Spanish ATM machines - How to Answer the Questions Correctly

Fleety

Caught out in Spain - Telebanco ATM - Clarity Card Cash Withdrawals. Wording on cash machines was unclear - maybe misleading!

My receipts says - "The cardholder has chosen not to use the Mastercard Currency Conversion Process".

I'm good with money & numbers - but I did not understand the ATM question. I'm 99% certain it wasn't asking about paying in Euros & GBP as I know to opt for Euros. Also if it has asked whether I wanted to use the Mastercard Currency Conversion - I'd know how to answer that. Unfortunately I can't remember the screen wording but without realizing I opted for the Bank's rate (1.179) not the Mastercard Rate (1.2829). I'm wondering if it was deliberately unclear (it read like a poor translation) as the information on the receipt is perfectly clear!

If anyone is able to post the questions that the various ATM's ask and the correct answer, that would be really useful.

Thanks

callum9999

I've used Telebanco several times and it was always crystal clear to me. Unless you can remember the exact wording, I'd imagine it was more likely you just had an off-moment (as we all do from time to time!) and misinterpreted it.

Thinking back, I've seen some dodgy translations on foreign ATMs in my time, but none that I could say were deliberately misleading.

andycris3107

Credit card exchange fees are almost always the best retail fees out there. Banks are often the worst.

When you are at the ATM and you are presented with options you will often choose that which appears the clearest. If you choose the bank option you can see immediately how much the transaction will cost you in ££ whereas if you choose mastercard/visa you won't know this until you get your statement. Yet the credit card rate will almost always be better.

Urban_Bumpkin

Fleety wrote: »

Caught out in Spain - Telebanco ATM - Clarity Card Cash Withdrawals. Wording on cash machines was unclear - maybe misleading!

My receipts says - "The cardholder has chosen not to use the Mastercard Currency Conversion Process".

I'm good with money & numbers - but I did not understand the ATM question. I'm 99% certain it wasn't asking about paying in Euros & GBP as I know to opt for Euros. Also if it has asked whether I wanted to use the Mastercard Currency Conversion - I'd know how to answer that. Unfortunately I can't remember the screen wording but without realizing I opted for the Bank's rate (1.179) not the Mastercard Rate (1.2829). I'm wondering if it was deliberately unclear (it read like a poor translation) as the information on the receipt is perfectly clear!

If anyone is able to post the questions that the various ATM's ask and the correct answer, that would be really useful.

Thanks

I completely agree with it being miss leading. I knew the option to choose was always euros but I did stare at the same message for a good 30 secs before before choosing an option. I'll have to get a screen shot of the message the next time I take some out as it really threw me.
I'm still not sure I opted for the right one.;)

YorkshireBoy

Urban_Bumpkin wrote: »

I completely agree with it being miss leading. I knew the option to choose was always euros but I did stare at the same message for a good 30 secs before before choosing an option. I'll have to get a screen shot of the message the next time I take some out as it really threw me.
I'm still not sure I opted for the right one.;)

As the poster above says, if you're presented with an option giving an amount in "GBP" DON'T choose that one.

ie, and this is based on my experience in Greece recently (but Spain will be the same), if the options are "Without Conversion" and "With Conversion" (accompanied by an amount quoted in GBP), then ALWAYS choose "Without Conversion".

ManAtHome

I'm sure the Spanish ones are Yes/No questions - instructions to OH are "just say No" - screens go something like:
Yes for pounds, No for euros
Yes for receipt, No for no receipt
Yes for another transaction, No for bye bye...

Last many years bottom left has been No, bottom right for Yes. Last time I had to read a (Spanish) ATM screen more than once was around 2004 - something like "select Yes if you don't want your withdrawal in euros".

In Greece, Piraeus ATMs now have an additional screen asking if you are really really really sure if you select No for Euros.

YorkshireBoy

ManAtHome wrote: »

In Greece, Piraeus ATMs now have an additional screen asking if you are really really really sure if you select No for Euros.

Yes, I forgot about that second screen. Alpha Bank ATMs are the same.