I always use my debit card at cash points, and never get charged by my bank. have booked flights today for August. hooray!! Countdown again.

Which bank do you use that does not apply fees for ATM withdrawals overseas???

I'm moving to Madrid in July and would like to open a new account w/ a bank that does not charge.

Check with your local credit unions. I used my credit union card at ATMs in Madrid and Cordoba during my visit in May and was not charged any fees. Some credit unions still have restrictions on who can join, but a lot of them have opened up their membership.

-Linda

I used Bank of America abroad and First Union (now Wachovia) and was never charged extra fees. I'd check into it to make sure rules haven't changed (this was back 2000-2002). Exchanging travelers checks is always annoying and for me at least I was there for so long that I didn't see the point. Credit cards are always good to have, if it gets stolen you can cancel it. NEVER NEVER take everything with you though!!! If you have two cards, only take one. Same thing goes with your id...leave your passport in a safe place. That way if something happens, you won't have a problem. Also, make copies of your passport and leave those in your suitcase, or with a relative in the US, in case something happens, you'll at least have a copy of it and someone in the US could fax it, if necessary. Enjoy your trip!!! Lucky people. I haven't been back for nearly 3 years now and I'm dying...I thought I'd get over it...still miss it like crazy. MADRID!!!!!!!!!!

after reading many of the messages on currency i would like to add that we are gonig to bcn in a few days and i ordered euros from my bank with no charges. they arrived in 2 days! now we will arrive in spain with euros. then my bank advised us that the atm card is easier and safer. hope this helps.