Debit cards that work at ATMs in high risk countries
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 52
Debit cards that work at ATMs in high risk countries
Can someone help me?
I need to find a bank that will allow me to easily withdraw funds using a debit card while traveling abroad. I have had Chase and Ally. Both banks have ignored my travel notifications and canceled cards on me due to suspicious activity simply because I traveled to a country where I added a travel notification and try to like - use a debit card to withdraw funds. I am so frustrated I want to pull my hair out. Chase is now refusing to add a travel notification to my account for any country which it considers high risk (which seems to be every country not found in North America and Europe). To date and many years of travel I have had zero incidents of actual fraud but I have had many painful phone calls, pleas, frozen accounts, and canceled debit cards.
Please, please, please tell me how to end this madness.
I need to find a bank that will allow me to easily withdraw funds using a debit card while traveling abroad. I have had Chase and Ally. Both banks have ignored my travel notifications and canceled cards on me due to suspicious activity simply because I traveled to a country where I added a travel notification and try to like - use a debit card to withdraw funds. I am so frustrated I want to pull my hair out. Chase is now refusing to add a travel notification to my account for any country which it considers high risk (which seems to be every country not found in North America and Europe). To date and many years of travel I have had zero incidents of actual fraud but I have had many painful phone calls, pleas, frozen accounts, and canceled debit cards.
Please, please, please tell me how to end this madness.
#3
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 83
Schwab is the answer to your problems. No foreign transaction fees on ATMs abroad and all ATM fees (domestic and abroad) are reimbursed. I used my Schwab debit card on ATMs in Turkey and Georgia (the country) last summer without any hassles.
#11
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: The place where it gets so hot in the summer some planes can't take off.
Programs: Marriott LT Titanium, WoH Globalist, National EE, United Platinum
Posts: 1,446
Debit cards that work at ATMs in high risk countries
You can usually get a cash advance through a bank twller off your debit card without any fees.
I was in a chase branch and called Schwab needing to make a big ATM withdrawal to fund n account and get a counter check to pay for something else. They actually recommended getting cash over the counter withy my card as opposed to standing outside in front of a ATM and grabbing a large amount of cash for security reasons.
I was in a chase branch and called Schwab needing to make a big ATM withdrawal to fund n account and get a counter check to pay for something else. They actually recommended getting cash over the counter withy my card as opposed to standing outside in front of a ATM and grabbing a large amount of cash for security reasons.
#13
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: AA plt 2 mm, Marriott LTT, HH dia
Posts: 1,215
I find a good method is to buy currency from my bank before I leave. Specifically, I have an account at Bank of America, and for a $7.50 fee they will convert currency before I leave. I believe they waive that fee if you convert more than $1000 USD.
I also bring some US$ along with me in cases of emergency. I don't want to bring my own ATM card with me on business trips to high risk countries because I don't like bearing that risk myself.
I also bring some US$ along with me in cases of emergency. I don't want to bring my own ATM card with me on business trips to high risk countries because I don't like bearing that risk myself.
#14
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: CLE
Programs: UA Gold, HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,659
I love the Schwab ATM card. The only hassle I've ever had was in Guatemala when visa cut me off. I called Schwab and the agent worked with visa to let me get the $2500. I needed and then set my daily limit at $100. Since I could check the balance every day that wasn't too much of a risk for me
#15
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 866
In Japan I've found Chase Bank locations work for US cards. Unfortunately there are very few, but there is one in Tokyo and it saved me years ago.