Troubles with ATM card

I had my card refused by a US ATM a few years ago; the solution was to try a different card which worked. Incidentally the first card worked fine for the rest of the holiday. More recently the same thing (and resolution) occurred in Poland.

My "strategy", such as it is, is to carry ATM/debit cards from two different accounts as well as two credit cards. So far this had always been sufficient with only the two issues I mentioned above to report. For what it's worth I never bother to tell my bank I'm travelling but I get the impression that US banks see international charges as a bit more unusual than UK banks.

I also like to take about £50 in cash with me, mainly in case I need some cash right away on arriving home, but as a last resort I could go to a money changer and buy dollars/euros whatever.

Be sure to notify your back..your departure and return dates and the countries you will be visiting.

I had that problem only a few times, in Brussels. No where else. At that time, I just kept looking for other ATM machines until I found one that worked. To avoid the problem, you should let your bank know you will be using the card out of the country, and if possible take two cards from two different accounts/banks. Also, I like to take larger withdrawals at once so I am making withdrawals less often, and therefore limiting the chances of problems. When I know I will need more money, I make another withdrawal before I am completely out of cash.

"do you use to ensure that you are not stranded with little currency and a card that does not work?" I have very occassionally encountered a scenario where my card didn't work, although I do not know the reason why. It's never been a life-or-death situation. I simply find the next ATM machine. More of an inconvenience than a problem. ATM machines in Europe are not as ubiquitous as in the US, but they're still easy enough to find.

One other issue- sometimes, you will find an ATM in the foyer of a bank. Often, you can't enter without swiping a card... I have yet to figure out the solution here. Either you need a card from that bank, a card equipped with a smart chip, or some other esoteric procedure that I have not decoded yet. But unless you find yourself in a small town with only one bank, you should be able to find another ATM easily enough.

As an interesting aside, Tom wrote:

ATM machines in Europe are not as ubiquitous as in the US, but they're still easy enough to find.

Now I've no hard numbers to back this up, and I fully admit that difficulties in generalising about the US (let alone "Europe") but... I'd have to say, in my experience, the opposite is true. I've found ATMs more plentiful (and certainly easier to find) in my European travels than in the US.

Nit picking aside, I agree with Tom that ATMs are not something I'd worry about finding in Europe.

The only problems I have encountered was because I was a bit "unaware". First, make sure the ATM you are using recognizes your card; i.e., Interlink, Star, Plus, etc. (note on back of ATM card). Next, even though I have increased my withdrawal limits before I travel doesn't mean I can withdraw that much from just any ATM machine. The machine itself has it's limits. If the machine refuses my transaction, I then ask for a lesser amount of Euros. If all else fails, I always carry at least two ATM cards with me.

There seems to be a lot of support for carrying two ATM cards. I tried that for a trip this spring but later closed one bank account because I never needed it and wanted to be sure I had sufficient funds in the main account. I have heard people say it is a mistake to carry too many cards because of the risk of theft or loss, but they have never had a problem where their card did not work. I had that problem last year: When I arrived in Vienna on a Sunday morning, but the card worked fine the next morning. Why? I have heard that banks sometimes shut down their access lines after midnight on Saturday for maintenance work, but I am not sure that is true.

I have had my card eaten by the ATMs twice - 1st time in Ho Chi Minh city and the 2nd time at Istanbul airport. These were both with my Fidelity debit card which has 5 free withdrawals a month and doesn't charge any exorbitant exchange fees. The problem that I only figured out later is that with this card, both my wife's card and mine have to have the same pin and the problem was I was trying to use my pin which was no longer valid since my wife had reset it.

Anyway, we always carry a back up one so didn't have any issues as this happened at the start of trips.

If a second account does not work for you, maybe consider other options, but the core advise is have 3 to four options that work for you, they may include:

Debit cards from Multiple accounts

Multiple Credit Cards

A Credit Card with cash advance features allowing it to be used like an ATM card at an ATM.

Some amount of Currency, I usually have $100 to $200 in US dollars and try to build a reserve early in the trip of a couple hundred Euros.

For younger travellers where multiple accounts and credit cards are not an option, even though they have lost much favor, Travellers Checks can still be a possible safe back-up.

I have to agree with Peter on how common ATMs are; my 1st trip I was concerned about going to hilltowns in Italy and made sure I had plenty of cash, but even the smallest hilltown we visited had 2 or more ATMs.

Roy writes:

"I have heard that banks sometimes shut down their access lines after midnight on Saturday for maintenance work, but I am not sure that is true."

That is true. I had that trouble with Citibank in Spain -- my card did not work at night at any ATM.

The next day, I went to the Citibank office, and they said that they were shutting down evening access because of a police advisory about possible criminal activity.

So, you never know. It might be an ATM network problem, or it might be the bank.

Some European ATMs may only pull money from the primary account. So if your checking is primary and all your funds are in savings, you may have a problem. This happened to me with Citibank. In fact, I did not even know I had a phantom checking account with them at all. I called the bank and they fixed it the next day.

We had our card get stuck in an ATM machine in Amboise. Fortunately it was right outside the bank so we were able to get it back although it took several hours. Our friends had their card eaten by the ATM at the train station in Avignon but when they called they realized they were trying to use a card on a closed account. Luckily they had another card with them. I prefer the ATMs that let you swipe your card rather than those that swallow it up but the latter seem to be more prevalent (at least in Provence where we do most of our traveling). I know the chances of having a problem are slim but I really hate to be so reliant on a machine! We try to have a couple of back up cards on hand just in case.

Steve - that 'sucking in' of the card if you don't retrieve it fast enough happens at some bank machines here in Canada too. The logic is that if you haven't taken the card back within X seconds, you've forgotten it. So the machine 'sucks it in' for your own protection.

This thread has been interesting but I'm still confused. I'm leaving in 12 days and was planning on taking my ATM card and my Capital One MasterCard (with PIN and cash-advance enabled). Now I'm nervous about ATM machines not working or eating my card and leaving me stuck.

Carrying a second ATM card may not protect me from loss or theft, but if a machine eats one, I'll still have the other. But the same is true for the MasterCard - if a machine eats the ATM card, I'll still have the MC. And vice versa.

Oh, what to do, what to do. Defintely food for thought.

I would hate people to get too worried about this issue.

All the things mentioned here, ATMs not working, cards being eaten etc. are 1) unusual occurrences 2) things that could just as easily happen in the USA.

They are possibilities and if everything goes wrong it can be inconvenient but I wouldn't travel expecting something to go wrong as 99% of the time it won't. I recommend just taking a few simple percautions (back-up card and some travellers cheques or spare cash) and not worrying past that.

It seems a shame to me to waste money by buying unnecessary rail passes or overpriced gift cards to solve a problem that isn't that serious. Of course I'm not criticising anyone's choices and sometimes peace-of-mind is worth a few extra dollars.

P.S. I read a good travel strategy for Americans on another board a while ago. The poster said that USD Travellers "checks" can be bought fee free in the US and can be deposited back into US bank accounts fee free - assuming this is still true they would make an ideal back up for US travellers. Buy $1000 in TCs, take them with the intentions of not using them and using ATM/credit cards.

In most cases you cards work fine and you bring back the TCs unused and put them back in the bank unused - this costs you nothing.

If you cards don't work you can change the TCs, this will cost you a conversion fee but it's better than having no money.

You could just take cash but the USD TCs have the advantage that if you lose your wallet you can cancel them and get replacements.

Peter - thanks for the reassurance. I actually wasn't worried at all until I read this thread. My partner and father-in-law just returned from two months traveling all over Europe and they had zero problems with their cards. So why I'm suddenly worried is beyond me. ~shrug~

Probably just pre-trip jitters. So I'm going to stick with my plan - ATM card, MasterCard, and some back-up cash that will be stashed in deep storage 'just in case.'

In the past I always carried travellers checks but I think I'm going to ditch that procedure on the next trip. They are an inexpensive hassle that Rick recommends not using. However, that leaves the concern over being stranded with no money. I have one Visa check card (only one bank account). I have no credit cards. So what I am going to do is:
1. Talk to my bank before I leave. Tell them I will be using the card in Europe and not to be alarmed and freeze it. My bank occasionally will freeze a card if they suspect possible theft.
2. Get a Visa Gift card. It's a preloaded with cash Visa card. I can use it as a backup where Visa is accepted if necessary.
3. Carry cash in US dollars that I can change in Europe for Euros if necessary. Carry in secure money belt under my clothes.
4. Most important - pay for everything I can IN ADVANCE! I will buy the rail pass... I am less concerned with whether it saves me money than I am with the fact that's less money I will need in Europe. Any other tickets or passes I can pay in advance I will. And the airline tickets, obviously. I doubt many of the type of hotels I would use (smaller family run places Rick recommends) would accept full payment by Visa in advance but if they did I would do it.
I will need a lot more money up front to go to do all this but it beats worrying about being stranded with a Visa card that I can't use for whatever reason when I am trying to relax and enjoy my trip.

One more thing.........don't forget to take your money and your card IMMEDIATELY when that part of the tranaction is done.

We were in Italy, and I was talking with friends while I was completing my transaction. The ATM did not like this, and sucked in my credit card. I had to go back the next morning to the bank to retrieve it.

Moral of the story; don't screw around when you are completing your transaction, do your transaction at a bank ATM if at all possible.

We each always carry at least two ATM debit cards; from different banks. And neither one of us uses the same card number/pin number.

Peter in Manchester has a good point about bringing Travelers Checks that you can just deposit once you are home again(and didn't have to use them!!) I have done that in years gone by when travelers checks were the norm. It is just an insurance policy. Try to buy the TC where you can get them without a fee. AAA used to do this for members,don't know if they still do.

The best scenario is still to bring 2 debit cards.
Just open another account at another bank and put some of your travel money in that account. You have to allow enough time, however, for the debit card to be issued.

Once in England I had my card swallowed but it was at an open Barclays branch and they were able to retrieve it right away. I inadvertently used a machine that was not in working order!!! Dumb!!

Another time, a place in London put through my large charge on my combo debit/credit BOA card as a hold.
Only they did it 3 times in a row so the bank put a stop on the card which of course I did not realize right away. This necessitated a call to the special number in the USA. A pain!!

At that time, I did not carry 2 debit cards but I do now.

I think the moral to the story is to be very careful when doing each ATM transaction....concentrate on it carefully and don't be distracted by friends and use an ATM attached to a bank. And NEVER get too low on cash.

Have a lovely trip. Don't worry but do be careful.

Last trip three years ago, no problems. This year, one of my Debit cards was refused at an ATM. When this kept happening, I called the financial institution and spoke to someone. Turns out they had been having some fraudulent charges from England appear on lots of accounts and had frozen all access from the UK. Ooops. Luckily for me they were able to unfreeze my card in short order. They knew of my trip in advance, though, but no one ever put two and two together to connect the notice they had of my trip with a general hold placed on accounts with foreign charges.

Bottom line: Before you go, get the phone number (and name if possible) of who you need to call back home if you run into trouble. Someone will be in a position to fix your account, but tracking them down from overseas can be difficult.

Also: I carry two Debit cards from two separate accounts at two different institutions. When one card was blocked, my second card still worked.

During one of our yearly trips to Europe, one of our 2 debit cards (from different financial institutions) would not work in Ireland even tho we were spending almost a month there and had surely notified the bank of the stop in that country. Thank goodness for the second Debit card. Upon returning to the US we inquired of the bank whose card had been rejected only to be told that we had not told them of going to that country. Our lesson: after notifying the banks for our plans, we now ask them to repeat them to us to make sure they have recorded it correctly.

The point Peter made is very valid. Yes, these occurrences are rare and they occur at the same rate in the US, though I would argue that the liklihood of an issue occurring is greater when you are in an area (in the US or Overseas} that you are in for the first time.

But given that, just like security of your cash and important papers, when travelling, a greater level of attention and measures taken is justified.

Why? Easy, at home, if my ATM card gets eaten, doesn't work, or even gets picked out of my pocket, I go home, call my cards, go to the bank and straighten things out, get some cash or write a check, a hassle, but nothing like the disruption incurred to my trip with little access to those resources.

So, Yes, have back-ups, you probably will have no problem, but if you do, you will be prepared.

Roy,

Since you said ATM card, I'm assuming it's not a debit card that you're calling an ATM card.

There are usually three issues:

1. You didn't let your bank know you would be travelling (or they didn't do their part when you told them) so the bank puts a fraud alert hold on your card. This stays until they hear from you and usually clears at midnight (their time) once you contact them.

2. Your ATM card isn't on the same network(s) as the ATM machine you are trying to use. Debit cards are better because they have the Visa or Master Card logo which will be accepted at almost all cash machines in Europe. If you're using an ATM card, you can get a list of ATM machines you can use ahead of time. Worst case scenario, your ATM card doesn't have use any networks available in Europe and your stuck. More likely you just have to work harder to find a machine you can use.

3. Mechanical problems. The machine might not be working, your card could be demagnetized, or it could be bent from being in your back pocket and get stuck in the machine. I always order new cards before a trip so there is less chance of mechanical issues. Rick suggests tweezers for getting stuck ATM cards out of machines (one thing I look for in Swiss Army Knives I buy).

My technique is to bring two debit cards, one for my wife's account and one for mine. We are both signers on each account so we can transfer funds to the back-up account if we have a lost or stolen card. I carry some US currency as a backup, but don't convert it unless I have to. I keep a list of non-800 bank phone numbers for every card (800 numbers won't work from Europe).

Hey Roy from Auburn Al War Eagle!! Like Peter the exact same thing happened to me & my husband in Italy in 2005. At the time we only had 1 cc card & ATM card on one bank account. We would have been stranded in Italy w/o funds to finish our trip there & then to travel on to Switzerland. We even went into 3 banks & talked with 3 employees to try to figure it out. Absolutely no help & they all 3 refused a cash advance on our cc card. We finally had no choice & found a TravelEx & got a cash advance on our Visa which ended up having a very low fee. We never figured out the problem but had no problem while in Switzerland. We now have multiple cc cards, atm's, etc on several bank accts which are used only while traveling.

Brad,
I was referring to a debit card from my bank, and it had a VISA logo. None of these scenarios applied in my case, and I have never had this type of problem with the card before or since, so I may never know why that happened. Fortunately, things worked out okay.
But these messages have helped me get a clearer picture of what I need to do in the future: I opened and later closed an account at another bank, so I had a backup card this spring. Instead of splitting my funds next time, I plan to get a debit card from my credit union and boost the account temporarily with a loan through my line of credit. Assuming I won't actually have to use that card, I wil return those funds afterward.

We called our banks to give them a heads-up, but my husband's Bank of America ATM card got shut off after one use. Mine, from my local credit union, was fine. I strongly recommend having two separate ATM cards (from different banks) in case this happens to you!

I agree with Suzanne. While this may seem like a minor problem, it happens to Americans more often in Europe than it happens in the US due to incompatibilities between the two banking systems and various fraud alerts. I work for a bank and I know that computers don't always play nice with each other.

It is a bad feeling to be in another country with no money, even for a few hours. It's a good idea to have a backup plan if your favorite ATM card does not work.

Don't know the percent of people that have problems with ATM's but looks like it is common enough to expect a problem. I will be travelling alone in Sept and will make sure I notify both card companies at least twice to make sure my account shows I will be in Europe. That said, if I have a problem it sure could ruin a long awaited trip. I don't want to spend hours or days trying to get cash when needed. I am one that carries some € with me from here. I sure don't want to land in Paris and not be able to get cash to start off with. This site only gets a small % of travellers so this might be a lot bigger problem than we know. Scares me, but will do all I can on this end and just hope I am not posting from Europe asking for help. We do all we can to plan, and then a piece of plastic or machine ruins it like the other ATM post on this site going on now. Good luck to her

Tony, remember this is question and problem site. People post and discuss problems. People don't post and discuss non-problems. I don't know what percentage of people have ATM problem but I am guessing it is pretty low. We have used a debit card for nearly 15 years and 300+ days of travel all over Europe and have never had a failure, eaten card, and only twice have had an ATM not work. The next one did. I think you should plan for a problem but not go anticipating problems. Two debit cards is always smart, a couple of $50 buried in your shoe is useful, and a couple of credit cards with cash advance features will not hurt either. My debit card not working is one of the last things to cross my mind.

Two credit cards are a good idea for peace of mind, especially for solo travelers. I got into CDG airport a couple of years ago and panicked when the ATM there didn't work. Luckily I had some euros from my last trip and when I got into the city the ATMs there worked fine.
No one on this thread has mentioned the Charles Schwab feature where they reimburse your account for any bank fees on either end. I just got one for an upcoming trip. That said, be sure to get it ahead of time -- I moved money into the account last night and then opened a letter from them telling me it would take 7 business days to set up a transfer system. (I leave in 3 days!) A phone call fixed it, but these heart-stopping moments are best avoided!

Only had a problem once - in a Saturday morning in Venice I couldn't get any ATM to work (since it was the middle of the night back home I guess that my bank was briefly offline for maintenance). Usually I bring about US$200 in case of such an issue, so I excchanged some dollars into Euros (paying through the nose to do so...). This was my last day in Europe so I didn't have a chance to see if the issue cleared up on its own.