I%26#39;ll be coming from the US. Has anyone had issues using their ATM machine in Berlin or Germany in general? We will be spending a few days in Berlin, then heading to Coesfeld area for the remainder. I don%26#39;t care to mess with getting Euros%26#39; here at my bank before we go.
Also, how about travl checks?
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Hi there:
You will find ATMs all over the place. I am in Germany quite a bit and always just use an ATM. Check with your bank on how much they will charge you to use a foreign ATM and check with them that your pin will work from abroad (I think they all do these days). Basically, you will probably pay between $5-$10 per transaction but you will also pay something to get travelers checks, and then something again when you cash them so I believe it comes out pretty much even. Plus with travelers checks you have to wait in line to cash. I travel 40% of the time internationally and have used nothing but an ATM for years now. No worries.
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Thanks for your reply. I assumed ATM%26#39;s would be a safe bet, but you just never know. We travel quite a bit, but usually to Mexico and the Caribbean. It%26#39;s nice to be able to use the ATM%26#39;s, as compared to years ago. Life has become so much easier.
I still do like trav checks, however, as a backup. I have a fear of getting somewhere and my ATM card is denied or doesn%26#39;t work! Argh!
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Well, you%26#39;re probably smarter than me. I just thought about the places I%26#39;ve been trusting that card (Colombia, Thailand...) and thanking my lucky stars it worked out b/c I haven%26#39;t had a back up :) I guess it doesn%26#39;t hurt to tuck a trv chk in your bag. Have fun!
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%26gt; Also, how about travl checks?
Can be only cashed at some banks for a fee.
American Express does not list any %26quot;no fee places%26quot; for cashing travelers cheques in Germany anymore.
Only an idea for some last resort money, i.e. which you don%26#39;t plan to spent under normal circumstances.
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ZsaZsa,
I%26#39;ve never had any problems with using an ATM in Europe, and certainly not in Berlin.
You will find fewer and fewer places interested in your Traveler%26#39;s Checks. You certainly don%26#39;t need them in Europe and may find them a hindrance.On my first trip I brought a lot of them, and found the ATM much more convenient. On the second trip I carried maybe 150 Euros in Traveler%26#39;s Check as an emergency stash. Since then I have not bothered with them at all.
If you feel like you want a little %26quot;just in case%26quot; money you could always carry a small amount.
You won%26#39;t need to get Euros before you arrive, there will be ATMs at the airport. Personally I like to land with a bit of local currency in pocket, so I get a few Euros at the US airport before departure. That way I have taxi fare in case the ATM is out of order. But that%26#39;s optional.
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Thanks, good to know someone from the US has used the ATM without issues. It%26#39;s what I was planning on, then started to doubt it. I think we will switch over some cash at the airport as well, maybe when we get there.
Do you usually get a good exchange rate using the ATM?
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If you have a Bank of America ATM, you can use the Deutsche Bank ATMs without an ATM fee, although of course you will have to pay the transaction fee of 1% to 3% of the amount you withdraw.
Just to avoid any problems, be sure to tell your bank ahead of time that you will be using your ATM in Europe -- and then be sure to take your bank%26#39;s 24-hr fraud telephone nr. Two years ago I told my bank beforehand, but they still flagged my account for possible fraud. If I hadn%26#39;t had their telephone nr I would not have been able to straighten out the problem.
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Yes, that is great advice! We always call our CC or ATM card holders before we go out of the country, just in case. I also program their phone #%26#39;s in to my phone, as you never know.
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I%26#39;m not sure how easy it is to get euros in advance in the States (in UK you can walk into a high-street exchange place and get a few hundred immediately normally) but I would suggest you do get some for the first hours/day then so you don%26#39;t have to look for an ATM at airport when jetlagged, and burdened by luggage etc (maybe that%26#39;s the Barcelona resident talking here, worrying about luggage thefts at airport!).
Exchange rates at airport exchange bureaux are usually REALLY bad when I%26#39;ve looked so better deal from your own bank I would assume.
Check out what your bank charges for ATM use and also if you use credit card for payments (may be cheaper?). However payment by credit-card is much less commonly accepted in Germany (often German EC debit-card only, sometimes not even that) than elsewhere in Europe so you do have to think cash payment as a norm.
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