I am going to Spain, France, Italy, and Greece in a month or so and was planning on just bringing my debit card to withdraw large amounts from banks there when needed and was wondering if anyone has had any trouble doing this in any of these countries with a BECU debit card. I have read the other post but was told that recently it has become difficult to use a debit card in Europe if it doesn't have the plus logo on the back( which BECU does not). Has anyone found any truth to this? I am bringing a capital one credit card also for emergencies but it doesn't have a high limit and would prefer not to use it. Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16182 posts
We were in Spain for 2 weeks earlier this month. I used my BECU debit card for ATM withdrawals there with no problems. I also used it last summer in Italy.
Posted by
Seattle
77 posts
Since 2007 we have used our BECU card in France, Netherlands, Portugal and the UK without incident.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
72 posts
Hi Rachel, I signed up for a BECU checking/savings account last summer in anticipation of using their debit card while on a three week trip in Ireland last August. Their debit card worked flawlessly, no problems whatsoever. I used it as you seem to plan on using, for large ATM withdrawls at bank ATMs, every few days. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
8 posts
I used mine last summer in France, Italy, and Spain to withdraw cash from ATMs with no problems at all. I'll be leaving for France again at the end of June, and it's the only card I'm bringing (although my boyfriend will have others). Just a heads-up: while I encountered very small and infrequent ATM fees in France and Italy, some of the fees in Barcelona were relatively substantial.
Posted by
Des Moines, IA
2193 posts
I can't speak to the BECU card, but I have been able to use debit cards from different credit unions everywhere in Europe over the years with one exception: My card at the time could not be used in Italy. I learned of this in advance. Be sure to contact your credit union to inform them of the countries you'll be visiting so that their fraud processes don't prevent you from using the card. Also, ask them to temporarily raise your daily withdrawal limit until you get back.
Posted by
Lakewood, Wa, United States
1 posts
No problems at all with BECU's debit card. One note of advice: Regardless of whose card you use, call the credit union / bank and let them know when and where you are going. If they use a fraud monitoring service, a valuable feature which BECU does provide, unknown usage in another country can cause a fraud alert to be generated, and that can lead to temporary deactivation of your card. Not a good situation to be in overseas.
Posted by
San Diego, CA
129 posts
Had problems in Lagos Portugal, Florence, and Paris with BECU debit card. Had to go to several ATMs before finding one that worked. I think we had problems with ScotiaBank. Also had problems in Costa Rica (had to do cash advances while there!) Just take out as much money as you can (we took out 800E sometimes) so you have plenty of money. And don't forget to call BECU to let them know where/when you are going, that will minimize problems.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, United States
873 posts
I used my BECU debit card with no trouble in Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, and Hungary. I also used my BECU credit card on a couple of occasions in Germany, and everything went fine.