ATM Blocked by my Bank in Spain - What to do?

Blocking of card usage in certain countries is usually done by credit unions, rarely by large banks. I give you lots of credit for checking before your trip. You need to open a new account with another - larger - institution. A lot of people on this forum like the Capital One money market ATM/debit card because of its low or even non-existent fees for overseas use. USAA Federal Savings is another great bank with fee-free debit cards, if you're eligible for an account (must be ex-military or related).

I used my Chase Debit card throughout Spain this last summer and never had a problem with it. It even worked in Morocco. As I have done in the past, I notified the bank ahead of time. My friends used their card from their local credit union (sorry I don't know which one) and had no problems.

My credit union cards worked fine in Spain. Shop around for one who won't block you.

Thanks everyone for your help. I'll start looking around for a bank or credit union that will let me use an ATM in Spain.

Robin, was this a general announcement by your bank, or did they tell you personally that you would not be able to use the card in Spain while traveling there? Our banks (we have several, including majors and credit unions) will not accept charges or ATM withdrawals in Italy, unless we call and authorize each one, OR advise them we will be traveling there for certain dates.

We had no trouble using our cards, including almost daily cash withdrawals as we paid mostly in cash,on our recent trip. I believe Italy is considered more "fraud-prone" than Spain, so the banks in general are suspicious of charges arising there. But when authorized in advance by the cardholder, they go through.

So if this wasn't a personal communication, confirming that you can't use your card even if you advise them in advance that you will be traveling, and the specific dates, then you should call and ask.

But it never hurts to have a back-up card just in case.

Hi Lola,

Thanks for asking. I actually talked to someone from the bank, over the phone, who advised me about this policy. They also listed several other countries where I couldn't use my ATM card, but can't recall them at the moment. I did use my ATM card in Italy last month, after I told them the dates that we would be there. But even that didn't go smoothly. We tried it at the ATM at the Naples airport and at 2 separate banks in Sorrento and none of the ATM machines would accept our card, they kept saying "contact our bank". After a long and expensive phone call back home to our bank they couldn't figure it out either. Then several days later in Positano it started working. After we got home our bank still couldn't figure out what the problem had been. Luckily we had taken some back up cash that got us through.

Robin,

You did the right thing by checking with your bank first. It is important to find an instituion that allows you to use thier card worldwide. Even when our card is approved to be used in a country we have seen EU banks that did not like our card, so we just moved on to the next bank.

We now use two ATM cards from two different institutions. One is funded with $$$ only when we go on vaca. That becomes the primary. The other is our regular ATM, and it is used as a back-up.

Before we leave, we notify both banks of our travel plans. Both have toll free numbers that I keep on me.

Both worked perfectly on our trip to Italy/Sicily this past June.

If you are going to be in Spain frequently, open a checking account with Citibank Espana and put some Euros in it. They welcome non-resident accounts. After that, you will never have a problem in Spain. They have lots of branches and ATMs in Spain, and you can use their free ATM debit card anywhere.

Requires a 3,000 Euro minimum balance to avoid any service charges.

Robin, thanks for posting this. I had no idea Spain was also considered a "fraud" problem (like Italy). We will be there ourselves next spring. I'll be sure and check with our banks and credit unions regarding any potential blocks on our cards. I suppose I'll find out if there's a problem when I attempt to purchase tickets on RENFE (and I'll adivse the bank first of course).

The whole "blocked card" think is interresting. One of my cards is a Chase card linked to my British Airways Executive Club membership, so I get miles. Last week, within the space of several days, I made the following purchases on this card: 2 RT tickets on BA from Heathrow to Spain, one in my name and one in my husband's name; two seat s e l e c tion charges; and a few additional miles to top up my account. All of these purchases were on the BA website and all connected with my own name and/or my BA club membership. I also paid my annual dues to my professional oganization. Guess what---I got a "fraud alert" call and they blocked my card until I called back to confirm that these charges were legitimate. I suppose they are just being super diligent, but it seems a bit over the top to block my card for this.

And I found my cc blocked by American Express in September due to a fraud alert and had to call American Express to get the block removed before I could proceed with the purchase. It was for travel to Luxembourg, of all places. Either fraud is getting to be a huge problem or the banks and credit card companies are getting carried away in their fight against it. As for debit cards, I now not only carry two cards; one is from my bank and the other from the credit union in case one or the other puts a hold on my account instead of just on the card.

We too got a fraud alert call after buying plane tickets to go overseas, followed by a trip to the local liquor store the next day. The bank's vigilance is appreciated but thanks for the tip about using our cards in Italy and Spain.

Robin - I think I remember a posting from someone (maybe 6 months ago) who opened a CapitolOne account shortly before a trip to Europe, but couldn't use the card there because the account hadn't been opened for 30 days. Just something else to check out if you're opening a new account just for this trip.

robin, Due to the fact you'll be in Spain for an extended period of time, having two ATM cards on separate accounts would be a really good idea, in case of problems with your primary card (which does happen). As I'm not familiar with financial institutions in your area, it's difficult to recommend the best one to deal with. In the same circumstances, I'd be tempted to tell your present Bank that if they can't deliver financial products that will work for you when travelling, you'll be forced to move your accounts to an institution which will work. I use Credit Union cards as my primary ATM cards, and haven't had any problems with them in any countries in Europe, except for a minor issue last year in France due to a "coding error". I haven't been to Spain yet, so haven't tried to make ATM withdrawals there. Good luck and happy travels!

Not a response to your question per se, but I want to comment on Lola'a and Ken's responses and others about a second card. My wife has her own ATM card, I have mine. When we travel we use both. This year I went to Europe without her (long story) and decided to get a second card on my bank account in my name. Lo and behold I went up to an ATM in Germany with my trusty card, the one I have used at least 1,000 times.....and could not remember the pin. I then proceeded to punch in the wrong pin and got a contact the bank notice. I then used my new card, which I had only used once, and punched in that pin and got money. So, from now on I carry two, just in case. I highly recommend it.

I had no problem with my Bank of America debit last month in Spain. Thanks for posting thisI didn't know smaller banks/credit unions sometimes enact these kinds of policies. I also make sure I have 2 debit cards if I'm alone (otherwise, my husband and I each have them from separate accounts). Having 2 debit cards (one of which is a plain ol' ATM card, without a credit card symbol on it) came in handy in Spain last month. I was traveling in a remote, mountainous region, where I wasn't sure there would be ATMs (and indeed there sometimes were not), so I wanted to take out a bunch of cash in Malaga before I headed out. But my BOA atm card has a $300/day limit, so I ended up pulling the max out of both debit accounts. Then I was set for cash for the whole trip.

A few years back when on a multiple-country trip, I learned in advance that my credit union card could not be used in Italy because of fraud risk. I was able to get enough Euro in Austria to carry me through the Italian portion of my trip. Fast forward to today, and my new credit union card worked perfectly fine in Spain. Typically, you need to inform your institution that you're travelling overseas (and where), and you'll need to ask them to raise your daily withdrawal limit. Always call before your trip. I'm with everyone else on having an extra card and/or separate account for travel. Cheers!

Many people make the mistake of not talking to the right people when informing their bank of their travel plans. Always call your bank's SECURITY DEPT. and speak with a live person there. Don't use an automated phone service or general customer service to do this. Sometimes the message doesn't get to the right people. While you are at it, have your daily withdrawal limit raised to the maximum. If possible, have two accounts that are linked to one another. Use one as your primary account/ATM card and the other as backup. If your primary account/ATM is compromised, you can transfer funds from one account to the other and start using the secondary account. As an added precaution, you can keep the largest portion of your travel funds in your secondary account and transfer funds to your primary account and withdraw from there whenever needed, adding an additional layer of security.

One other advantage of having debit cards on accounts at two banks and/or credit unions: Since most have daily limits for withdrawals, you can withdraw twice as much at a time so you don't have to search for an ATM as often. This can be a real benefit if you are staying at a place that insists on cash instead of a credit card. It also comes in handy if you are going to be spending a few days in the countryside instead of a city.

Already stated many places on these helplines but we opened a Capitol One account and used their ATM card without any hiccup at all. BUT: Check carefully with Capital One about how long it takes for them to free up funds from your first deposit...
And two cards (one back up) is essential in my playbook.

UGH! Been there! I have a travel savings acct with a credit union and a traditional Visa with the same. Got to Germany and the debit card they swore would work over there didn't- with all my money in the acct. Hubby out of the country in the Far East and us trying to email each other and move money around from one to the other. As I was having trouble getting the keyboard on the German language 1Euro a minute internet to work, it took a few tries- at which point the credit union decided between trying to acess my savings account from Germany and then multiple attempts on the internet machine that someone had my cards and shut them all down! Try doing Germany with an 11 year old, 225 Euros and an American Express for 4 days!
Now I take about 2/3 of my money in cash and change at the airport and then supplement from the ATM or charge larger purchases on the Visa and paying when I get home. 4 days of living on KitKat bars and Bavarian pretzels will change your outlook on money changing fees real quick.

Nancy, Have you ever considered travelling with a "backup" ATM card along with a Visa or MasterCard for a different financial institution? It would probably be less expensive than relying on airport currency exchanges for two thirds of your travel funds. I've also had problems with ATM cards during a Europe trip, but fortunately I had an alternate card which worked fine. My financial institution noticed the pattern of unsuccessful transactions on the primary card, and successful ones on the backup card and they eventually called me (I always travel with a Cell phone and in this case I didn't mind getting a call at 02:00). The fact that they were able to contact me and confirm the situation meant they didn't "freeze" my cards. The Credit Union that I use has extremely good service (including a Call Centre), which makes the financial aspects of travel very easy. Cheers!

On my recent trip to Spain & Portugal I had troublel with my ATM cards. I have come to the conclusion that my new travel purse with STRONG magnets ruined my ATM cards! Anyway, I had an e-mail address for a person at my local bank & was able to communicate with her in order to transfer funds. This saved international phone calls at odd hours! By the way, my husband's ATM card worked, so that saved the trip!