Originally Posted by
themicah
If you click on the "International Banking" tab
on this page, you'll see it says, "Use your ATM card or check card within our Global ATM Alliance
in the countries shown with no fees" (emphasis added).
So while it's great you weren't charged for a Barclays withdrawal in Spain, there's no guarantee that you won't be charged next time.
Correct. I used a Barclays ATM in Russia with a BofA card, and was charged the normal foreign fees.
As for the counter cash advance, this may get around ATM owner or card issuer ATM fees. It generally won't get around currency conversion fees, though as those apply to all transactions, not just ATM transactions.
Although little known, it is possible to do a "cash advance" through a teller on a debit card. The main reason is that since it's a face-to-face transaction, it avoids the daily withdrawal limits (this is why you often see it offered in casinos).
This still won't get you off the hook in all cases --
Wells Fargo charges a $3 fee if you do this with a Wells card. Although the bank issuing the cash can't charge a fee, the card issuing bank can charge whatever it wants for the transaction, so be cautious.