Originally Posted by themicah

I always use my Umbrellabank.com Visa ATM card to get cash when in the US or overseas. The rate I get overseas is almost exactly 1% above the day's market rate on xe.com with no other fees (at least that's been my experience in China, Hong Kong, Holland, Spain, Israel, and the UK). The same rate seems to apply for POS transactions, so I've started using it for shopping when overseas, because the miles aren't worth the 2-3% Amex and Citi charge on top of their already-crappy exchange rates.

I've been with Umbrella for almost 4 years now and have been extremely happy. I have only a $500 minimum balance to avoid fees for _interest_ checking with free online billpay, free Visa ATM card, free postage paid deposit envelopes, 24hr native-English-speaking customer service, and up to 5 ATM fee rebates per month (so I can use any bank's ATM in the US). I have only three complaints: I can't deposit cash because deposits are by mail, I can't choose my ATM PIN number (it's randomly assigned), and there's no call-collect number on the back of the card for when I'm overseas. Otherwise, I've been thrilled.

Now if only they had a referral system like ING Direct.... I promise I have no affiliation with them other than being a happy customer.