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Lillyth
03-04-2013, 08:44 PM
Our Bank of America card carries the special chip that makes it work in Europe, but our Wells Fargo cards do not. Any tips on accessing our money while in Spain? Did any of you have trouble?

annapurna
03-04-2013, 09:10 PM
We used standard ATM cards and didn't have any problems. We did check with our bank to ensure that they would permit overseas use but didn't really run into any problems in all of the locations we tried. The biggest hiccup was making sure we found an ATM that had English as a option for the instructions.

Lillyth
03-04-2013, 09:11 PM
That is very good news! Thank you!

jss
03-04-2013, 11:00 PM
An added bonus to using your ATM card in Europe is that you won't incur the 10% for exchanging money; only the fee your bank charges for using the card.

johnwhof
03-04-2013, 11:47 PM
Just after we made it to Europe in Sept, my card was compromised, I received a call from my cc company who told me to destroy my chip card, and they couriered a temporary replacement. I had no issues using it anywhere.

Lillyth
03-05-2013, 03:48 AM
An added bonus to using your ATM card in Europe is that you won't incur the 10% for exchanging money; only the fee your bank charges for using the card.

Wow! That IS great news!

Lillyth
03-05-2013, 03:49 AM
Just after we made it to Europe in Sept, my card was compromised, I received a call from my cc company who told me to destroy my chip card, and they couriered a temporary replacement. I had no issues using it anywhere.

Good to know. How long did it take to get to you?

annapurna
03-05-2013, 12:05 PM
An added bonus to using your ATM card in Europe is that you won't incur the 10% for exchanging money; only the fee your bank charges for using the card.

Be careful, though. Some banks charge so much with per transaction and currency exchange charges that it adds up quickly. It's probably worth your while to understand their fee structure so you can decide the best way to deal with it.

jss
03-05-2013, 12:29 PM
Be careful, though. Some banks charge so much with per transaction and currency exchange charges that it adds up quickly. It's probably worth your while to understand their fee structure so you can decide the best way to deal with it.

No doubt. With our bank, Chase, there was a $3 fee to withdraw cash, and no fee for a currency exchange. My surgery in 2009 was in the early days of the banks just beginning to add fees for seeming walking in the door. Today it is entirely possible that some banks, even Chase, charging a curency exchange fee.

It would be good to understand your banks procedures on this before going.

JeffR
03-05-2013, 03:25 PM
No doubt. With our bank, Chase, there was a $3 fee to withdraw cash, and no fee for a currency exchange. My surgery in 2009 was in the early days of the banks just beginning to add fees for seeming walking in the door. Today it is entirely possible that some banks, even Chase, charging a curency exchange fee.

It would be good to understand your banks procedures on this before going.
Also note that the exchange rates you get from an ATM will never be as good as those from a good currency exchange company (transaction fee or not) so it makes sense to get some cash out ahead of time (if you are comfortable with that).

mcjagger
03-05-2013, 09:39 PM
We had no problems using a credit card anywhere nor atm cards...we took no Euros at all...hit the atm at the airport....usually took out 300-400 Euros at a time...again no problems.

Lillyth
03-05-2013, 09:49 PM
Thank you for the feedback everyone!

johnwhof
03-05-2013, 11:40 PM
Good to know. How long did it take to get to you?

My card was there in 2-3 days, I believe it was sent from one of their offices in Europe.
As far as not taking Euros with you, I'm quite sure you will get better exchange rates from your bank at home.

Lillyth
03-05-2013, 11:44 PM
I will inquire when I go in to transfer the payment to Dr. Clavel. Thank you!