Are there preferred ATMs in the airport, train station or is it better to find a bank in
downtown Barcelona.? We are flying into Barcelona and will be spending 3 nights there before continuing on to Madrid and then to the southern coast. I was just curious if one bank/brand ATMis less expensive than another..or if there are some to steer clear of. We will be spending a week in Portugal including Salema and Lisbon.
Thanks!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
"if one bank/brand ATM is less expensive than another", the bank owning the ATM does not charge, other than charging your bank the money you got out of it.
Your card company and your bank are the ones that charge you. They will charge you a percentage (typically 3%, but could be more) above the "interbank rate" for changing the money, and possibly an additional charge for using another bank's machine. You need to find out from your bank, before you leave, what their charges are.
Posted by
Reno, Nevada, USA
195 posts
The type of card you use is what determines the withdrawal charge, not the bank/ATM you withdraw from. We have a Capital One ATM card, have used it all over Europe, and never been charged any sort of charge at all. Also have a Chase United card which is the same way. Check out your cards and what the fees are and make adjustments there, if your card charges!!
Posted by
OP
Minneapolis, MN, USA
11 posts
Our bank does not charge a fee to use another banks ATM. They do charge a 1% foreign transaction fee which visa charges them. They advised us to check at individual atms. We have in the past experienced high fees..
Thanks!
Posted by
OP
Minneapolis, MN, USA
11 posts
Our bank does not charge a fee to use another banks ATM. They do charge a 1% foreign transaction fee which visa charges them. They advised us to check at individual atms. We have in the past experienced high fees..
Thanks!
Posted by
Tulsa, OK
355 posts
I agree with the other posters - it's your bank that might charge a fee. If you have time, it might be worth it to obtain a debit card with no fees since the fees can really add up. Especially when you get to Portugal as you can only withdraw 200 euros at a time.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
European banks do not charge, though some ATMs are operated by for profit currency exchanges and may charge a fee. You'll always be given notice before completing the transaction.
The main thing to look out for, especially popular in Spain, is Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). You may be offered to complete your transaction in euro or US dollars and it seems so "convenient" to do it in dollars. But they get to charge you their exchange rate and make some profit off of it. So ALWAYS decline DCC. Many ATMs will offer it as well as vendors when processing credit cards.
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
3071 posts
Not any more... now banks over here do charge when using cards from another bank (from 2 to 5€). Only a few (ie. Bankia) are still not charging for that -but they will soon enough. That's on top of whatever other costs for using a foreign card of course (currency exchange, etc)
Posted by
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
Contact your bank and or credit card company before you travel out of the country or you might have your card refused for non service....let them know the countries and the dates of travel..and ask them if they do not tell you which bank will not have the charges, or limited charges, when you use the bank in the other country.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
We have in the past experienced high fees..
You need to explain where and what those high fees were. We have never encountered any fees other than what our local bank charges. And that includes Spain and Portugal two years ago and Scotland,England, and France this past May. However, that appears to be changing in Spain from the above comments.