Bank fees

Capital One or a Credit Union.

Yes, my credit union is far cheaper too, as is the Capital One credit card for non-cash transactions. The other thing to do is take out maximum cash in a single transaction so any fee is a smaller fraction. The old advice to take fewer clothes and more money pays off!

Schwab ATM card is great and any ATM-owner fee is rebated. See http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange#The_List

Sherri. They vary widely. The key is to have the best combination of % over the spot rate and per transaction fee depending on how often and how large of a withdrawal you typically make. Assuming BA = Bank of America. Have you checked out their miliary banking. They have an account that is 1% over the spot rate with 5 transaction free withdrawals outside of their network per month. Capital One has one that is spot rate but $2.50 per transaction outside of the Capital One network. Also, keep in mind that the institute who owns the ATM may change a tranaction fee in additional to what the institution who issued your ATM does. These are best two I have found. Edwin PS - Not sure if you would qualify for either of these accounts.

.......the institute who owns the ATM may change a tranaction fee in additional to what the institution who issued your ATM does.......... While you will encounter this in the US, it is generally NOT TRUE in Europe. None of the banking institutions will charge an ATM user fee. There maybe a bank regulation in Europe that prevents this type of charge. However, especially in airports, you may find private ATMs trying to look like bank ATMs who will charge a service fee. Just make sure you are using a bank owned, it is obvious, ATM. This is one reason we avoid all stand alone ATMS and only use an ATM attached to a bank during banking hours. Easy to find.

With BofA debit cards, the $5 "non BofA ATM access fee" is waived if you use an ATM owned by a bank in the "Global ATM Alliance." You can find details and a list of member banks on Wikipedia. Look up 'Global ATM Alliance.'

Thank you to all the people who replied to my question regarding bank fees etc. I really appreciate the information!
Sherri