Using ATMs at the airport for local currency

[cvschmitt]

I've never had to do this before so excuse my ignorance here.:rolleyes:

 

Will my ATM card issued from a credit union here in the United States work with the ATMs in Australia?

 

Thanks for the help.

[moojar]

I've never had to do this before so excuse my ignorance here.:rolleyes:

 

Will my ATM card issued from a credit union here in the United States work with the ATMs in Australia?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Hi, it depends on whether your ATM card is connected to an international interbank network - PLUS/Cirrus/Maestro etc.. My card has little logos on the back (Maestro and Cirrus), and I just need to look for ATMs overseas that have the same logo/s.

 

If you tell us which logos are on your card, someone over here can take a look at ATMs on their next trip to the mall. You could probably google it, too.

 

The big banks here with large ATM networks are ANZ (Australia New Zealand banking corp), NAB (National Australia Bank), CBA (Commonwealth Bank of Australia), and Westpac. There are a bunch of smaller ones, and the airport will have generic multi-bank ATMs as well.

 

Cheers.

[Aussie Cruisers]

All credit unions, building societies and banks here in Australia allow you to get a debit card (that is, you use your own money) that is linked to VISA or MASTERCARD.

 

When paying, you press "credit" at the sales till, but it is your own money. This way you can use it at any ATM. When I travel, I use one of these cards and I have never had any issues, and I have travelled all over Africa, Europe and Nth America.

 

When it comes to using ATMs in Australia, we have them all over the place, so you won't have any troubles finding any.

[RoupMom]

You should be able to do this -- in fact I'm counting on it! I've used my ATM card all over Europe with no problem and plan to do the same in NZ and Australia. In fact, banks usually have a lower fee for the exchange rate than credit card companies do. My bank charges me a 1.0% coversion fee using my ATM, versus 3 or4 % from my credit card companies. You might want to check that out ahead of time.

 

Another hint -- be sure to notify the companies or banks of any credit/debit cards you intend to use before you go. If you don't, they may not allow a charge until they can get a hold of you to prevent fraud. Since you'll be out of the country, you'll be out of luck.

[cvschmitt]

Thank you everyone for your advice.

 

I checked with the credit union today and everything will be fine. :)

The card is associated with Plus, Allpoint and Star.

 

We are so looking forward to this trip.

 

Carolyn

[misscongeniality]

I know you already have your answer, but for anyone looking here, it's worth noting that Westpac in Oz has an agreement with Bank of America, and you can withdraw from your BoA account fee free at any Westpac ATM. Really helpful to know!

[kwhite7]

Another thing to look at is if you are going to be in AU for an extended amount of time, it might be beneficial to open a credit union account here in the US before you leave. From my experience, I was able to use my ATM card with my credit union account and never incurred any fees, while when I used my debit card with a bank, I was charged a fee, usually a percentage of how much I took out. I would recommend using a debit card as a credit card to make most purchases as you will get the best exchange rate. Again when I used the card with my credit union account, I was charged no fees, while my friends who used one with a bank had lots of fees. The only problem with this is that there are a lot of vendors that either dont take credit cards or have a minimum purchase amount, which vendors strictly enforce. Have a great time in AU, its a great place to be!

[pcur]

Capital One ("what's in YOUR wallet?" commercial on U.S. tv) does not charge a currency conversion fee for international purchases with their Visa card. We use only our Cap1 card when we are out of the U.S. As mentioned above, most charge 3%.