Originally Posted by
MisterNice
Some ATM will issue the minimum number of bills possible so you must be careful not get a huge bill that few places will accept.
Only on very rare occasions has an ATM in the USA decided to screw me by handing out $50s. Almost all the time they give $20s, which are useful almost anywhere (and are also the largest note that almost any shop will accept).
BTW, in answer to the original querulator, it's common for ATMs to be unable (or unwilling) to display balance on international cards. Just yesterday a machine in Asia gave me the alarming (though false) news that my balance was 0.