Bank of America fees...

I've been having trouble finding info on Bank of America debit cards. Anyone know what they charge for using their card at an ATM in Spain???

Most banks are currently charging $5 a pop when you take out money from the ATM. If your lucky, your bank might charge $3, but I doubt it.

Your bio does not say what part of the country you are from, but I use Compass bank. They have free worldwide ATM fees. They will also reimburse their customers for charges from another bank, anywhere in the world.

Have fun and stay safe.

Oohhh I hate banks. I'm in NC, so I guess Compass is out of the question. I wouldn't mind moving to Arizona just for that wonderful-sounding bank!! It's good to know that there's still one in the world!

Compass bank is based in Alabama, possibly you could call their home office and see what name they operate under in your part of the country. If you shop around, I am sure you will find a bank that still know what the words "customer service mean."

They'll reimburse you for other banks' fees?! That sounds almost too good to be true! I'm definitely going to look into it! Thanks for the help!

When I checked with them in May, Bank of America told me that they charge $5 per ATM use at an international ATM that is not a part of their "Global ATM alliance" (which is only at certain banks in 5 countries - France, Mexico, Canada...and I can't remember the rest).

If the other bank doesn't work out, I'd try joining a credit union. I used my credit union atm card multiple times in Spain and wasn't charged any ATM fees, neither by my bank or the Spanish bank. Of course, credit unions differ on charges, so I'd check with them first about their fees before signing on .

-Linda

I shall check into that! I see you're from Seattle.. was just there last weekend for my brother's wedding up in Winthrop at Sun Mountain Lodge. Beautiful area!

Good luck on your search Granadina! I also thought I'd mention that I saw this bankrate.com article on Yahoo regarding credit card purchases in foreign countries and thought you might be interested. I've seen this topic on other messages before, but I thought I'd post since this article seems to be new.

And, Seattle is definitely a nice area. I'm glad you liked it. Sadly, I haven't really traveled much outside of the Seattle area to other parts of WA, but I hope to !

-Linda

I´ve heard from some other students that Deusche (sp?) Bank does not charge fees to BOA customers. There is one on Gran Via, in the general area of Fuencarral, in Madrid if you feel like trying it out.

I signed up for a Santander account because they are everywhere in Madrid. Don´t know about the rest of Spain.

When I went on the BofA site prior to my trip in May, I saw that they had partnerships with a few banks so that BofA customers could use those banks' ATMs w/o a fee. I just revisited the page on the BofA site and it says: Use your ATM card or Check Card within our Global ATM Alliance in the countries shown with no fees.

Barclays (United Kingdom)
BNP Paribas (France)
Deutsche Bank (Germany)
Santander Serfin (Mexico)
Scotiabank (Canada)
Westpac (Australia and New Zealand)

I actually called their customer service to ask whether or not I could use my ATM card at a Deutsche Bank ATM in Spain w/o a fee and I got two different answers (a Yes and then a No). My experience with BofA is that they'll charge you if they can. So, I opted to just use my credit union card at the ATMs in Spain. It would be great if someone could confirm whether they've used their BofA card at one of the alliance banks w/o a fee.

As a side note, I have used my BofA card in Canada at a Scotiabank and I wasn't charged a fee, so there's one positive about being a BofA customer.

Linda

I just came back from Spain last Monday, and I do have and used a BOA ATM card at Deutsche Bank in Madrid. I did take money out twice, and twice I got charged with a $5.00 service fee for using the card. Hope this help.

Lindah gave good advice, I too use my debit card from my Credit Union. I can take out money as many times as I'd like in Spain for no fee. But in the US I can only take out money from the Credit Union ATM without getting an additional $1.50 fee from the ATM. Go figure... I think in order to withdraw money as many times as you'd like you have to have direct deposit though. Ask your local Credit Union and they can help you work out all the details.

I absolutely DESPISE Bank of America! Not only do they charge you FIVE dollars each time you use their stupid card at a foreign ATM, but they ALSO charge you some other lovely fee (God only knows WHAT for) that ends up being around $3.50. (I usually withdraw 300 euros each time to avoid having to pay the fee so often.. not safe at all!!) So, altogether, you end up paying around 10 bucks to use another atm. How sweet. As SOON as I get back to the States I am closing my account! Everyone follow suit and we´ll teach the greedy rats a lesson!!!!!
(sorry, had to vent. have had nothing but problems with that bank since I got over here!)

While I was living in Madrid, I found that US Bank worked really well. They're based in Milwaukee, but have branches all over the Midwest and Western states. There was only a $1.50 charge for ATM withdrawals and also it was easy because their debit cards are also Visa so you could use it as a credit card. Also, certain Spanish banks do NOT charge fees for using their machines...Caixa Laiteana (sp?...it's been a while) jumps to mind because there was one right next to my piso in Argulles/Moncloa.