Greetings from Chania,
FYI and or any advice. We walked to 3 Bank ATM's yesterday because they were charging a commission of either 8.5% or 9% on our withdrawal !! We needed some cash so paid the dang fee at Eurobank. CRAZY !! We started using our credit card more because we have no foreign transaction fee charge. We were in Athens a few weeks ago and got cash out and had no commission fee charged. Is this a Crete thing???
I don't have this problem since I'm in the Euro zone but I know that there have been a few posts on this forum regarding the options available when withdrawing money from an ATM in Greece.
Here is the answer usually given:
Be careful while using the ATMs.
They show a screen with the exchange rate in USD and Euro. Always opt for Euro since that will give you the best rate. Also be careful of ATMs run by EURONET. They are not a bank, but chain of ATMs. They have the worst exchange rates.
Or:
The ATM to avoid is Euronet, which isn’t a bank, makes higher charges and gives poor exchange rates. The bank ATMs to use are Alpha, Piraeus, National Bank of Greece and Eurobank, which charge a 2.5 - 3 % transaction fee. You will get the same exchange rate at all 4 but do not take the “with conversion” option as it gives a poorer exchange rate.
It doesn't matter where in Greece you use a ATM.
I agree that always ask for Euros and always without conversion.
Also avoid Euronet at all costs!
