Schwab Debit Card - ATM Access?
Mar 31, 2014, 6:22 pm
#16
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: NY
Programs: UA Plat (1mm), Marriott Titanium, HH Gold, Hertz Pres
Posts: 430
I have a Schwab card also and always use for international ATMs around the world. However, once the ATM refused to take my Schwab card (some BOC ATM in Yangshuo). At that point I had run out of cash so I used my Chase card which worked. Anyway, always have a back-up I guess.
Apr 10, 2014, 8:07 pm
#17
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: BKK
Programs: AA Plat, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,395
I have a Schwab card also and always use for international ATMs around the world. However, once the ATM refused to take my Schwab card (some BOC ATM in Yangshuo). At that point I had run out of cash so I used my Chase card which worked. Anyway, always have a back-up I guess.
With regard to having a backup, I never leave the USA without at least US$200 cash (newest crispest bills possible). If my ATM card doesn't work, I can always go to a currency exchange to get me by in a pinch. Much better than paying the outrageous cash advance fees on a credit card. Yikes!
Apr 11, 2014, 12:48 pm
#18
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA, DL
Posts: 7,417
Only reason to have cash before arrival in China is if you have a friend who wants to unload some excess RMB at a market rate.
Apr 19, 2014, 4:05 pm
#19
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: New England
Programs: UA 1K / HH Diamond
Posts: 239
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)
I've just opened an account and got the "Visa Platinum Debit Card". However, reading the fine prints, while it states "unlimited ATM fee refund" , it also says "excluding foreign currency exchange fee".
For those who used it, dose Schwab Bank charge an exchange fee when withdraw in foreign currencies?
I've just opened an account and got the "Visa Platinum Debit Card". However, reading the fine prints, while it states "unlimited ATM fee refund" , it also says "excluding foreign currency exchange fee".
For those who used it, dose Schwab Bank charge an exchange fee when withdraw in foreign currencies?
Apr 19, 2014, 7:32 pm
#20
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 41,969
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)
I've just opened an account and got the "Visa Platinum Debit Card". However, reading the fine prints, while it states "unlimited ATM fee refund" , it also says "excluding foreign currency exchange fee".
For those who used it, dose Schwab Bank charge an exchange fee when withdraw in foreign currencies?
I've just opened an account and got the "Visa Platinum Debit Card". However, reading the fine prints, while it states "unlimited ATM fee refund" , it also says "excluding foreign currency exchange fee".
For those who used it, dose Schwab Bank charge an exchange fee when withdraw in foreign currencies?
Apr 24, 2014, 9:20 pm
#26
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 41,969
Not so much IME, but ATMs are extremely prevalent in Chinese cities. You have nothing to worry about unless you're going WAY off the beaten path.
Apr 30, 2014, 8:24 pm
#28
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 41,969
I know that it can be a PITA to get money from ATMs using foreign cards in Japan, but this is NOT the case in China. That having been said, when confronted with multiple options, I generally avoid banks that have terms like "rural", "agricultural", or "farmer" in their names as well as those which are based in far flung places. (My success rate is still greater than 50% when going this route, but if there is a Big 4 option nearby, I try that first.)
