Originally Posted by
dwcatty
Thank you all. My concerns are two fold; being in another land and not being able to have access to cash, and secondly being charged for the privilege to spend, whether through ATM charges or credit card conversion fees. I agree that back ups are good.
I think I'll go with the plan as outlined above, with the following additions. I do qualify for USAA and looked in to opening an account with them. They will allow up to 10 'no charge' ATM withdrawals a month and will also refund up to US$15 in other bank ATM charges.
Just so you know what to expect, bank ATMs in France do not charge a withdrawal fee. You just have to worry about your bank charging you.
I have an online account at ING Direct. They do not charge me ATM fees. They used to not charge foreign transaction fees, but that changed mid 2008 (and the 2% fee is now itemized separately); I assume this is in addition to the 1% charged by MC (which would be included in the withdrawal amount)...this probably brings the rate in line with a BofA card.
One other tip: Make sure your daily withdrawal limit is sufficient to accommodate a certain number of euros per day.