DW, ATMs abroad, USAA and problems

[MichaelB]

DW is traveling abroad with some friends. Her cash needs were to be satisfied with our USAA ATM card but beginning with her stopover in Munich the card won't work. It insists the PIN is incorrect. This happened again in her destination country with different ATMs. Lengthy communication with USAA achieved ATM resets but no cash - the problem continues and DW is now taking credit card cash advances (ouch).

USAA insists there is nothing wrong on their side, imply it must be a user error, although they are polite enough to not say it directly.

This is the first time we have attempted to use our USAA ATM outside the US - but have decades of experiences with other banks with never any problem. Any thoughts or suggestions (or relevant experiences)?

 

[Alan]

Two years ago in Spain and then France we were on holiday with DD & SIL who were using their US issued ATM card from CHASE to get cash, and it probably only worked in about 50% of the ATM's they tried. We just put it down to the transition to CHIP & PIN cards in Europe. We used our UK bank ATM card during that trip with no problem, and were able to loan them cash until they found an ATM that worked.

We will be meeting up with them in a couple of weeks in Ireland so it will be interesting to see how they get on this time.

 

[Danmar]

I had problems extracting cash from ATM machines in Turkey last year as well. I attributed it to new chip technology as some banks ATm's worked while others did not.

 

[MichaelB]

Chips. That could explain it. Our experience is mostly Latin America, which is more compatible with US cards. When I call USAA again tomorrow I'll mention that.

A traveling companion is withdrawing successfully from her BoA account. She doesn't have enough funds to finance DW, but hopefully she can get me her account number tomorrow and I can deposit.

Alan, if you don't mind let me know how it goes in Ireland. My brother is going over in a couple of months and he'll be interested (and possibly forewarned).

 

[FIREd]

My experience with US ATM cards in Europe has been frustrating. Some ATMs seem to accept them, and some don't. Thankfully, I have a European ATM card with a chip that I can use as backup.

 

[Alan]

Alan, if you don't mind let me know how it goes in Ireland. My brother is going over in a couple of months and he'll be interested (and possibly forewarned).

I'll try and remember Michael. Feel free to send me a PM if I forget. We'll be there between May 6 and 13, returning that day with DD and SIL where they'll spend another 2 weeks in the UK.

 

[LOL!]

Why the need for cash anyways? In Europe most places take a credit card. I've gone to Europe and spent less than 25 euros in cash.

 

[rescueme]

Why the need for cash anyways? In Europe most places take a credit card. I've gone to Europe and spent less than 25 euros in cash.

Well, for one thing a lot of local tour guides (which we use for personal tours) don't take Euro's, nor do local shops, .

For instance, we got a bit of local currency in Sweden, England, and Russia last year since we did find they perferred their own currency rather than having to exchange Euro's.

BTW, we normally don't have a problem. Once in awhile we will have a timing problem (since we're drawing cash when our "home bank" is off-line) but we just try another local ATM or at another time. That's also the reason why we carry multiple bank/CU cash draw (debit) cards. Also, we've used our (non-chipped) cards in Ireland with no problem in the past, but things change.

The only weird thing is when we got Pounds in England, they were different than the Pounds in Scotland. Why is that? Are they different countries, or what? (Sounds like another discussion of the Civil War )...

 

[East Texas]

We've used our USAA debit/credit card at several ATMS in Europe and South America. The only problem I had was one time in Italy and I just went across the street to another ATM.

The problem I had with most of the European ATMs (this was a few years ago) was their keypad instructions were not clear.

 

[CoolChange]

....

The only weird thing is when we got Pounds in England, they were different than the Pounds in Scotland. Why is that? Are they different countries, or what? (Sounds like another discussion of the Civil War )...

That fight has been going on longer than anyone even knew the Americas existed. Basically, almost anyone in Scotland will probably take your English pounds with no problem; but, some folks in England may balk at the notes from Scotland. Legally, they are exactly the same and both perfectly valid anywhere in the UK; but, old prejudices die hard.

As for the OP: I did not have any trouble getting cash out of ATM's with my USA (non-chipped) bank cards in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland or the UK this past summer.

 

[Meadbh]

When I llived in the US, I sometimes had trouble getting a debit card to work despite both my card and the bank being part of the Plus network. I've never had trouble in Europe. I guess it's just the gremlins.....but it does point out the need for a backup plan!

 

[gerntz]

The only weird thing is when we got Pounds in England, they were different than the Pounds in Scotland. Why is that? Are they different countries, or what? (Sounds like another discussion of the Civil War )...

Yes, they are different countries with the same head of state. Never had anyone look at the difference between Scot & English pounds when I handed them over in eihter country.

 

[donheff]

On my last trip I had problems with waiters who couldn't use US swipe cards in their portable readers. Getting locked out of ATMs could be a significant problem. I wish we would convert to chip cards like the rest of the world. Holding out is beginning to be a PITA.

 

[Nords]

Why the need for cash anyways? In Europe most places take a credit card. I've gone to Europe and spent less than 25 euros in cash.

What does your card company charge you for the currency conversion fee?

Most places we prefer to pay with cash, and that's even if we're not negotiating.

 

[Alan]

That fight has been going on longer than anyone even knew the Americas existed. Basically, almost anyone in Scotland will probably take your English pounds with no problem; but, some folks in England may balk at the notes from Scotland. Legally, they are exactly the same and both perfectly valid anywhere in the UK; but, old prejudices die hard.

Yes, they are different countries with the same head of state. Never had anyone look at the difference between Scot & English pounds when I handed them over in eihter country.

In the main tourist areas in England, or the border regions, I've never had a problem in them taking Scottish notes. Problem is with the areas in England that rarely see Scottish notes, as there are several Scottish banks and the notes are different from each bank, so it is easy to pass off forgeries.

There is quite a difference in the laws between England and Scotland as we discovered during our two house moves. An English lawyer cannot practice in Scotland and vice versa.

I listen to a weekly podcast from the BBC called Moneybox, and whenever they are discussing things like pensions, benefits, wills, Estate law, trading laws etc, they always have a Scottish expert in the studio to give the Scottish versions of the laws.

 

[Alan]

On my last trip I had problems with waiters who couldn't use US swipe cards in their portable readers. Getting locked out of ATMs could be a significant problem. I wish we would convert to chip cards like the rest of the world. Holding out is beginning to be a PITA.

I've been stung like this several times and twice, on business, had to get the folks I was supposed to be buying lunch for to pay.

The same happened once when taking my Dad and siblings out to lunch, and had to borrow the money from him.

This last couple of years I've always made sure I had enough cash or enough money in my UK bank account to use my CHIP & PIN card at an eating place.

A good guide is to ask if they take Amex, even if you don't carry Amex. If they do, then they will have a US style card reader so your VISA or M/C or debit card will work.

PS - I do like a CHIP card because it never leaves your posession.

 

[megacorp-firee]

I have more experience in Asia then Europe, but have found that in general, the atm's at the airports will work. Other than that I have found that the international banks will usually work (HSBC, Citibank, ...etc.) or the 'countrys national bank' (Bank of England, Bank of China, Bank of Taiwan, ...etc.) will usually work too. The local S&L's or farmers banks usually won't work.

So get some local currency when you get off the airplane is the best bet. Locate an HSBC or Citibank atm in the locale.

Hope this helps.

 

[CoolChange]

I have more experience in Asia then Europe, but have found that in general, the atm's at the airports will work. Other than that I have found that the international banks will usually work (HSBC, Citibank, ...etc.) or the 'countrys national bank' (Bank of England, Bank of China, Bank of Taiwan, ...etc.) will usually work too. The local S&L's or farmers banks usually won't work.

So get some local currency when you get off the airplane is the best bet. Locate an HSBC or Citibank atm in the locale.

Hope this helps.

This probably explains why I haven't had any problems: Basically, I won't put my ATM card into a machine unless I recognize the name of the institution. These are almost always large international banks or major banks in the country (Bank of England when I was in the UK, Bank of New Zealand a few hours ago, etc.).

 

[thefinancebuff]

Have her go into a bank branch and do a withdrawal against the debit card in person. She doesn't need a PIN. They will run it as a credit card cash advance but since it's a debit card, there won't be interest or cash advance fee. Just sign the slip. They will probably want to see her passport as identification.

 

[lhamo]

I used to run into this problem occassionally in China, when ATMs were just starting to gain popularity. The problem was usually that the Chinese ATM was programmed to only accept a 6-digit code -- the standard here -- but my US-based ATM card had a 4-digit code.

I recently was travelling with a colleague back in the city I used to live, and found that machines for some banks would give us an error message even if they were supposed to be on the PLUS or Visa/Mastercard networks. It is a smaller city, and I think some of the banks probably didn't pay the extra fees or whatever to be hooked up to the international networks. We had better luck with large branches and at Bank of China or the international banks than with local banks.

lhamo

 

[braumeister]

All my European travels in recent years have been either England, Belgium, or Germany. Never had a problem with my USAA debit card at any ATM in those countries.

Last trip was over a year ago, so things may have changed.

 

[MichaelB]

I'll try and remember Michael. Feel free to send me a PM if I forget. We'll be there between May 6 and 13, returning that day with DD and SIL where they'll spend another 2 weeks in the UK.

That means I'll have to remember as well. What are the odds - DW thinks I'm losing it...

 

[MichaelB]

USAA now says the following:

Please note your spouse has a Maestro card, not a debit card. Due to this, she may not be able to withdraw internationally. She will need a debit MasterCard. Please let us know if we can rush her a card to her current location. In the meantime, we recommend to send funds to her via Western Union if needed.

We value your business and the opportunity to serve all your financial needs.

My response - I thanked them for responding to my Sunday note and mentioned that I did call before DW departed with only one purpose: to specifically assure no issues with ATM withdrawals.

This will not affect DW's trip. She has cash (US$), one hotel took our CC and the other is paid in advance. Her sister is along (european CC) and her other traveling companion lent her some funds from her BoA account.

Edit to clarify: a "Maestro" card is an ATM card.

 

[donheff]

I generally take enough local cash with me to cover my needs on the assumption that I will be able to use my credit card for hotels, expensive meals, etc. The meals are becoming a problem with the remote chip sensor devices the staff use. I hope the problem goes away as the devices get upgraded but I am afraid it will get worse as they grow impatient with the US card tech stagnation.

 

[Alan]

Chips. That could explain it. Our experience is mostly Latin America, which is more compatible with US cards. When I call USAA again tomorrow I'll mention that.

A traveling companion is withdrawing successfully from her BoA account. She doesn't have enough funds to finance DW, but hopefully she can get me her account number tomorrow and I can deposit.

Alan, if you don't mind let me know how it goes in Ireland. My brother is going over in a couple of months and he'll be interested (and possibly forewarned).

We have now had a week there with our DD and SIL from Texas and their Chase ATM card worked just fine to get cash from a bank in Cork (I forget which bank but the first one they tried worked).