blocked atm card

What bank and cc company is this? By the way, whose money is it?!! If my bank notified me of this, I would close that account immediately. I certainly understand the banks protecting themselves (and us) from fraud but we need access to our accounts. Sounds like overkill to me.

Never heard of this before! Always use our ATM in Italy/Europe. Will be interested in hearing if anyone else has heard anything re. this.

I, too, would be finding a new bank to do business with. I suggest you call back and ask to speak to a supervisor. Someone may have provided you with bad information. I have never heard of any bank denying a customer access to their money contingent on where they were trying to access their funds.

been with this bank 20 yrs and go to europe every year...no probs ever before...just got off phone with a higher up...italy and spain in europe are on this list because high rates of fraud...

Change banks...it must be a small bank. No larger national banks could get away with that.

My mom had that happen, to a debit card she opened for the sole purpose of our trip (and the Chase representative was WELL aware of that and that she would be using it in Italy)- but it didn't happen until she tried to use it, only to have every machine she tried it on tell her she couldn't. Just another reason to hate Chase.

And a good reason to carry more than one card, from more than one bank!

I agree with the others--take your business elsewhere & make sure the bank knows why.

Is it an ATM card or a debit card? Is the bank saying that you can't use the card to make point of sale purchases or you can't use it at all? I have always been able to use my debit card to withdraw cash from ATMs in Italy. Using my debit card to make purchases is another matter entirely, and my bank often blocks those purchases. Even in years when my bank is not blocking point of sale purchases with my debit card they recommend that I only use my debit card in ATM machines.

Wow. I just checked my bank's website and not only are some foreign countries blocked on my debit card, but places within the United States are blocked as well! Interestingly though, Italy is not on the list.

Matthew, it would be helpful to know the identity of the bank.

on my past travels in europe i only use my atm card to withdraw cash...for the basics of food, drink, transport etc...i am not a shopper or souvenir buyer...when i notified my other card companies they had no probs with use in italy...

Had that happen to me and so I changed credit unions. They had blocked Spain, Italy and Turkey saying that they needed to increase their security levels to do business in those countries, and yes it was a small, local credit union.

Changing financial institutions won't necessarily solve the problem. Everybody is going to block cards at some time or other.

I had this happen on two debit cards from two different credit unions. I had to call to get the cards unblocked. (I know the accounting dept. manager -- her daughter was actually petsitting for us -- and she forgot to tell me there was a country-wide block on the cards). They can selectively unblock a system-wide block, no matter what they tell you.

I suggest you contact someone in the accounting department of your bank and discuss it with them. If they say they'll unblock it, get their name and number in case you have to call them from overseas should you have a problem.

I have heard that some cards without a microchip embedded won't work in Italy, but I use my VISA ATM/check card in Italy all the time without any problems (no chip). Just make sure that it has a 4 digit PIN and not a 5 digit PIN. The 5 digit PIN cards won't work there. There have been some instances that my card would not work when making a purchase. I think that when it involves a high end retailer such as a jewelry store or a gasoline purchase, they will sometimes lock you out of those transactions. Make certain that you notify their SECURITY DEPARTMENT of your upcoming trip and don't just leave a message with one of the regular customer service reps. The message sometimes doesn't get through.

SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE ASKED, YET YOU HAVE NOT NAMED THE BANK. WHO DO YOU BANK WITH?

I'd find a new bank, or take another card. pauls's suggestion of writing down who you talked to at your current bank is good, except for the time difference if you need to talk to them and it's the middle of the night in the US.

I even PM'ed Matthew to ask him why he hasn't named the bank. No response. It's hard to believe his story without knowing the identity of the bank. And if it is true, it will be impossible for anyone else to benefit from Matthew's experience unless he names the bank. Curious.

my bad ... had not read this string in a couple of days and never look at my private messages ... rarely get one so i never check...yes as mentioned above by someone it is a credit union not a major name bank i have belonged to for over 20 yrs...this is a recent regulation...i was just in rome a few years ago and atm card was fine...ireland no probs last year...but italy and spain now on the list...but all good i can adapt and got it covered...now if the ash behaves...

Matthew is correct. I believe I belong to the same big credit union in Cincinnnati. They not only block their ATM card , but also their credit card almost everywhere in Europe.We have had to take out another ATM card at another bank.This is a wonderful credit union , but this is the worst thing they have ever done. I have complained over and over to them. I have been a member for over 30 years.

...and still no name.

Just checked with my credit union (1st Tech) and they said they are not blocking any country, on debit or credit cards. They did say that this year they are asking their customers to give them the particulars of their trip (dates and county visited), and they asked me to have my wife also call them with his info for both her debit and credit card.

I guess security is just getting tighter.

We only fund the credit union debit card when we go on trips. This enables us to have a back-up debit card, and limits the cards exposure to theft.