I read thru the ATM thread below to make sure I wasn't reinventing the wheel here. When I traveled to Europe in 1999-2000 and I think even later in the 2000's there was an issue withdrawing from ATMs with the length of the password (weird I know). I can't remember whether too long or too short passwords were rejected.
Anyway- DH and I are going to Italy in mid-October and I just want to confirm that a 4 digit password is ok.
Thanks in advance!
Jill
Today 2017 that is the norm everywhere. You should not have any problems.
And don't read anymore into it.
Yep, ours have 4 digits and we've never had a problem.
Thanks everyone!
More widely called PINs than passwords or passcodes...
There are some urban legends that claim that you cannot start you pin with a zero. While true about fifty years ago, it is false today. Second, for a long time pin numbers were limited to four digits but it is my understanding that pins up to six digits are accepted. Cannot be less than four. Obviously you don't what to use alpha characters as you will not find alpha characters on the key pad in Europe. If using alpha just convert to the correct number.
I think that with a PIN that has more than four numbers, the digits after the four are just ignored.
Jill,
European banks use 6-digit PIN's. I have a 6-digit PIN on one of my cards and a 4-digit on the other, and one code starts with a '0'. I have never had problems with any of them anywhere I have tried them.
I strongly suspect this is either ancient history, or just an Urban Myth.
Now, it could just possibly be that there is some difference between North American cards and European cards so that North American cards only work in European machines if they have 4-digits, but I doubt it.
But, since you can't prove a negative, I guess many people change to a 4-digit PIN to be safe.
1) Has anybody ever seen anything on a bank or card issuer site confirming this (not just hearsay on a travel blog)?
2) If anybody from the website owners is reading this (Laura?), I suggest you do a bit of research for your next guide book. Set one of your cards to 6-digits, and try it in every country you visit. Then publish the result on the money tips page ( https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/cash-machine-atm-tips ) and in your guidebooks. You would be doing everybody a service.
Frank just said it -- urban myth that 6-digits does not work.
My Italian bancomat card has 5 digits. My American ATM card has 4. Both work.
