[QUOTE=jerryjerry;10872667
I always have trouble with the automatic refund of ATM funds in Brasil, as it gets converted with the fee lumped in with the withdrawal amount. When I call Schwab, they then refund the fees. I assume this will be the case with the credit card too.[/QUOTE]

I used a Schwab debit card for the first time a week ago to withdraw funds at ATMs in Brazil. At HSBC (Rio) the fee seems to have been buried in the exchange; at CitiBank, the fee was stated separately. I haven't yet checked to see if the fees were refunded, but I will do so soon. From your post, it seems I will have to call them. Is that correct? (FYI $R8 per transaction at Citi.)

It used to be that you had to call Schwab to get a credit for fees incurred overseas, but they did make a credit in cases where there were no separately stated fees. Earlier this year, they changed their policy to only refunding fees that are separately stated.

This is still a terrififc, safe way to get cash around the world at a low cost.

Yes, you'll have to ask for ATM fees!
 

I use both HSBC and Banco 24, which processes through Citi. In both cases I have to ask to get my ATM fees of $R8 refunded.

I also use an HSBC Online debit card, where I fund it only for my withdrawals in Brasil. No fees. No problems.

I'm normally in Espirito Santo when I do this.

No problem getting fee refund
 

I've been using a Schwab debit card, and I have to call to get my ATM fees refunded. I've had no problem though. Last time was about three months ago.

Prepaid Euro/GBP cards
 

Has anyone tried the Travelex Cash Passport cards yet? They're finally available for Americans and you can get them in either GBP or Euros. I am considering getting one of these for my UK travels next year...

Darned if I can see anyway that the Travelex card is better than my ATM card for forex use.

For one thing, the fees appear rather hefty. :td: http://www.cashpassport.com/uk/feesandlimits.html

Conversations with Schwab
 

I posted my conversations with Schwab today on the Other Credit Cards forum, which seems to be a better place to continue the discussion of this card, as there is a separate thread there dedicated to it.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...9#post10884959

I stopped using the HSBC debit card because it charges a 3% fee for ATM withdrawal from the HSBC online savings account. The last time I used it was in Chile, about a year ago. The extra fee was not stated as a separate item, but the dollar amount charged to my account was exactly 3% above the day's exchange rate on xe.com. I confirmed the fee by phone with HSBC's customer service.

TD Bank (fka Commerce)
 

Somebody anonymously edited the wiki to make TD Bank NY Yes Checking accounts 3% instead of 0%. Can anyone confirm that this is the case?

I know that newly issued TD Bank credit cards charge 3% (vs. the old Commerce credit card, which was 0% and may or may not be grandfathered at 0%). But this is the first I've heard of TD Bank ATM cards charging 3% for existing accounts. FWIW I have a TD Bank NY Yes Checking account and haven't seen any notice of a change in terms (although I didn't look that closely at my last statement).

I experimented with the same check card. Still 0% on the purchase.

I just edited the Wiki to remove the entry for Wells Fargo Signature card. Those jagmos have taken away the zero conversion fee benefit and this card now charges 3% like all the other Wells Visa cards. Time to shred yet another credit card. :mad:

And they charged me $200 or so in conversion fees WITHOUT NOTICE! Isn't that against some sort of law?

That sucks. And if they actually charged you without any notice, I'd definitely call and complain. I would assume they'll take the fees off.

right.....Zaia. How do you know? :)

BTW I used the Cap1 No Hassle card this time in China and Japan and had no problems. The largest single POS transaction was around $800. Seems to have improved from my past trips when only $10 would trigger a block.

yikes. that sucks. i'd call and get a credit from them.

I'm a little skeptical of their doing this w/o notice. Probably, they mailed you something carefully designed to be ignored, and, it achieved its purpose. :td:

Call and ask when the notice was given. If you are not satisfied with the response, send a polite letter to Wells Fargo President--see what they say.

If there really was no notice, immediately contact a class action lawyer. You may make money and so may your fellow victims. Unless the banks have to pay when they do bad things, they ain't gonna stop. @:-)