Where is the best place to take out money from the ATMs? I heard the airport is where a lot of CC info gets stolen, is this true? Any suggestions of where to and where NOT to take out cash would be appreciated. Thanks, Jacqueline
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16235 posts
I've never heard about cc info being stolen at airports. Any ATM will do. They are everywhere in Italy. The Italian word for ATM is: BANCOMAT. Memorize your PIN as numbers. Italian ATM key pads have no letters. Alert your bank you will be traveling overseas or they'll block it as a fraud prevention measure if they see international withdrawals.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Many bancomats have indoor ATM terminals, so you don't have to use one while you're on the sidewalk (although I do use them and have never had a problem). Make sure you know whether your bank charges an international transaction fee, or be prepared for a 3% (more or less) surprise on your statement. As Roberto said, notify your bank and cc company of where and when you will be traveling - then check back with them before you leave to make sure it's in your record. I didn't double-check once and was stuck in Warsaw on z Friday night with no local currency (and a long phone call to my bank).
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
An ATM inside a bank or vestibule would likely be the "safest." But that is a relative term, the chance of an ATM having a skimmer on it is pretty remote.
Posted by
Coraopolis, Pa, USA
1018 posts
As yearly travelers in Italy, we only use ATM's attached to a bank and only when the bank is open. If the ATM eats our card we can go inside immediately to retrieve it. We never use stand alone ATM's because they are too much of a target to be compromised. Buon viaggio,