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That is weird. Did they say why? OK they might not have an affiliated bank, but isn't that why Visa/Mastercard etc exist, so that you aren't depending on which bank gets on with another? I'd get a second opinion from someone more senior in your bank.caminocalling said:Weird that the bank said it would be accepted in France & Portugal but not Spain.
...and ask the person who gave this, in my opinion erroneous, opinion whether he/she knows where Spain is located? :roll:tyrrek said:That is weird. Did they say why? [...] I'd get a second opinion from someone more senior in your bank.caminocalling said:Weird that the bank said it would be accepted in France & Portugal but not Spain.
Don't we just love bankers?! Sorry, I'm going off topic... Apologies to banking peregrinos!Pieces said:the reason most places won't accept american express is that not only do they charge the stores obscene sums to accept them it also takes forever to get the money...
We used Mastercard without problems, including small towns. The point about 4 digits is most important. If your card has a 6 digit pin it will not be accepted. That might be why the bank says it will not work in Spain. Our cashcard carried a warning that if a 6 digit pin was required we had to add 00 in the advised spaces, but we never found a 6 digit machine in Spain.adesmar123 said:My VISA ATM card was a local bank with Intralink and Plus. It worked at all that I tried in France and Spain.
Make sure your PIN fits the Euro protocol which is 4 digits I believe. You should check that to make sure you avoid a problem.
There are ATM's as soon as you land in France or Spain. I used a big bank's ATM at the airport and wasn't charged a fee. I also wasn't charged a fee anywhere on the Casmino. But I also stayed away from ATM's in really small towns.
But yes tell your bank where you will be!!!!!!
Buen Camino
Alan
Ha ha! Good story!soch said:My commiserations to peregrinos having problems with Iberian ATM machines
That may be only for their own ATMs. The ATM fee in Spain is collected by the bank providing the ATM, so is avoided only if you have a bank that reimburses the fee (which First Republic may; Charles Schwab does). Banks that claim that they do not charge a transaction fee probably disguise it by exchanging at the sell rate, which already includes the vigorish! There is no free lunch in the international exchange game. They brought you too big to fail; they can figure out a way to tap your wallet. Be careful of using a credit card to get cash. Interest starts from the day of withdrawal. At least with a debit card, you get your own money, not borrowed funds.No ATM fees anywhere in the world
Absolutely right. NEVER use an ATM if the bank is closed. There are also cunning thieves around, who stick a metal plate over the money output slot. It looks like part of the ATM. The plate stops your money coming out. If the bank is closed, you can only walk away, at which point the thieves come and force off the plate, getting your money. Been there. Done that. The thieves got my 300 Euros.grayland said:One further bit of wisdom about using ATMs in Spain (or anywhere in Europe).
Avoid using your card late on Friday or on the weekend if at all possible. If something goes wrong and the machine decides to eat your card, you will not be able to get into the bank to try to get it back until Monday.
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