Visited the local AAA office and they told me about TravelMoney Cards issued by VISA -- essentially a debit card not connected to a bank account. Does anyone have experience good/bad about using these in Italy? I've seen some posts about ATM cards getting eaten....
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9101 posts
These cards come with fees that make them fairly pricey. ATM cards getting "eaten" is a rare occurrence, and not something to be overly concerned about. But these travelmoney cards are also inserted in to machines which can "eat" them as well.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23305 posts
This subject has been discussed and review frequently. There is no advantage to the money card over a debit card. But there are some disadvantages coupled with high fees for these cards -- in the range of 10%. The best practice is two debit cards tied to two different accounts. In 16 years of using debit cards we have never had one eaten (but we still carry two). Ask yourself -- when was the last time you debit card was eaten in the US? They use the same types of machines as we do.