ATM’s at Schiphol Airport

The ATM at Schipol around baggage claim is ABN AMRO; it only allows me 200 Euros at a time. That is not to say that is the same for you. I don't pay intention to the fees, as it is the cheapest way of getting euros.

I was there January 1 and got 100 euros this is what the cost was

01/01 1118 Av3 Schiphol Card Euro 100.00 X 1.203000 (Exchg Rte) $120.30
01/02 Foreign Exch Rt ADJ Fee 01/01 1118 Av3 Schiphol $3.61

So I guess you can say my bank charged me $3.61 to withdraw from that ATM

The last time there we used an ING terminal near the tourist information office, no fee, and took out 300 euro. ATMs may have limits for a single withdraw set by the bank that owns the ATM. It can vary. Generally there are no fees for using bank-owned ATMs. All other fees after that are set by your card issuer. Your card issuer will also set a 24 hour withdraw limit.

There are two potential fees to consider when using an ATM: the fee your own financial institution might charge you - and the separate fee the ATM's owner might charge you.

I am sure I've used the ATM at Schiphol at least once, but I don't remember when. I'm sure I wasn't charged a fee - I've never been charged a fee to use an ATM in Europe, ever. It's not just that my credit union doesn't charge for using the ATM - the ATM itself also doesn't charge a fee. Most in Europe do not. I have heard of some ATMs not owned by banks charging a fee - especially in Spain, but I've never been there.

I'd be more concerned with what my own credit union or bank would charge me to use an ATM in Europe as well as what currency conversion fee they will charge you on top of that. The ATM in Europe probably won't charge you anything.

However, make sure you withdraw your money charged IN EUROS, not in USD or whatever your home currency is!!! This is a scam called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), an excuse to charge you a fee to convert the money you are taking out to your own currency so you won't have to do the math. You'll still get Euros from an ATM in Amsterdam, but if you take out 40 Euros, they might offer to show you the equivalent in USD (today, about $50 USD) if your home currency is USD. DON'T DO THIS. Just take out the Euros. Just another scheme - same with using credit cards. Always make sure you are charged in the local currency (e.g. Euros) not your own currency.

Most ATM's in Europe do not add fees for withdrawals (it used to be all of them had no fees, but at least in Spain, some are starting to). This is different from fees charged by your bank.

Similarly, there is the ATM's withdrawal limit (which is usually not posted), and your bank's daily withdrawal limit. If, for instance, you want 500 euros, but your bank allows only $300 per withdrawal, you can make two withdrawals. However, you will then be charged two withdrawal fees from you bank - that is, if your bank has withdrawal fees for foreign ATM use.

Do find out what your bank's daily withdrawal limit is, and convert it to euros. The ATM's in Europe will not have dollar amounts - just euros - so you need to know how much you want to withdraw. It's a lot easier if you don't have to try to figure this out on arrival, tired and jetlagged. Furthermore, if you exceed either your bank's withdrawal limit or the ATM's withdrawal limit, it often won't say - it will just decline the transaction without giving a reason. So, if you're declined, try a smaller amount.

Your bank may access a fee. We are lucky that our bank doesn't.

I used the ABN AMRO machine in Schipol a few weeks ago (and will be using it again in a week). No fee charged for me, which is a function of my bank. Do not hit a Travelex machine.

I also saw that Dynamic Exchange option...and I thank Rick Steve's Amsterdam book for warning me about this. As the other poster said, take it in Euros, and let your bank do the math without a "convenience" fee.

We also are going to be arriving at Schiphol for our Netherlands trip, and I am confused. I have read it is better to get Euros in Europe than to get Euros in the US and take with. However, we will need at least 500 Euro on our first day there as our lodging is payable upon arrival. If the ATM only allows 300 Euro, or less, and it is not even posted as to the limit, what do we do? It seems like we must take Euros from the US. What am I missing?

To LJL - That ATM limit of 300 € is the transaction limit set for the machine, your own banks daily limit is independent of this. The machine limit does not prevent you from doing a further withdrawal action immediately at the same machine (and you can always go to the next machine). Further, you say "we". Would that be a joint account? Every joint account we have ever had has provided both of us our own ATM card, and they have different numbers, and the bank's daily limit applies separately to each card (for example, Schwab's is $1,000. Using both cards, we can take $2,000 worth of withdrawals in the same day)

To LJL's question - if the individual ATM has a withdrawal limit, you may have to go to more than one ATM (e.g., use an ABN AMRO machine and another, but not Travelex) or use two different bank cards to take out cash (I have two credit unions, so I would take the max out from each). But be sure to talk to your bank about your total daily cash withdrawal limit - if it's less than the equivalent of 500 euros (about $620), then you'll have to come up with a different plan. Though highly frowned upon on this forum, it might be an instance you'd consider getting some euro before you leave.

There are multiple ATM machines in this airport. I used one at a bank in the food/shopping area that is near the entrance. You should know your card and your bank's policy on ATM withdrawals. My card (Charles Schwab) refunds me any fees charged by ATMs. Therefore, I look for bank ATM's in secure locations rather than worry about fees since I know there won't be any in the end.

To Carol, Cl, and Larry...Thank you so much for clearing this up. Our Bank limit is $1000 per day, so by using multiple machines, we should be fine. And, CL, I see you are in Salem. We live in Dallas, Oregon..practically neighbors!

Does anyone know what an estimated service fee is for withdrawing
money from ATM’s at Schiphol airport? Do the ATm’s have a withdrawal
limit? Are there different fees at different ATM’s?

That's up to your bank regarding fees and your bank's relationships with Dutch banks. With my account at Bank of America, I use the ABN AMRO cash machines at Schiphol because I am charged no fees. I don't know about the maximum daily limit.

As a good precaution, you should carry two debit tied to two different account. Use both to get the cash needed.

Just so the wrong impression isn't left about the Travelex ATM at Schiphol... There is a Travelex exchange booth which likely charges a significant fee / poor exchange rate. But right next to it is a Travelex ATM which I tried as an experiment, and to my surprise, it used the correct interbank exchange rate (same rate as other VISA / ATM transactions at other locations that day) and no additional fees.

Thanks, Bob, that's helpful to know. TravelEx gets a bad rap for charging poorer rates at their ATMs than the others, but it seems that be my undeserved.

Same is true about the Travelex ATMs at Heathrow. The proper rate is applied to convert your withdrawal, as long as you are doing this in the local currency.