Cinque terre and using visa plus in atm machines

Do you want to use a Visa credit card in a bank machine? In other words, to borrow money? Why not use a debit/ATM card, much much cheaper because it's not a loan?

Here is the distinction, often repeated: An ATM card withdraws your own money from your chequing account, usually for a fee. A credit card borrows money from the bank, at high loan interest. The second you have the money in hand you are rolling up interest at a rate of 19 per cent, or higher. Some banks apparently even charge on your card's entire balance, not just what you borrowed. There is a complicated dodge involving advance deposits that's not worth pursuing; simply get an ATM card.

It was clear if his VISA plus was a debit or credit card? Or at least it wasn't to me. The second card he tried to use was obvious a credit card.

Bill,

For future reference, this is exactly why it's prudent to carry two (or more) ATM cards, as that provides a "backup" if there's some kind of issue with your primary card (I've had that happen).

Southam. Plus or Visa Plus is an interbank network that covers Visa credit and debit cards as well as many saving account ATM cards issued by banks around the world. I have a saving account ATM card on the Plus network and have used it many times overseas. Without knowing the type of Plus card the OP was using, your lecturing of him is ill informed and inaccurate.

I didn't consider Southam's post to be "lecturing". On the contrary, it was explaining the difference between the types of cards, which the OP was not clear about. My comment on it would be that it states that money taken out with a debit card is "usually with a fee". A lot of cards are fee-free, and most European ATMs do not, themselves, charge fees.

I don't know if this page will show up. It shows 4 Visa Plus ATM's in the CT, 2 in Vernazza, and 1 each in Riomaggiore and Monterosso.
http://www.visa.com/atmlocator/index.jsp#(page:results,params:(query:'Vernazza, Italy'))

Edit- The link died, but enter Vernazza, Italy in the locator box to get the results.

Nancy. Southam also seems to be confused. He clearly assumes a visa plus card is a credit card. That is not necessarily the case.

Just to clarify the card issue, I have both a Visa credit card and a Visa debit/ATM card from the same bank. If I withdraw money from an ATM using the credit card, it will be treated as a loan with horrendous interest rates. If I use the debit card, it takes money from my chequing account, so no interest or exorbitant costs.

mph, it seems the OP confused the issue from the start. He says, "Our visa plus card did not work in any of the ATMs .... We had another credit card but could not use it in the ATMs". By saying "another credit card" it seems to imply that the first card was also a credit card. So was the first card credit or debit? I still don't see Southam's post as a lecture.

Just to clarify a couple of things. The card was a visa plus debit card. i do understand the difference between using a credit card and a debit card. I tried the machines in vernazza(as i said there was a sign in the bank in vernazza that said "no visa plus cards" ) , riomaggiore, corneglia and manarola.

Bill you must have hit a time where there was a network issue. While I was in Florence, all the ATMs had signs on them saying "No Visa" when we arrived but worked the next day with no problems. I did a double check to see which one I used in the CT and it was my Chase Visa Debit (PLUS not specified on the card). I also have a Capital One MasterCard Debit card which I used in other parts of Italy with no problems.

I've had this issue at various ATM's in Italy. What I think I've experienced is that some ATM's will only accept credit cards and then dun you for a big finance charge. When I start to use these machines (and I never know until I put my card in and follow the prompts) I just cancel the transaction and find another ATM machine. Seems that ATM's that are free standing, not near a bank, only "charge" your cash withdrawal, they aren't pulling money from your checking account.

I understand your frustration...this happened to me and my son in Bologna a couple of years ago, as well as with my husband last year in Milan...we had to keep walking and trying each machine until we found one that would be a true debit machine and charge our credit card for a withdrawal.

I have a Debit Card that is Visa Plus as did 3 others traveling with me this past September. We were a group of 8. In Vernazza the 3 of us with Visa Plus on the Debit Card (not a credit card) were unable to withdraw cash from the ATM halfway down on the main street (near the salami shop). Everyone else was able to withdraw funds from that bank. The 3 of us were able to use the Bank at the top town near Il Pirata. That bank took our Visa Plus cards.