Want some free Euros in Spain ?

NoodleDoodleMan

Santander have announced a deal with a £240 carrot.

Switch your current account to their Everyday Current Account to qualify.

If you take the debit card to a Banco Santander branch based ATM in Spain or Canaries you can withdraw Euros fee free. That's approximately € 280 at today's rate if you decide to maximise the offer amount

Last year I had a rarely used current account with another bank which I "sacrificed" to get a similar deal.

There are terms and conditions of course - but worth considering.

grumpy_codger

Why some free euros in Spain, not just free £240 in UK?

Some other banks offer switching bonuses too and many offer fee-free spending and ATM withdrawals abroad.

NoodleDoodleMan

Yes, free £240 in UK if preferred - however Banco Santander is about the only bank to offer completely fee free Euros as described.

All others will charge a transaction fee regardless of you having a "user friendly" UK debit card.

Incidentally the Everyday account card is not fee free if used to settle for goods or services.

la531983

The thread title is pure clickbait 😘

grumpy_codger

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82123964#Comment_82123964

All others will charge a transaction fee regardless of you having a "user friendly" UK debit card.

I haven't been to Spain for a while, but I think this sweeping statement is factually incorrect. A seach suggests that fee-free ATMs are scarce, but do exist. Revolut even offers some tool for finding such ATMs:

Finding a surcharge-free ATM is easy with our in-app ATM locator. Just tap the card icon on your home screen, choose Find an ATM nearby, and filter by surcharge-free ATMs to find the closest one.

https://www.revolut.com/cards/atm-withdrawals-in-spain/

NoodleDoodleMan

"I haven't been to Spain for a while, but I think this swieeping statement is factually incorrect"

Finding an ATM in Spain is relatively straightforward - I can't open the Revolut link without an account - however I suspect it is just a general guide.

Bank owned ATMs there that don't impose their own transaction fee with a "user friendly" UK debit card are almost impossible to find now, anecdotal evidence mentions Unicaja as about the last, perhaps Ibercaja as well ?

Happy to hear of anything different.

NoodleDoodleMan

"The thread title is pure clickbait 😘"

Based on what ?

I am not an employee of Santander, only a customer.

grumpy_codger

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82124385#Comment_82124385

The list can be scrolled down. I see Ibercaja Banco, Unicaja Banco, Kutxabank and many other ATMs.

864 miles are from UK.

ETA: for Comercio, Kutaxabank, Ibercaja Banco I see:

Fee-free withdrawals £0-£200, Weekend markups 1%

NoodleDoodleMan

Which of these ATMs are totally free with an appropriate UK debit card - and how widespread are they ?

As I mentioned, Unicaja is favourably quoted - Ibercaja apparently has low fees.

Kutxabank reportedly charges €3 to €5 and is mostly located in the northern provinces.

Banco Santander is the best deal when used as described - but not for any other UK debit card, in fact they are amongst the worst for fees.

grumpy_codger

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82124509#Comment_82124509

Which of these ATMs are totally free with an appropriate UK debit card - and how widespread are they ?

For all entries in the list Revolut says "Fee-free withdrawals £0-£200, Weekend markups 1%", but I can't vouch for this. And the screenshot was for some part of Madrid. I also see Credit Mutual, Credit Agricole, Banque Populaire….

Fee-free means that ATM doesn't charge if you avoid DCC. The rest is up to the card provider.

NoodleDoodleMan

Santander is the largest banking group in Spain.

They have a dedicated website for locating branches and ATMs.

https://www.bancosantander.es/en/buscador-oficinas-cajeros

Located in most every popular holiday resort…….and across the country.

Only use branch based machines with UK Santander debit cards.