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There is a list of Spanish ATM banks with the lowest fees on the Forum at https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...atm-cash-machine-fee-cheat-sheet.749/downloadThis is just meant to give some hopeful perigrinos some hopeful advice on their spiritual journey. Its about how to pay for the stuff you'll need along the way. Mainly meant for US visitors. Might be obvious but I had to learn the hard way.
Again, this is based on personal experience. Your mileage may vary.
So every time before I go to Spain I tell the credit card companies I am going. If you don't, well, enjoy a phone call in the middle of whatever you are doing to get that card authorized. What's funny is that when i use an airline travel card to purchase my flight they already know I'll be traveling, but just to make sure I check in and let them know anyway. In my experience there is a web interface to do so.
I always use credit cards to stay at any hotel or other place that takes them. I have 2 "no foreign transaction fees" credit cards... (more on this later)
I like to have cash tho too, usually like 50 - 200 euros always. This is very useful when that tienda doesn't take credit cards and you really want that apple.
Getting cash at an ATM is just like in the US.... put your card in and enter your pin and get your money. Mostly... now sometimes that ATM rejects my card and quite frankly its a bummer. I have no clue why but maybe my card isn't connected to whatever network they are attached to. So I kinda figure out which banks work and which don't and go to the ATMs with a bank that does. This has never been a problem for me. In most places where you plan to get cash there will be multiple banks available, and one will work.
There is also the omnipresent question about exchange rates. I pay in local currency. There will be a choice. Not sure if this is the best route and more experienced travelers may have opinions.
Now, about those credit cards... I like to use them because they have an "anti-fraud" guarantee. See, sadly, on my last two caminos I came home to some suprises! Like a $5000 bed and breakfast charge in Germany. WTF? Wasn't me.
Wiped out by my friendly cc company.
I order new cc numbers when I get back now. Might be overkill.
Clearly, where you are from either Visa/MasterCard provide less service or you missed something. Where I am from there is no difference in terms of fraud protection.Debit vs credit is the issue. See, at least where I’m from debit doesn’t have the same protections as credit. Someone steals your debt account and you are screwed. Am I wrong?
You are generally correct - at least in the UK a credit card offers more protection in that your transaction is with the credit card issuer not the (purported) vendor. A debit card facilitates the direct transaction between you and the vendor. Getting the credit card issuer to actually take action isn’t as simple as it ought to be though.Debit vs credit is the issue. See, at least where I’m from debit doesn’t have the same protections as credit. Someone steals your debt account and you are screwed. Am I wrong?
All good advice. Sadly most guides do not have ATM'S indicated and I got in trouble more than once. I was late and tired and trudged into Roncesvalles penniless, another three kilometers to the nearest machine and paying for private lodging was educational. ALWAYS have extra cash!This is just meant to give some hopeful perigrinos some hopeful advice on their spiritual journey. Its about how to pay for the stuff you'll need along the way. Mainly meant for US visitors. Might be obvious but I had to learn the hard way.
Again, this is based on personal experience. Your mileage may vary.
So every time before I go to Spain I tell the credit card companies I am going. If you don't, well, enjoy a phone call in the middle of whatever you are doing to get that card authorized. What's funny is that when i use an airline travel card to purchase my flight they already know I'll be traveling, but just to make sure I check in and let them know anyway. In my experience there is a web interface to do so.
I always use credit cards to stay at any hotel or other place that takes them. I have 2 "no foreign transaction fees" credit cards... (more on this later)
I like to have cash tho too, usually like 50 - 200 euros always. This is very useful when that tienda doesn't take credit cards and you really want that apple.
Getting cash at an ATM is just like in the US.... put your card in and enter your pin and get your money. Mostly... now sometimes that ATM rejects my card and quite frankly its a bummer. I have no clue why but maybe my card isn't connected to whatever network they are attached to. So I kinda figure out which banks work and which don't and go to the ATMs with a bank that does. This has never been a problem for me. In most places where you plan to get cash there will be multiple banks available, and one will work.
There is also the omnipresent question about exchange rates. I pay in local currency. There will be a choice. Not sure if this is the best route and more experienced travelers may have opinions.
Now, about those credit cards... I like to use them because they have an "anti-fraud" guarantee. See, sadly, on my last two caminos I came home to some suprises! Like a $5000 bed and breakfast charge in Germany. WTF? Wasn't me.
Wiped out by my friendly cc company.
I order new cc numbers when I get back now. Might be overkill.
There are additional problems with cash when traveling.All good advice. Sadly most guides do not have ATM'S indicated and I got in trouble more than once. I was late and tired and trudged into Roncesvalles penniless, another three kilometers to the nearest machine and paying for private lodging was educational. ALWAYS have extra cash!
Yes, same as in Canada. I have always found them to be quite good in giving money back BUT it has never been as large amount as $5,000.You are generally correct - at least in the UK a credit card offers more protection in that your transaction is with the credit card issuer not the (purported) vendor. A debit card facilitates the direct transaction between you and the vendor. Getting the credit card issuer to actually take action isn’t as simple as it ought to be though.
I have always done exactly the same as you.Like many other pilgrims I slept with any valuables within my sleeping bag in a pouch beneath my feet and NEVER told anyone where and what they were!!
Laurie,Another tip that was just made real to me. When you are making a purchase in Spain, using a credit card, if they ask you which currency you want it in, always choose Euros.
I just purchased something in Spain for about 117 euros. After putting in my CC info, the page asked if I wanted to pay in euros or dollars (about $151 or 2, I think it was). I am currently in the US. I chose euros, and as soon as I made my purchase, my bank notified me that I had just made a purchase of $143. That is a non-trivial difference if you multiply it out over the cost of a camino. The advice has been given before, but to repeat — always use the currency of the country where you make the purchase!
You got this right and it’s super important. Be careful to always insist on paying the local currency when making a purchase. A similar situation can come up when you are using a ATM. Recently in Mexico I was offered an exchange rate and Ask if I would accept that rate. The rate that was offered turned out to be about 8% less favorable than what my home bank gave me. Just refuse to accept that rate. You will still get your cash.Another tip that was just made real to me. When you are making a purchase in Spain, using a credit card, if they ask you which currency you want it in, always choose Euros.
I just purchased something in Spain for about 117 euros. After putting in my CC info, the page asked if I wanted to pay in euros or dollars (about $151 or 2, I think it was). I am currently in the US. I chose euros, and as soon as I made my purchase, my bank notified me that I had just made a purchase of $143. That is a non-trivial difference if you multiply it out over the cost of a camino. The advice has been given before, but to repeat — always use the currency of the country where you make the purchase!
Yea, my BofA told me to use Deutsche Bank ATMs when I'm there.There is a list of Spanish ATM banks with the lowest fees on the Forum at https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...atm-cash-machine-fee-cheat-sheet.749/download
Thanks to @Ungawawa
I don't recollect seeing many Deutsch Bank ATMs but that might just have been me....Yea, my BofA told me to use Deutsche Bank ATMs when I'm there.
Years ago BofA had an agreement with Deutsche Bank for no ATM fees, but that ended quite a while ago.Yea, my BofA told me to use Deutsche Bank ATMs when I'm there.
Sure (that is Kiwi for yes)Wondering if a prepaid Visa card bought in the states would be a good option for use in Spain?
Whatever card you use check for foreign exchange fees.Wondering if a prepaid Visa card bought in the states would be a good option for use in Spain?
I like to have more than one plastic option. I've been in situations where, for whatever reason, one of my cards was not accepted. It is handy to have a backup for those situations. Then you can meet your immediate needs and have time to sort the situation out with your card provider at your leisure.Wondering if a prepaid Visa card bought in the states would be a good option for use in Spain?
I agree, partly from experience, as my former customary bank credit card has quit functioning during my last two foreign trips: now I have a second. My usual bank card, used to withdraw cash, may now have inadequate money in the current account for the costs of my camino. So I have a second to make withdrawals from a savings account. I am by temperament what used to be called a "belt and braces" person: two separate ways to keep your pants from falling down. But I acknowledge that unexpected events of all types can happen on camino and are likely to be more probable on a covid camino. There is still the opportunity to walk in faith.I like to have more than one plastic option. I've been in situations where, for whatever reason, one of my cards was not accepted. It is handy to have a backup for those situations. Then you can meet your immediate needs and have time to sort the situation out with your card provider at your leisure.
The trick is to choose an amount that is not a factor of 50. For example E90 or E110. Most ATMs are filled with 50s and 20s.I began my last camino, in 2019, in Madrid. Walking north through the city to join the Camino de Madrid, I stopped at a bank machine outside a bank to withdraw some cash for the walk. It came in a few large bills, with no option given for what denomination I wished. I took the money, and my receipt, into the bank to change the bills for something smaller which I could spend. I was told that the bank, and all its branches in Madrid except one, held no cash anywhere but in the exterior machines. I could go to that one branch to change my cash. But of course I could not go, given the challenges of a first day on camino. I managed somehow. My first night was in a hotel, so there was change from there. I don't know how widespread this situation is in Spain now. Hopefully, banks will have realized that, if they do not change large bills, it is possible to offer smaller ones in the machines. This is something to keep in mind for your next camino. If you stay in albergues, the smaller ones are not likely to want to accept large bills as payment and may have no facilities for processing credit card payments.
As I understand it, the maximum amount which can be withdrawn from a Spanish bank machine is 300 euros. So I could request 290 euros, which should give me two twenties, in addition to the fifties. The only place that I regularly expect to be able to easily change fifties is a grocery store, assuming that Spanish people are still paying their grocery bills in cash. And I suppose, a restaurant, which would maybe prefer twenties but should be able to change a fifty. My calculations are a little different this year, as I expect to be staying in very few albergues, so costs will be higher, but I should be able to use larger bills to pay.The trick is to choose an amount that is not a factor of 50. For example E90 or E110. Most ATMs are filled with 50s and 20s.
What about 280? That would get you 4 x 20's and is not much less.As I understand it, the maximum amount which can be withdrawn from a Spanish bank machine is 300 euros. So I could request 290 euros, which should give me two twenties, in addition to the fifties. The only place that I regularly expect to be able to easily change fifties is a grocery store, assuming that Spanish people are still paying their grocery bills in cash. And I suppose, a restaurant, which would maybe prefer twenties but should be able to change a fifty. My calculations are a little different this year, as I expect to be staying in very few albergues, so costs will be higher, but I should be able to use larger bills to pay.
Faye Walker,Hmmm. this thread has me wondering if I should be opening an account in Spain to handle money for 6-8 months while I am there. I am about to be paid in euros for some work done for an EU-based research group and I already wish I had a spot to deposit it directly *as euros*.
Any tips for me? EU citizen, but without a permanent residence in the EU, generally paid in Canadian dollars, but occasionally in Euros by NGO’s in Europe. I will have a place in Granada starting Feb 1 it seems, but I won’t have it until I have it…. So the idea of a utility bill to go along with my identity documents seems a little elusive right now.
We do not have Santander bank in Canada.
From my experience in Sweden, they won't let you open a bank account without a Spanish Government ID number but one way around that is to ask your Canadian Bank if they have any partnerships with banks in Spain and if they do then ask your Canadian Bank to either ask their partner to open a Spanish account for you or to get a letter of introduction to facilitate you opening an account yourself when you are there.Hmmm. this thread has me wondering if I should be opening an account in Spain to handle money for 6-8 months while I am there. I am about to be paid in euros for some work done for an EU-based research group and I already wish I had a spot to deposit it directly *as euros*.
Any tips for me? EU citizen, but without a permanent residence in the EU, generally paid in Canadian dollars, but occasionally in Euros by NGO’s in Europe. I will have a place in Granada starting Feb 1 it seems, but I won’t have it until I have it…. So the idea of a utility bill to go along with my identity documents seems a little elusive right now.
We do not have Santander bank in Canada.
Hmmm. this thread has me wondering if I should be opening an account in Spain to handle money for 6-8 months while I am there. I am about to be paid in euros for some work done for an EU-based research group and I already wish I had a spot to deposit it directly *as euros*.
Any tips for me? EU citizen, but without a permanent residence in the EU, generally paid in Canadian dollars, but occasionally in Euros by NGO’s in Europe. I will have a place in Granada starting Feb 1 it seems, but I won’t have it until I have it…. So the idea of a utility bill to go along with my identity documents seems a little elusive right now.
We do not have Santander bank in Canada.
Perfect place for starting out! Thank you!Faye Walker,
Perhaps this article will be helpful re Spanish banks and Canadian accounts.
Good luck and Buen camino
And "Yis" is Kiwi for Yes, too!Sure (that is Kiwi for yes)
It does sound enticingly convenient. And if you misplace your phone, it gets stolen, or breaks?Seriously - ApplePay tied to my normal US travel card changes the payment ballgame. It’s easy, fast, convenient, and just cleaner.
SioCamino, have you got a revolut account? I have just put in my toes, but so far, it works. A brother who travels to Ireland from Scotland uses it as his payment method for whatever he needs to spend. He lodges money in it from his bank account from time to time to cover those expenses.That's really good to hear, thanks for the update @Damien Reynolds, i did wonder would the covid experience trigger the move to contactless payments for small purchases much like it has here in Ireland.
I'm assuming when you refer to Apple Pay you mean contactless payments so Google pay or simply tapping your credit card also works. Cheers!
I would say, @Albertagirl, that you have good anticipatory planning skills.I agree, partly from experience, as my former customary bank credit card has quit functioning during my last two foreign trips: now I have a second. My usual bank card, used to withdraw cash, may now have inadequate money in the current account for the costs of my camino. So I have a second to make withdrawals from a savings account. I am by temperament what used to be called a "belt and braces" person: two separate ways to keep your pants from falling down. But I acknowledge that unexpected events of all types can happen on camino and are likely to be more probable on a covid camino. There is still the opportunity to walk in faith.
Yeah @kirkie that's how i use GooglePay actually.... I didn't feel comfortable linking it to my actual bank account so its linked to my Revolut... Which is linked to my credit card. I just use the revolut app to top up the amount whenever i need to and the use the GooglePay app on my phone to pay. I have a revolut card but never activated it (its on my list of things to do tonight because i might use it for my trip..... I'm heading to France TOMORROW!!!! to start the Aragonés from Somport - Can. Not. Wait.)SioCamino, have you got a revolut account? I have just put in my toes, but so far, it works. A brother who travels to Ireland from Scotland uses it as his payment method for whatever he needs to spend. He lodges money in it from his bank account from time to time to cover those expenses.
Buen camino! I look forward to your reports!Yeah @kirkie that's how i use GooglePay actually.... I didn't feel comfortable linking it to my actual bank account so its linked to my Revolut... Which is linked to my credit card. I just use the revolut app to top up the amount whenever i need to and the use the GooglePay app on my phone to pay. I have a revolut card but never activated it (its on my list of things to do tonight because i might use it for my trip..... I'm heading to France TOMORROW!!!! to start the Aragonés from Somport - Can. Not. Wait.)
Outside of the USA that is how most credit cards work, you just present them to the terminal, no insertion required.OMG this year (2021) is all about ApplePay and I love it!
So during the height (or pit) of Covid in the USA I got into ApplePay because I just used my phone and the little cc machine with some tech for comms that was absolutely contactless and fast! Never had to pull out my card and insert it anywhere… just wave the phone, insert my personal code on the phone (or face recognition when not wearing a mask) and boom done…
Well, it’s the same, IF NOT EVEN MORE WIDELY ACCEPTED in Spain and it is just better then the whole insert/hand over your card thing we all used to do. I am in Spain now on the Norte, like day 18 or something like that, and I almost exclusively use ApplePay attached to my Chase credit card at all pensiones, restaurants, bars that take cc’s, and supermercados. In Spain they all have either fixed or handheld terminals that readily accept ApplePay. Like seriously, not one place hasn’t taken it. And I think the merchants prefer it too!
The best part is I don’t get asked for some PIN (which I don’t have)! The exact same credit card in its physical form sometimes requires a PIN… with ApplePay it doesn’t!
And I never have to pull out my wallet or go digging through my pack to find my card. Let’s face it, my phone is my camera and it’s always readily available in my pocket!
Now, about 3/4 of the time it asks me if I want to pay in EUR or USD just like the physical card too… I always choose EUR for the reasons stated by others. I don’t know what it’s charging me in when I don’t select an option, or if the vendor is just selecting it for me… but any significant charge I am always asked.
Seriously - ApplePay tied to my normal US travel card changes the payment ballgame. It’s easy, fast, convenient, and just cleaner.
Debit and credit cards in the UK are now being issued with no ‘raised’ numbers and no magnetic stripe - they’re ‘chip only’ and the contactless payment limit is soon to be raised to £100. That’s likely to be universal, outside the US, fairly soon.I started using Google Pay on the Camino a few of years ago because it was so much more convenient. Back then I didn't have a contactless card or a PIN for my credit card, which is standard in Europe, but not the US. It was always a bit of a hassle for the vendor to have to print out a receipt for me to sign, since that's not the norm in Spain. And, as @Damien Reynolds says, it's usually much easier to pull out my phone which than a credit card.
I can also pay by tapping my Fitbit on the terminal.
Unfortunately, not all stores in my area have terminals that accept tap to pay, including a large Kroger grocery store chain.I am in the US and any updated credit card I receive is now a "tap" card. So simple and quick.
This is just meant to give some hopeful perigrinos some hopeful advice on their spiritual journey. Its about how to pay for the stuff you'll need along the way. Mainly meant for US visitors. Might be obvious but I had to learn the hard way.
...
I'm not sure, but thought I have read on this forum some time ago that more albergues, etc. were going to be using credit cards due to covid and the cross contamination of exchanging hands with cash payments. I'm not sure if those walking the Camino now are seeing that happening more frequently or not. If true, It seems one more thing that is moving us slowly towards being a cashless society.I haven't been back since 2019. I noticed that there were more places dealing with cards but I don't think they appreciate having to deal with those kinds of transaction because ot the hassle of having to take the receipts to a bank which is probably not located in the same town. Cash is king!
Thank youI've found that albergues that are also a bar/restaurant often take cards whereas a municipal or basic albergue would only be on a cash basis.
Many albergues close for the season at the end of Oct.Thank you
Do you know if the municipal alburgues will be open the month of November?
Beginning November 1st this site will list open albergues.Thank you
Do you know if the municipal alburgues will be open the month of November?
Sadly to say, I'm finding that most places don't take AMEX when booking online before my trip so had to get a VISA CC........thoughts? Also I was thinking of getting a Debit Card specifically for the Camino that doesn't have fees. Any suggestions? I have Chase now but do you know of any banks in US that are in Spain as well?This is just meant to give some hopeful perigrinos some hopeful advice on their spiritual journey. Its about how to pay for the stuff you'll need along the way. Mainly meant for US visitors. Might be obvious but I had to learn the hard way.
Again, this is based on personal experience. Your mileage may vary.
So every time before I go to Spain I tell the credit card companies I am going. If you don't, well, enjoy a phone call in the middle of whatever you are doing to get that card authorized. What's funny is that when i use an airline travel card to purchase my flight they already know I'll be traveling, but just to make sure I check in and let them know anyway. In my experience there is a web interface to do so.
I always use credit cards to stay at any hotel or other place that takes them. I have 2 "no foreign transaction fees" credit cards... (more on this later)
I like to have cash tho too, usually like 50 - 200 euros always. This is very useful when that tienda doesn't take credit cards and you really want that apple.
Getting cash at an ATM is just like in the US.... put your card in and enter your pin and get your money. Mostly... now sometimes that ATM rejects my card and quite frankly its a bummer. I have no clue why but maybe my card isn't connected to whatever network they are attached to. So I kinda figure out which banks work and which don't and go to the ATMs with a bank that does. This has never been a problem for me. In most places where you plan to get cash there will be multiple banks available, and one will work.
There is also the omnipresent question about exchange rates. I pay in local currency. There will be a choice. Not sure if this is the best route and more experienced travelers may have opinions.
Now, about those credit cards... I like to use them because they have an "anti-fraud" guarantee. See, sadly, on my last two caminos I came home to some suprises! Like a $5000 bed and breakfast charge in Germany. WTF? Wasn't me.
Wiped out by my friendly cc company.
I order new cc numbers when I get back now. Might be overkill.
I use a Charles Schwab account debit card for all my travels. They refund all ATM fees worldwide. There are also no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements.Sadly to say, I'm finding that most places don't take AMEX when booking online before my trip so had to get a VISA CC........thoughts? Also I was thinking of getting a Debit Card specifically for the Camino that doesn't have fees. Any suggestions? I have Chase now but do you know of any banks in US that are in Spain as well?
This is getting less possible in Spain. When I withdrew money from a cash machine on the wall of a bank in Madrid as I began my pilgrimage in 2019, I did not have a choice as to the denomination of the currency and was given only large bills. When I went into the bank to change them, I was informed that there was only one branch in Madrid that held any cash inside the bank, and I could go there to change it. However, I was not interested in making a detour on the first day of my walk, so I just had to use the bills along the way. I hope that Spanish banks will have revised their bank machine protocols to permit persons withdrawing money to choose denominations when I next walk, but I don't count on it.If you get a 50 from the ATM go into the bank and break it.
This is getting less possible in Spain. When I withdrew money from a cash machine on the wall of a bank in Madrid as I began my pilgrimage in 2019, I did not have a choice as to the denomination of the currency and was given only large bills. When I went into the bank to change them, I was informed that there was only one branch in Madrid that held any cash inside the bank, and I could go there to change it. However, I was not interested in making a detour on the first day of my walk, so I just had to use the bills along the way. I hope that Spanish banks will have revised their bank machine protocols to permit persons withdrawing money to choose denominations when I next walk, but I don't count on it.
I don't understand what you are saying here. A debit card is simply a card that can only withdraw or pay an amount that is less than or equal to the balance in it's associated account.Never use a debit card as a credit card because of fraud protection.
I already have cards linked to the Visa and Mastercard networks as well as AMEX. The issue with AMEX appears to me that it was losing market penetration with somewhat higher transaction fees than most other ATM/EFTPOS networks. It and Diners Club only seemed to work in larger establishments. This has changed in Australia and many more places now accept AMEX without adding additional transaction fees compared to other cards. Whether it has changed in Europe to the extent where one could just rely on AMEX or Diners Club is difficult to determine, but I don't think I will try that just yet.Sadly to say, I'm finding that most places don't take AMEX when booking online before my trip so had to get a VISA CC........thoughts? Also I was thinking of getting a Debit Card specifically for the Camino that doesn't have fees. Any suggestions? I have Chase now but do you know of any banks in US that are in Spain as well?
Thank you. I believe that you had made this suggestion on a previous post, along with instructions for those like myself who had not considered what this meant and how to do it. The additional challenge for me is that charges on my accounts for making cash withdrawals in Spain are substantial and much of those charges is for each withdrawal, regardless of amount. I had got into the habit of always withdrawing 300 euros, which I think used to be the maximum allowed at one time from bank machines in Spain. I noticed on my 2021 pilgrimage that I could now withdraw more money at one time, but of course this would be an additional problem with large bills. I now take out as much as I anticipate that I will need until I can be sure that I will find another bank. I also consider where it is easy to change large bills by making small purchases- for example, grocery stores, where 50 euro bills must be quite normal. I don't worry too much about such things any more so long as I have, or can get from a bank, as much as I need.And @Robert Long
ATM machines are programmed to distribute the least number of notes.
If you do a bit of mental arithmetic before selecting the amount then you can get the machine to give you the smallest notes.
The smallest note that it will issue is €20.
Using this knowledge then follow these examples.
Withdrawing 100 will give you 2 x €50 notes.
Withdrawing 90 will give you 1 x €50 and 2 x €20 notes.
Withdrawing 80 will give you 4 x €20 notes.
I tend to withdraw €130, this gives me a €50 that I can change somewhere along the way and 4 x €20 notes for normal use. If I think that it might be a while before I find another ATM then I take out €180.
Maybe not the case in NZ but in the US there is less protection against fraudulent use of ATM/debit cards than there is with credit cards and you can use the debit cards much like credit cards. The more you use it though the greater the chance of encountering a subsequent fraudulent charge. And the money is withdrawn almost immediately instead of you seeing a fraudulent charge applied to you credit card account that you can dispute.I don't understand what you are saying here. A debit card is simply a card that can only withdraw or pay an amount that is less than or equal to the balance in it's associated account.
That is why I have a separate account for my debit card and only maintain a minimal balance in that account.Maybe not the case in NZ but in the US there is less protection against fraudulent use of ATM/debit cards than there is with credit cards and you can use the debit cards much like credit cards. The more you use it though the greater the chance of encountering a subsequent fraudulent charge. And the money is withdrawn almost immediately instead of you seeing a fraudulent charge applied to you credit card account that you can dispute.
I do something similar. I maintain two checking accounts at my bank. One is solely for debit card use (usually only for ATM withdrawals but rarely if there is a credit card scanning problem). I have no paper checks for the debit account. I maintain just a bit more than the maximum daily withdrawal in the debit account. I would hate to lose it but a fraudulent withdrawal wouldn't drive us into poverty. When taking a trip I set up a recurring transfer into the debit account from the other account, trying to guess an appropriate amount. If I think I'm getting too much money in the debit account I use the bank's app to do a one time transfer from the debit account back into the main checking account.That is why I have a separate account for my debit card and only maintain a minimal balance in that account.
an interesting credit card in the UK called Revolut. It’s a prepaid card but you can top it up whenever you have phone signal/Wi-fi via an app on your smartphone.
I use something similar called Wise (used to be Wise Transfer). There are a couple of new Financial apps with associated debit cards around.The idea of a revolut card in my purse and easy to get at is great
I used a credit card to pay for most meals and store purchases. Almost all Private albergues accepted credit card also (Primitivo). I have since started a Charles Schwab checking acct. There are no international fees and facility fees are reimbursed when getting cash. You might check it out.I live in California, and I plan to bring both my credit card and my debit card when I do the Camino Frances starting on 4/30/22. The debit card solely to withdraw cash when needed, and my credit card for all other purchases. There is no transaction fee for purchases with my credit card, but if I use it to withdraw cash, my bank assesses a hefty 5% fee, with a minimum of $10. The debit card, if used at an international "partner" bank (in my case, Deutsche Bank), there is no fee. At a non-partner bank, there is a 3% usage fee. Both cards are loaded into my Google Pay app, and I plan to use it wherever it is accepted. Incidentally, I spoke with my bank today, and they confirmed that Deutsche Bank is still a partner with my home bank. Does anyone happen to know if Deutsche Bank is common along the Camino Frances?
Also, I certainly understand the need to always have some cash available. What is a reasonable amount to carry?
All thoughts are welcome, and I so appreciate all of the information I have learned on this Forum!
Thank you!
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