banking for over 30 years. I've used their ATM card and visa all over Europe with very low fees (1%). For ATMs I look for ones in the Plus network - not hard to find. Never had a problem.

Lots of branches though most are on military installation not accessible to the general public. Before they opened one in the city I retired to I did everything via mail, phone,.website or any Plus network ATM.
They're easy to deal with - good customer service, website, online banking, etc. I often wonder why people deal with banks who charge them money just to use them.

I am NFCU member and they have been good for me. Easy to get help on the phone when overseas, their ATM partner network is fairly wide, and they have many branches in the USA, and decent rates on cards and loans. Their phone app is pretty good too.

Something to check out is whether you may ever need to buy foreign currency. It doesn't seem that many credit unions offer this service. Determine whether this is of value for you.

I use a different military credit union (Eglin Federal) and have never had an issue with finding an ATM that works with my debit card. Their membership has global travel needs for work and any number of members who wanted to keep a primary account while temporarily going or PCSing to somewhere in the NATO sphere , so the military CUs were generally quick to tie into the major networks.

I am not promoting or trying to change your mind, but if you are setting up an account with the idea for travel, maybe shop around and look at both ATM and Credit Card options.

In my own case, I wound up going through the process of setting up an account with the United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU); there are some hoops to jump through to qualify, but the attraction for me was their credit card, it is one of the rare, US issued cards that is full chip and PIN, with PIN priority. I have never had the card rejected in any kiosk or purchase in Europe. Their Debit/ATM card is good as well, I did not get one yet, as my normal credit union and Charles Schwab cards work fine.

Any up-to-date bank or near-bank should allow ATM use of its of its bank card internationally. No need to customize. Rates of exchange are almost entirely uniform. It is the fees that vary -- for using a non-network ATM, and for foreign exchange transactions. There are exceptions, but for the most part the fees for using a foreign ATM are imposed by the card-holder's institution rather than the machine operator.
Chip-and-pin cards are very widespread in Canada and have proven to be secure as well as convenient, both at home and abroad.

I have accounts with them but have never used them as my primary (or back up) cards when traveling.

As a financial institution, I'm happy with them.

Are you asking if there is a particular advantage to the N Fed Credit Union? Most credit union I am aware of allow the standard withdraw of cash from ATMs generally with almost no fees. The big issue is whether the debit card is branded as a Visa or Mastercard. Some credit unions use the STAR network but that is not common in Europe. My local credit union allows six free withdrawals in period ($1 above six) and a 1% currency exchange fee. Far better than US Bank at $5 and 3%. Since you are in Atlanta why not a local CU? I like doing business locally so I can go in and pound on a desk if necessary.

Since you are in Atlanta why not a local CU? I like doing business locally so I can go in and pound on a desk if necessary.

Frank, Local CUs are being considered. Wanted input for comparison purposes as NFCU is conveniently located to us at home.

Many thanks to those who replied. Input was definitely appreciated.

I have been an NFCU member for 40+ years and am a very satisfied customer. Have always done mortgages and auto loans through them; rates and servicing are excellent.

I do use my NFCU Visa credit card when traveling as there are no foreign transaction fees.

For ATM withdrawals, I use a Schwab account debit card (no fees anywhere), not my NFCU card.