# Withdrawing from an ATM abroad



## pAnTs (4 Jun 2008)

Hi there I was wondering did anyone know how much it costs to withdraw cash from and ATM in mainland Europe? I cant find any information on the internet about it.
Thanks


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## gnubbit (4 Jun 2008)

I'm assuming you don't mean with a credit card.  If it's a Eurozone country it doesn't cost anything. Just make sure you've got Cirrus on your card or it won't work.


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## pAnTs (4 Jun 2008)

oh great so it's the same charge as a local withdrawal? 

my cards a bank of Ireland laser card, it's got the cirrus logo & a meastro logo (?) on the back, not sure if it's just an advertisement for cirrus though


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## gnubbit (4 Jun 2008)

Well I don't pay anything here either.  When i asked at the foreign exchange desk they told me it's free within the Eurozone and I definitely wasn't charged extra.

I guess that means you can spend more treating yourself while away 

BTW, that's right, once your card has the Cirrus logo it'll work.


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## PatriciaFox (4 Jun 2008)

If the logos are on the back of your laser card, you should be good to go.

You can use it as you would a laser card here also....in shops, bars, etc, although I've been asked for ID when using it  shopping in Spain, which was a first ever, anywhere.


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## pAnTs (4 Jun 2008)

yay amazing


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## Gulliver (5 Jun 2008)

This is a result of Regulation 2560/2001 of the EU which essentially says that charges for card transactions executed in euro in Europe should be the same as the charge for the same transaction in the cardholders home country.  So if an Irishman and a Frenchman both draw cash from an ATM in Spain, the Irishman will be charged Irish charges, while the Frenchman will be charged French charges.


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## MugsGame (5 Jun 2008)

You may still be charged a withdrawal fee in EU countries such as Estonia, which have a fixed exchange rate with the Euro, but still use their own currency.


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## maddad (5 Jun 2008)

Hi,

What about withdrawing from ATM with a visa card?  Some say there are charges and some say no.  I even got conflicting replies from AIB visa section!  Has anyone had experience.  I plan loading the account before leaving so I'll be in credit.  

Thanks
Maddad


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## PatriciaFox (2 Jul 2008)

maddad said:


> Hi,
> 
> What about withdrawing from ATM with a visa card?  Some say there are charges and some say no.  I even got conflicting replies from AIB visa section!  Has anyone had experience.  I plan loading the account before leaving so I'll be in credit.
> 
> ...



AFAIK, if you pre-load your credit card and its swiped fraudulently, the amount in credit is not covered by standard VISA insurances. Check the T&cs with you Credit card and travel insurance.

My banking experience is a couple of years old, but from what I remember Visa charge a standard Cash withdrawl charge - not your bank, which is up to a certain amount, and a percentage thereafter.

Read the T&Cs


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## ClubMan (2 Jul 2008)

PatriciaFox said:


> AFAIK, if you pre-load your credit card and its swiped fraudulently, the amount in credit is not covered by standard VISA insurances. Check the T&cs with you Credit card and travel insurance.


I usually use online banking (taking the usual security precautions when accessing it) to transfer money to the _CC _in dribs and drabs as needed rather than in one go.


> My banking experience is a couple of years old, but from what I remember Visa charge a standard Cash withdrawl charge


That's for cash *advances *and not cash *withdrawals *from an account preloaded with cash. And it's normally a percentage of the amount advanced subject to some minimum amount. Some cards also charge interest from the time of the advance. Others (e.g. my _PTSB VISA_) do not and treat it like any other purchase once the cash advance fee has been charged. Some _ATMs _may also unilaterally charge a fee for withdrawals (e.g. some in the US do and state this up front).


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## johndoe64 (2 Jul 2008)

I don't have a cirrus logo on my regular PTSB cash card and have used this abroad loads of times.....has worked in Europe anyway so far without any bother.


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## NicolaM (2 Jul 2008)

ClubMan said:


> That's for cash *advances *and not cash *withdrawals *from an account preloaded with cash..


Many Irish Credit cards also charge for a cash withdrawal, even when the card is in credit: eg: AIB EBS MBNA GE money Ulster bank etc Itsyourmoney.ie


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## ClubMan (2 Jul 2008)

johndoe64 said:


> I don't have a cirrus logo on my regular PTSB cash card and have used this abroad loads of times.....has worked in Europe anyway so far without any bother.


Well it *must *include support for something like _Cirrus _or _Maestro _if you got cash abroad. My latest _PTSB _card is a combined cheque guarantee, _ATM_, _Laser_, _Cirrus _and _Maestro_.


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## ClubMan (2 Jul 2008)

NicolaM said:


> Many Irish Credit cards also charge for a cash withdrawal, even when the card is in credit: eg: AIB EBS MBNA GE money Ulster bank etc Itsyourmoney.ie


Yes *some *probably do. But you seemed to suggest that *ALL *_VISA _cards did:


PatriciaFox said:


> Visa charge a standard Cash withdrawl charge - not your bank, which is up to a certain amount, and a percentage thereafter.


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## NicolaM (2 Jul 2008)

ClubMan said:


> Yes *some *probably do. But you seemed to suggest that *ALL *_VISA _cards did:


Well,* I *didn't actually....
I just provided the reference to itsyourmoney where the information is.
Nicola


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## johndoe64 (2 Jul 2008)

ClubMan said:


> Well it *must *include support for something like _Cirrus _or _Maestro _if you got cash abroad. My latest _PTSB _card is a combined cheque guarantee, _ATM_, _Laser_, _Cirrus _and _Maestro_.


 
Well if it does it doesn't say so on the card, it has NO Cirrus or Maestro symbols on it.


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## ClubMan (2 Jul 2008)

Ask _PTSB_. I find it hard to believe that you managed to get money abroad without _Cirrus_ or _Maestro_.


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## johndoe64 (2 Jul 2008)

Plain cash card (Not Laser) have taken cash out in the UK, France,Spain, Portugal, Brussels and Germany.


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## ClubMan (2 Jul 2008)

Well there simply *MUST *be some foreign cash access facility on the card even if the logo is not included so.


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## johndoe64 (2 Jul 2008)

I'm not saying that there isn't. I'm just making the point that you don't *HAVE* to have the Cirrus or Maestro logos on the card for it to work.


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## alaskaonline (2 Jul 2008)

original poster, contact your bank directly and find out. im sure every bank deals with it differently. 
im with boi and always pay a small fee when withdrawing cash with my cc from an atm in germany and uk. it's € 3,50/ € 4,00 per transaction.


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## ClubMan (2 Jul 2008)

johndoe64 said:


> I'm not saying that there isn't. I'm just making the point that you don't *HAVE* to have the Cirrus or Maestro logos on the card for it to work.


Fair enough. But I'd imagine the number of cards without the logos that work will be few and far between. When was your card issued? I thought that _PTSB _recently reissued cards with _Cirrus _and _Maestro _(previously _Cirrus _only)?


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## johndoe64 (2 Jul 2008)

It was issued Dec 05.


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## maggiemay07 (2 Jul 2008)

i withdrew money recently while away on my cc by mistake (both BOI and look the same, same pin no) and was charged €3 from my bank.


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## ClubMan (2 Jul 2008)

You mean the cash advance fee is a fixed €3 on your card or that some percentage of the amount withdrawn (advanced?) was charged?


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## Daenis (4 Jul 2008)

I think PTSB upgraded their ATM cards to provide the cirrus facility without physically changing the cards.  Previously my PTSB card didn't give me cash abroad but it has for the last two years and it was just a plain ATM card aswell.  It was around the same time they brought out the 'Switch free banking account'.


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## adox (6 Jul 2008)

maggiemay07 said:


> i withdrew money recently while away on my cc by mistake (both BOI and look the same, same pin no) and was charged €3 from my bank.



I have preloaded my CC with credit on many holidays and used it at ATMs and never had a single E3.00 charge for a transaction? In fact within the EU I`m pretty sure theres no charge.

I`ve used this method in the States and withdrawn a couple of thousand dollars over a two week period and the charges have been miniscule. 

I purposely avoid using a Laser card for holidays as the charges seem excessive(certainly outside the EU).


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## Collie10 (9 Jul 2008)

No charges using a Postbank debit/ATM card in the eurozone. 

Note I work for Postbank


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