ATM limits

And remember you can always go inside the bank and get cash from a teller by using your ATM card. (And remember that in Italy the ATM machines are called "bancomat")

Notify your bank today that you want your cash withdraw limit upped to a higher amount for the duration of your trip.

Kay, if you have not already call your bank and let them know you will be out of country and making withdrawals from ATM's in Europe. If not it is possible the bank may freeze your account if they detect unusal withdrawal patterns in Venice rather than Toronto. Ask them what the daily limit is and if not enough ask them to increase it. I raised mine to $1,500 U.S. dollars per day in case of a small emergency. Some ATM's have a maximum amount that you can withdraw at one time regardless of what your bank allows. ATM's located at a bank tend to allow a higher withdrawal amount than some stand alone units. I withdrew 1.000 euro at the Stuttgart Airport in May 2007, which at that time was $1,360.00 U.S. dollars, so the Airport ATM's tend to allow a higher maximum W/D. A couple of weeks later I tried to get 500 euro from a stand alone unit in Venice and was only able to get 250 euro which was about $338.00 U.S. Dollars. Wanting 500 euro I just made two withdrawals of 250 euro each. It is better to withdraw a larger amount if possible to avoid transaction fees for each w/d. My suggestion would be to get your cash from your ATM upon arrival at the airport. Also, if you are going to use a credit card notify your credit card company so they will not block your account for suspicion of unusual spending in a foreign country.

I believe typical ATM limits range from $300-500/day.

You need to notify the bank of your plans before you go. Some cards will not work internationally if you do not notify the bank ahead of time.

You should also notify your credit card company.

Also inquire what the fees are- for instance, my bank charges $3.50 per international transaction.

I have several extra bank and credit union accounts (ones that have no fees), as does my husband, that we only use for our annual trips to Europe. By having at least 4 different debit accounts between us (sometimes 5-6)we can withdrawl as much money as we need to pay large bills, such as weekly apartments, etc. By dividing our vacation money into a number of different accounts, we are protected if one of us is robbed (unlikely with our moneybelts, of course!)or if a card becomes damaged, or a certain card doesn't work with a particular ATM. This way we never worry about being limited to a small amount of cash.

Thanks for all your replies!!

Kay