I have seen some information about the Travelex Chip and Pin Card, and am wondering if anyone has experience with it for getting cash from ATMs and making purchases in Spain (compared to using normal credit/debit cards). Thanks!
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10605 posts
I recently asked about this card due to concerns about getting gas for my rental car. I went to get the Travelex card this morning. There is a minimum amount you have to put on the card. I think it was 150€. Today the exchange rate is 1€ = $1.36. They wanted to charge me $1.56 per euro. I walked... I will take my chances with cash. I've driven in Europe 3 other trips and never ran out of gas. I recommend getting cash with your debit card and using your credit card. It would cost much less than the Travelex card.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7889 posts
Hope you have searched this board for "Travelex" or "Chip and PIN". I have never had any real bank ATM-in-the-wall, from any banking company reject my Bank of America ATM card, which of course has the ordinary American magnetic stripe-only. Alas, they don't have a correspondent bank in Spain, as they do in France and Germany, where I don't have to pay a $5 or so fee for each withdrawal if I stick to that bank. Note that you may have a maximum daily withdrawal that may not correspond well with 200 or 300 Euros. And make sure you know which account (checking or savings, probably the former) your card will default to (often, no choice in Europe) and that you have a 4-digit numeric PIN.