My wife and I are taking a three week trip to Ireland, renting a car and driving, and staying primarily in B&B's . It's my understanding that B&B hosts will require cash, and I expect pubs and restaurants will also. What is the maximum daily ATM withdrawal amount in Ireland ? Here , that's $300 per day. $300 may not make it. Can I assume that I can use the debit card to purchase gas even if I have withdrawn the daily cash amount prior to buying gas ?
Thanks.
Carr Smith
Assume nothing. Check with your bank or credit union.
Don't want to complicate things for you but it is safer to use a credit card to pay for things like gas and the debit just for cash withdrawls
If your domestic daily w/d limit is $300 USD, it would usually be the same overseas except that the limit would be in the same USD equivalent in the local currency. I;m not sure but suspect that the daily limit would include any foreign currency conversion fees. For example, at 1.12 USD/EUR, the limit would be about 267 EUR without a conversion fee and about 265 EUR with a 1% fee.
My bank allowed me a $500 USD daily limit and on a past trip I needed several thousand EUR. They temporarily increased my daily to $700 USD and I was able to withdraw 500 EUR per day (several years ago). The bottom line is to confirm with your bank and if needed, ask for a temporary daily limit. Of course, the higher daily limit is a risk factor should your account be compromised.
The total daily withdrawal limit for your debit card is set by your bank. It varies from bank to bank and even account type to account type at the same bank. You have to ask them about your specific accounts, but I think you will be surprised at what the account limit actually is. Many banks are flexible enough to set your withdrawal limit higher, temporarily like for your trip or permanently, if you ask.
There is a totally separate limit to think about and that is the limit imposed by the ATM itself which is where the $300 limit comes in in the states. It just happens to be the most $20 bills an ATM can dispense in one bunch. You might have a $1000 limit on your card, but the specific ATM you use in Ireland might limit individual transactions to €200. If you run into this, and you know you have not exceeded your daily account limit, just try another transaction for €200 and keep going if you need more. You can also go to another ATM if one quits giving you money.
Make sure you inform your bank of when you are going and what dates you will be there. Otherwise they will probably deactivate your card suspecting fraud.
Oh, and avoid using your debit card to do anything other than get cash from an ATM except in emergency situations. It's just simpler that way.
Thanks to each of you for your replies.
My wife has just advised me that our credit union that issued the debit cards has increased the daily withdrawal amount to a level that means we won't have problems.
I need to listen to all the experts, especially the one I'm married to........
Good advice from Mark. Every foreign transaction may incur a fee, depending on your home bank. Take out a substantial amount of euros and spend them for everything except major purchases; it spreads the fees around and is fast and convenient (just like the old days....) Credit cards incur fees but plenty of restaurants etc will take them. Ireland after all is a banking centre.
sometimes it depends on how much cash is in the machine, just like here. If it won't give you the amount you're asking, do it again and ask for less.
Consider also opening an account in a different bank so you have 2 accounts to draw from in case there is a problem.
