Credit cards and Italian ATMs

stevefm

Whilst on holiday in Italy recently I tried to use two different credit cards in four different ATMs and on each occasion, although I was sure I had not made a mistake, the machine gave an incorrect pin message and one of the cards was blocked after three unsuccessful attempts.
Luckily I had a debit card which did work.
On return home I asked my bank why they did not work and all they could say was "they should be OK, you must have made a mistake with the pin."
The cards in question are both Mastercards, one a Santander Zero (designed for foreign use!) and the other a Tesco bank.
Unless I can find out why they did not work I will have to find alternative ways of accessing currency on holiday.
Does anyone know the answer?

[Deleted User]

Perhaps you entered the wrong PIN. Or perhaps you hadn't told the issuers you were going abroad and they were blocked for that reason, although I would have expected a different message.

Speak to the issuers directly rather than your bank and see what they say.

jimjames

Are you aware of the costs of using credit cards in an ATM abroad? You may have had a lucky escape, at least with a debit card you only pay the handling fee but credit card charges interest immediately even if you are paying your balance every month.

planteria

agreed, never use a credit card to withdraw cash:)

CLAPTON

jimjames wrote: »

Are you aware of the costs of using credit cards in an ATM abroad? You may have had a lucky escape, at least with a debit card you only pay the handling fee but credit card charges interest immediately even if you are paying your balance every month.

the interest is often trivial

CLAPTON

planteria wrote: »

agreed, never use a credit card to withdraw cash:)

clarity card................ cheaper than a debit card

N1AK

CLAPTON wrote: »

clarity card................ cheaper than a debit card

This. I get all of my cash out of cash machines abroad using a Halifax clarity card. No fees and the inter-bank exchange rate. I transfer money from a Halifax current account on the same day that I take the money out so don't pay any interest :beer:

If you don't have a credit card that you selected specifically because it is good for use abroad then obviously it would be expensive to use it for that.

guesswho2000

planteria wrote: »

agreed, [STRIKE]never[/STRIKE] always use a credit card to withdraw cash when abroad

Corrected the above - Halifax Clarity card, namely.

iwanttoberich

stevefm wrote: »

Whilst on holiday in Italy recently I tried to use two different credit cards in four different ATMs and on each occasion, although I was sure I had not made a mistake, the machine gave an incorrect pin message and one of the cards was blocked after three unsuccessful attempts.
Luckily I had a debit card which did work.
On return home I asked my bank why they did not work and all they could say was "they should be OK, you must have made a mistake with the pin."
The cards in question are both Mastercards, one a Santander Zero (designed for foreign use!) and the other a Tesco bank.
Unless I can find out why they did not work I will have to find alternative ways of accessing currency on holiday.
Does anyone know the answer?

I had that problem with my debit card and my FairFx card in Rome last year. It was nothing to do with the cards. The problem was the machines/types of banks - some seemed to be more of a business type and some more of a general type. Unfortunately, I can't remember how to identify the correct type of bank. If you get an error message twice, never risk a third time. Better to walk to another bank.

chattychappy

jimjames wrote: »

Are you aware of the costs of using credit cards in an ATM abroad? You may have had a lucky escape, at least with a debit card you only pay the handling fee but credit card charges interest immediately even if you are paying your balance every month.

Are you aware that most debit cards load the exchange rate by 2.75% as well as charging a handling fee?

Are you aware that Santander Zero charges neither, and that since interest is calculated daily it amounts to only a few pence if you pay back a few days later? And in the case of CCs you have better regulatory protection if there is a problem? And a compromised debit card has more "knock on" effects as it access your money in your current account? (Ie if there is fraud you can end up with failed standing orders, DDs etc until you get back home to sort it out?)

I use Zero for all my foreign ATM withdrawals. Though I believe it is no longer available to newcomers, Halifax Clarity offers a similar regime, as noted above.

stevefm

Deleted_User wrote: »

Perhaps you entered the wrong PIN. Or perhaps you hadn't told the issuers you were going abroad and they were blocked for that reason, although I would have expected a different message.

Speak to the issuers directly rather than your bank and see what they say.

I am pretty sure I did not get my pin wrong four times. I had recently used it in a shop and restaurant without any trouble.