Which banks have ATMs in Eruope?

Does you debit card have a VISA or other logo on the front or back?

There are banks ~everywhere~ as well as ATMs that are not related to banks. The bank ATM I used to use near my favorite London hotel was closed last time and the staff at the hotel reception directed me to the Sainsbury grocery store across the street saying that was the one she used all the time. Yep, it worked fine, had the same 1% charge from my credit union and no extra charges.

On my first Rick Steves tour to Paris the guide told us to try and use BNP or Deutsche Bank as they did not charge extra. I generally try to use those when I'm in France.

All high street banks have ATMs. They are every where in towns and cities, less so in villages.

Translation for the OP who is a new traveler, in case they don't know yet: High Street = Main Street

Thank you Pam and by High St banks I mean the big four British banks, Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC and Nat West

Excellent, and see I did not know that!

Every bank in Europe has ATMs that you can use.

But you have to ask your bank first if they let you use your card at any ATM in Europe. Surprisingly, some don't. Most banks still require you to provide a travel notice when planning on using your cards in Europe. This is best done through their online banking portal, but you can talk with someone at your nearest branch to have this noted. If you don't tell them where and when you will be there, there is a high probability your card will not work in Europe.

You should ask what fees your bank will charge you for using the European ATMs (this will be in addition to whatever fees you might get charged by the ATM owner). This charge from your bank can be as high as $5 plus 5% per transaction. Also, you should never allow the ATM (or any merchant as well) to bill you in dollars because they will inflate the exchange rate in their favor costing you money (you will still be billed in dollars, or whatever your home currency is, just at a much better rate set by the card network). This is called "Dynamic Currency Conversion" and is offered "for your convenience". But the only one it is convenient for is the ATM operator.

My debit card does have a visa on the front. Also what is the OP by my post? This is my first post so very new at this😬😊

Many banks in the US do not have ATMs in Europe, or at least not very many ATMs.

What you want is to get an ATM card that can be used at ANY ATM. If it has a visa logo you are set as far as the card working in European ATMs. Most ATM cards have this as a default. There are other network logos that would work too - look at your card and see what network logo is on it and then see if that network is in Europe. Again, most are.

Next order of business is to check the fees. One bank in the US may charge $5 each time you use an ATM. Another may have no fees. Etc. Other people on this board are better with explaining fees than I am. Ideally you want a card with the lowest fees possible. How much nickel-and-diming you want to do is up to you. Some people pay the fees their bank imposes, because it’s easier and maybe they don’t travel all that often. Other people open separate accounts to get a no fee card, and search out special ATMs to save. Up to you.

carvocrew, you are the "Original Poster." That logo helps readers find any continuation of your question if the thread gets crowded with replies.

With the Visa logo on your debit card, you can use virtually any ATM in Europe. Most will display the same logo.

You may also want to review related topics at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money.

"OP" means you are the original poster -- the one who started this particular thread. It's helpful when people who are responding can immediately see which later posts are by you, because you may have provided additional information in them that will help in giving you a good response.

Thank you for all the wonderful advice and information. I will be calling my credit union today and find out more information. There are some other symbols on the back , so will look them up as well.

This forum has been very helpful in planning our trip!,

My credit union charges nothing to use any ATM that has any of the symbols on the card. No conversion fees either. I have used the card all over the world without any problem.

They do want to know when I am traveling (even just out-of-state). They take the info in person and write it on a little slip of paper - very low-tech LOL! But so far, the info always seems to get into my record, because I have experienced no problems.

I also carry some cash, just in case, so if I run into trouble I have something to exchange. I also take a couple of credit cards as back-up. One of these cards also does not charge conversion fees.

Have a wonderful trip!

What are the symbols on the back of your credit union debit card?? STAR ??? Earlier you said banks and now a credit union - there are some differences.

If your card has the VISA, Plus, Star or whatever logos on the back (or maybe the front), you can actually Google to find locations in the cities you will be visiting, and you can then look at those ATM network maps for those cities to see which ones are closest to where you will be. We rarely use ATMS when traveling (safety issue: and please everyone refrain from lecturing me....I DO know what I am talking about), but when we do use ATMs, our preference is for one inside a bank or bank lobby or in a high-traffic location, such as within a large hotel, etc. I also suggest checking with your local financial institution to see if they waive the fees for use of the network ATM out of the country (it is not uncommon to have those fees waived).

If your card has a Visa logo on it, you can use virtually any ATM in Europe.

Some things you should know:
1. Your pin number (4 digits, numbers)
2. Your daily limit on your card (often around $500 but varies by bank). The daily limit refreshes usually at midnight at your bank's headquarters (so maybe 6-9 am in Europe). Some banks will let you adjust your limit, most won't.
3. Many European ATMs have a lower single transaction limit. So if you ask for 300 euros, it may say no, because it has a 150 euro limit per transaction. When that happens it's not your card or your bank, you've just exceeded that machine's single transaction limit. Either do more than one transaction or try another machine (see number 5).
4. There is fraud associated with ATMs in Europe. Always guard your pin by covering your hand. If someone is hovering over you or offers to help with your transaction, take your card and find another ATM. I prefer ATMs inside banks or other buildings (grocery stores and some department stores) because they are less likely to be messed with.
5. Your bank's charges. European Bank ATM's don't charge for a transaction (I only use ATMs that say Bank, Banc or Banco in the name and avoid anything with an Ex in it because it may be a currency exchange that charges, sometimes exorbitant, fees) but your bank probably does. The good banks charge reasonable fees, something on the order of a flat one percent. Some outstanding places charge nothing but it usually comes with minimum deposit or other requirements. Often the big banks charge 3 percent plus $5 per transaction, or more. If you have one of those banks, it's a good time to rethink your relationship with them or consider opening a dedicated travel account.
6. Does your bank need you to notify them of your travel plans? That used to be a big deal. With the chip in the card now, many banks don't require this anymore.

Am I forgetting anything? Others will remind me if I am. ;-)

Actually, it's "most" European banks don't charge an ATM fee -- but they are required to let you know on the screen before you complete the transaction so you can choose to cancel and find another bank. (In Italy I kept finding the one bank that charged...)

Another good one to know, just say no to charging you in dollars. The idea seems to be becoming more popular so whether you are at a restaurant, ATM, grocery store, department store, gas station, etc. If you are asked whether you want them to charge you in dollars, say no. I was asked by an ATM a couple weeks ago in Mexico or Jamaica (it may have been both); I was also asked if I wanted to make a donation to a charity at a Mexican ATM. If you say yes, they will charge a currency transaction and you will still get charged a foreign transaction fee by your bank. Keep your transactions in the local currency so you only get charged once.

Thank you for all the wonderful advice! I have talked to my credit union and let them know when we will be traveling and found out it is only a 1% transition fee and we can use any atm. I will definitely stink with bank ones only😊