seanfitch

dwcatty - What type of BofA account do you have? I am leaving for france tomorrow and they just told me that I will have a 1% fee.

dwcatty

Beats me. I bank at Wachovia and opened the BofA account just for the trip. When I went to close the account they agreed to change the minimum deposit to $750, so I left it open in case we go back next year.

My other strategy was the Capitol One credit card. That worked like a dream as well. Our statement closed the day we left, so we were on a brand new billing cycle when we arrived in Paris. Every charge we made on the statement shows the Euro to dollar conversion rate. Interestingly there are multiple rates in any given day.

I'm very happy with our financial strategy. Money was easy to withdraw from ATMs, we had no fees that I can tell from either the credit card or the debit card, and with the credit card statement not due until next month it is almost like a 7 week no interest loan.

dwcatty

This is off the ATM/money topic, but I remembered this post and wanted to reply to it. We took the RER from CDG to Versailles and it was painless. We had some difficulty finding the ticket window for the RER, but once located we bought both our one way tickets to Versailles for that day and our navigo cards for the next week. We located the RER line, saw two trains and got on the express not the local. We enjoyed seeing the football stadium as we passed, and the Sacre Couer before going underground.

We made the transfer at St. Michel without any hassle. I had wondered what a "Vick" train was until the first one that rolled in to the station had "Vick" in lights across the front. We got off at Versailles, and after an hour or more of being lulled back and forth on trains we stopped at the Starbucks across the street from the station for a needed jolt of caffeine. (I would have much rather preferred something more local, but the need for caffeine at that moment trumped my desire to be a localvore.)

The following day we rode the train from Versailles Rive Droite back in to the city, to St. Lazare. We took the train two other times, to Vernon and back to go to Monet's home and garden, and to Chatou to visit Maison Fournaise to see where Renoir painted Luncheon of the Boating Party. We never had any issues or concerns with any of the trains.

On the day we departed took a taxi to the airport as we now had two additional carryon bags full of souveniers and didn't want to lug them around on busses or trains. Our transportation all week was smooth, and I would not hesitate to take the RER into Paris on my arrival again.

LuvAirFrance

Have US banks adopted chip based cards yet?

stimpy

French Amex's do not have chips. I use mine for all grocery shopping as well as at mid to high end shops and restaurants.

Interestingly, the Dutch Amex just started putting chips in their cards this year. Kinda weird.

LuvAirFrance

This Capitol One debit card that works so well, does it have a name? Is it just the regular one, or is it some kind of international card?

dwcatty

I am reviving my own thread as we are returning to Paris later this spring. My BofA/BNP ATM strategy has worked well on two trips to France and one to Italy. I have been told however, that there was a B of A policy change last fall, and that now I will pay a 2% foreign transaction fee on a BNP withdrawal in Paris. Anyone know if this is accurate? I never did get the USAA card - maybe I should? I hate paying for money.

iff

According to this thread, the fee is now 3%: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...a-anymore.html

USAA doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee, but you do get hit with the 1% from the Mastercard network; however, they no longer offer bank accounts to nonmilitary personnel. A lot of FlyerTalkers have recommended Schwab, so you might want to check them out instead.

dwcatty

Thanks iff for that link. I did some more research after I posted and it does look like Schwab is the way to go. Fortunately they have one branch here, so before my trip I'll be closing out my BofA account and opening one with Schwab. At least the BNP ATM locator app I installed will still be of use. Thanks again.

jacknyoc

Question about the Capital One debit card alternative to B of A ATM, please. I can't seem to find this answer anywhere. I presume it's the Cap 1 360 account debit card. Does anyone know whether I can use that card at any ATM in France without being charged a fee, or only certain ATM networks?

Thank you very much.

aamilesslave

Not all Capital One accounts have no foreign currency transaction fees anymore for debit cards. Yes, Capital One 360 does, as well as Capital One High Yield Checking (and perhaps other premium accounts).

It doesn't matter which ATM you use - it's not network specific. I suggest only withdrawing from bank ATMs like Societe General, Credit du Nord, LCL, BNP, etc. (not from private ATMs that might be in a business - as those may charge a fee while the bank ATMs will generally not.)

Mountain Trader

While it has been a few years, I had big problems with ATM w/ds at LCL. Given the abundance of ATMs in Paris, I would go elsewhere.

aamilesslave

I've used LCL ATMs several dozens of times, and I've never had an issue. I actually prefer them as they usually give smaller bills while So Gen ATMs are known to spit out 50 EUR bills.

Mountain Trader

Twice LCL ATMs cycled through a cash withdrawal, giving me a receipt showing the money I asked for coming out of my account, but did not dispense the funds. So my account showed the funds coming put but the ATM did not spit out any money.

Imagine trying to prove that. This happened using two different LCL machines at two locations, with a couple of months separating the errant transactions.

I went into the LCL branches where the ATMs were located, took names, filed reports. The first bank said it had happened before and worked with me to get it straight. The second location blew me off and offered no help. I filed a complaint with the debit card issuer (Schwab) and I eventually got my money back, though I thought at the time that it may have been a courtesy from Schwab. Again, this was several years ago.

As for seeking smaller bills, the Sociėtė Gėnėral and BNP ATMs I use ask if you want large or small billls. I have never had a problem with ATMs from either of those banks.

iff

I tend to avoid Société Générale ATMs for this reason. The SG ATMs I've used haven't offered the option of choosing denominations, so when I do have to use them, I try to choose an amount that will force a return of some smaller bills (e.g., 80 or 90 euros to get back 50+20+10 or 50+20+20).