Accessing Your Money in Europe
 

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?

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.

That is very good news! Thank you!

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.

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.

Wow! That IS great news!

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

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.

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).