ATMs in London & Paris

[riverdees05]

Our youngest daughter is going on a University class trip over her spring break (staring March 18) to London and Paris. The professor told them to take along an ATM card. We went to the bank and got her an ATM card that is tied to her savings account. Now we have heard that some students had problems in previous years because the ATM card tied to savings accounts do not have the Visa Emblem in the right hand corner, like the ATM cards tied to checking accounts. Does anyone know if this is so? We don't have time, now to set her up a checking account and then get her an ATM card with the Visa emblem on it. So if it is true, we will need to look at other options.

[Icarus]

I have a regular (non-visa) ATM card and it worked just fine in London, Paris, Thailand, Beijing and Hong Kong. It has the Maestro and Plus logos on the back, which are global networks. What logos are on the back of the card?

-David

[hibbeln]

Ditto, my plain old atm card worked fine. Go back to the bank and ASK if it works overseas. It is nerve-racking, though, until you know it actually works there. We just got back from Spain and the first ATM we used rejected our card. We didn't have much cash so we sweated until we walked across the street and found another one which worked fine. Whew!

[KforKitty]

Yes, if its not Visa it will be important that it has either the Maestro symbol or Cirrus on it to work in Europe. If it does you don't need to worry.

Kitty

[merc]

With the Cirrus system, the link to different accounts functions exactly as normal: you have the choice of which account you are withdrawing from--if you have more than one account registered to the card--just like at your own bank machine at home. However it is recommended to use a numeric PIN as not all letter/number correspondences have been the same in Europe as in NA, so an alpha based pin can be trouble. (4 digit PINS seem the most universal.)

[G. B. Wayne]

In addition to an ATM card, I would invest in some $20 American Express Travelers Cheques as a back up plan.
Not all ATMs work all of the time.

Having some local currency is nice too. Being able to buy a Coke or an ice cream cone without going to an ATM is helpful.

Gypsy

[Carolinian]

I would not forget exchange houses in London, although not in Paris. The UK still has its own currency and you can therefore still get decent exchange rates with no commission if you know where to go. There are a couple of them with good rates and no commission just outside Victoria Station. Avoid the ones inside the station as they sock it to you on either bad rates, high commissions or both. When I am in London, I use plastic to buy a rail ricket from Gatwick to Victoria Station, then cross the street and exchange money.

Since the euro came in, the exchange houses have worsened the rates and/or commissions in Paris. I would avoid exchange houses there, even though it used to be like London with decent rates being availible back when they used the franc.

There are several things to be careful on in using ATM's. Always use ones attached to a bank. Some of the free standing ones, like at motorway rest stops, add some high fees to each transaction. Also feel the slot where you insert the card for wires slightly protruding. If you find this, go to another ATM, as this indicates someone has inserted a device to capture your card and is probably watching with binoculars from somewhere to get your PIN number.

Another ATM problem that has happened to me twice on Kartnerstrasse in Vienna at different banks and on different trips is that if the ATM in the middle of the transaction loses the signal from your home bank it can flash you a message to this effect and you get no money from the ATM but it is still deducted from your account back home. If you have asked for near your daily limit, it will be 24 hours until you can get more. Fortunately the second time it happened, I realized what was going on and my bank back home was open, so I made an international call and got it straightened out immediately.
The first time, when I didn't know I had been charged, I found out when I got back home and had to go through a lot of crap with the bank to finally get my credit.

[hibbeln]

Oh, that's another thing. Find out what the daily limit is. If it's on the lower side ($75 or so) she may want to make sure she plans ahead for days that might have higher expenses so she doesn't get caught short of $$$.

Get her at least $50 in Euros or pounds (whichever she's going to first) before she leaves so she can get a pop at the airport or grab a quick bite or cover any emergency expenses and not have to worry about finding an ATM the moment she steps off the plane. The exchange rate here at banks isn't that good (call around to see who has euros in your area) but it is well worth the extra cost to have cash in your pocket.

[Carolinian]

Generally, at the airport, you can spend US dollars, and they will give you change in pounds, although not at a good rate. You can use plastic to get into London on the train. Getting pounds in the US at a decent rate is not easy. I never do that.

[hotmike98]

You can get about $93 worth of either Euros or Pounds for $100 at the Auto Club offices. Not the best exchange rate, but their offices are more convenient than trying to find a money exchange in some places in U.S., and it provides you with walking around money for airport snacks, cab fare, etc. before you find an ATM