This is really a followup to my posting of a week or two ago and because everyone tells me to forget Travellers Cheques , I have decided to do just that and adopt the Debit Card routine.
I am perfectly familiar with taking cash out of an ATM in the UK but have never ever done it in France. Sad aren%26#39;t I ?
( Dont reply to that bit )
Anyhow , to avoid having my card snatched by a French ATM ,
all I need is for someone to kindly run me thru the ACTUAL SEQUENCE please , of what happens from the point of actually inserting your card into the slot. Just to give me peace of mind, if nothing else/
Thanks as always , in advance.
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I%26#39;m sure it must be the same operation.
Here in France, once you are sure that the ATM you are attempting to use accepts the system noted on the back of your card (the signs are on the ATM machine), you insert the card. It will then ask you what language you would like to use, assuming English, you push the button beside English. It then asks you what type of transaction you want to complete. You then click on withdrawal. It will all be in English as that is the first thing you are asked to select.
Then, once you have selected withdrawal, it then brings up the many dollar figures you can choose from - OR - at the end of that screen it says %26quot;other amounts.%26quot; If the amount of money you wish to withdraw is not on the list, you can click on %26quot;other amounts%26quot; and you enter the amount you would like to withdraw.
Certain ATMS will not distribute 5 or 10 euro notes. Most ATM machines tell you what denominations they distribute.
Once you have selected or typed in the amount you wish to withdraw, the machine does its thing, contacts your bank to approve the withdrawal and then, tells you your cash is being delivered, you take you cash, card and receipt and leave.
Oh, forgot to mention, after you select the amount you wish to withdraw, the machine will ask you if you want a receipt. You will click yes or no.
Simple
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Sorry, I left out the part where the machine will ask you to key in your pin code....
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Hi tootou.
Thankyou . That was just what I wanted and you were very quick. I appreciate your help very much.
Just one more thing..... Is there any pattern to the kind of euro notes that you get.
Surely they don%26#39;t chuck out 50 euro notes do they ?
I shall probably be withdrawing the maximum amount each time , which for my debit card will be £300 or 420 euro%26#39;s approximately.
Do you happen to know whether or not , if the usual dispensing of notes for that sort of amount out of an ATM would include 50 Euro notes.
I ask only because I have heard that French shopkeepers are a bit nervous about changing 50 Euro notes.
Hope you dont mind me asking this extra question.
Cheers
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50 notes are very common. Shop keepers Should have been trained in how to recognize the fakes. I have never had a problem using the notes when shopping. I often withdraw 100 or even 500 euros. In both instances, I often get only 50 notes.
In some ATMS, when withdrawing more than 100, I will often get the last 100 in 20%26#39;s - not every ATM does this.
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Also the machine will ask you to confirm each stage (just as in England) however the button actually says %26#39;valider%26#39; - it is the green button.
Banks often have machines outside them, as do Post Offices. Sometimes however the machines are inside the lobby of the bank, I usually wait until someone else goes in and follow them.
I have never had a problem, however you may well be hit with a maximum withdrawal limit each day and I would think that you are near the limit. One way round this is to have two accounts and two cards. You must remember to tell your bank that you are going to use it in France. You will still incur a small withdrawal charge with most UK banks (but not with the Nationwide).
Do not use the ATM%26#39;s at motorway service areas if you can avoid it as there could well be an additional machine charge (as in the UK).
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Meant to also say that there is one in the luggage hall at Nice airport which is useful when you have just arrived.
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Thankyou toutou and indeed Ringmer as well, for your information.
I am indeed most grateful to you both for taking the trouble to reply to my questions.
I can at least now be prepared and being forewarned is forearmed.
Thanks again
Ken Bean
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For someone who seems to be very well travelled in the South of France (Cote d%26#39;Azur round to the Languedoc) you have an amazing naivete of situations. I expected more of such a traveller!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The only difference I%26#39;ve ever seen between US ATMs and the rest of the world is that you must designate your language of choice. In Europe on some machines you%26#39;ll find a selection of 5 or 6 languages always including English. Once that%26#39;s done it%26#39;s same old, same old.
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Both banks we use in Nice have a security system where you enter a capsule like an airlock on a space vehicle (I have never travelled in space but have seen it on film!), the door behind you closes and the next one opens. Once, when I tried to enter the inner door refused to open and a recorded voice kept saying something I didn%26#39;t understand. Large knives then fell from the ceiling (only kidding) Luckily, a passing local told me that I needed to take my bunch of keys from my pocket and deposit it in a small locker outside. It seems that the system cannot differentiate between keys and the sort of shooter traditionally carried by French bank robbers. This system has more or less put a stop to the gun fights between robbers and police which used to be an integral part of life in Nice.
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