Use of EC debit cards outside of Europe

I've attempted to raise the point with my bank and they suggested it would be possible to use the card abroad but the specifics were left out so I was hoping to get a bit more information about the usability of an EC debit card outside of Europe.

Specifically, would it be possible to use the card in the United States to withdraw money from ATM cash points?

What kind of charges would be involved with such a transaction (there is generally a charge to withdrawn the money and possibly for the conversion from Euros to US dollars)?

Would it be easier or cheap to use a UK debit card to do such transaction (the German card has maestro and the UK has visa electron, the UK card as a CVV2 number on it)?

The German card is tied to a Hypovereinsbank bank account.

I do this all the time in the States (any machine on the Maestro network) with my bank card.

If the ATM in the US has the same symbols (Maestro/Plus/visa etc) as your card then you can use it. The charges can vary, but expect around $5 per transaction

I should think a German Maestro and a UK debit card may well incur similar charges when withdrawing cash, but that depends on the exat banks involved I guess. In theory I see no reason why you shouldnt be able to withdraw cash on a German maestro card

I was not able to use mine while in the UK in shops. I had to end up using my credit card instead. But it did work in the ATM;s there, just not in the shops directly. I was charged only my bank fee (around 4.50 euro I think) for the ATM use.

you'd think wouldn't you? I've had problems with my card in the UK before despite the symbols being displayed. It was very hit and miss; some places it would work, most it wouldn't. It mostly worked in ATMs, though not always and usually didn't work in stores, though it did sometimes.

The charges vary between 1-3% in the states (usually with a max $value as well), but you get a better conversion rate than taking Euros and exchanging them at the shark counters in the airports.

I used my EC card (Maestro symbol) last week in San Diego.
I have the experience that it doesnt work at some ATMs but does at others.
Hence if it fails once try elsewhere...

Last week I first tried at a Citibank ATM in the wall of a bank & that failed.
Then I tried at an ATM inside a supermarket & it worked fine.

this is useful info for me. keep the replies about experiences in the US coming!

iirc, the only places i have tried withdrawing cash using my EC-card outside Europe were in Egypt and in Taiwan. both worked ok.

i do this all the time too when on holiday. usually my bank in germany charges me a percentage. on average around 4,50€ since there is a maximum of how much you can withdrawl (in the u.s. at wells fargo, it was a maximum of $600). some banks, if you are not a cusotmer with them, will charge you $1 or $2 just to withdraw cash from their machine. you cannot use it to pay for anything though.

EDIT: I've used both my EC card and my savings account card. Both from Postbank.

Er, you've already asked this question and I think the replies are clear enough.

I am from the U.S. Here is some additional info on Maestro Card.

Yes, some merchants in the U.S. do take maestro and as do some atms. It is just hit and miss.

Here is a tip I found out. If the atm does not take Maestro but takes MasterCard. Choose Primary Credit and your card may work but it will not work at a merchant this way.

Look for atm that won't eat your card. Some machines hold your card while you do your transactions, others you just swipe and remove your card then do the transaction.

You don't want the ones that hold your card. This way your card will not be eaten.

I have a EC/Maestro from Deutsche Bank which works just fine at any Bank of Amerika ATM and I don't get charged for withdrawing money either. Any other EC debit card should work at BoA as well but you may have to pay a fee.

I'd go to a large bank's ATM to get US Dollar cash against my Maestro card for smaller purchases but apart from that mostly use my VISA card in the USA.

Depending on the amount w/d you are generally better off even with service charges using your bank card, I've checked a few times and you get the bank rate. CCs charge you 1-2 % plus the spread.

The charges are set by the bank that owns the ATM, so they can vary pretty wildly. Usually it's best to stick to the big interstate banks such as Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Wachovia and so on. (It used to be that retail banks couldn't readily operate across state lines, and most banks in America are still local as a result, even after deregulation and an ongoing wave of mergers.) Small local banks, savings & loans (=building society), and credit unions tend to charge much more. Depending on what bank you have in Germany, they may also charge you something. You should ask your German bank before traveling.

In most cases it will be cheaper to withdraw money with your EC card than with your credit card. With the credit card, not only do you pay 1-2% to the host bank, possibly plus an additional flat fee, but also exchange fees, foreign use fees and so on to the credit card issuer. In other words, you get kinda screwed.

Like others have mentioned, while the Plus, Maestro and Cirrus systems theoretically are all compatible with EC, there is no guarantee that they will work. For some reason, some ATMs work fine, some don't. It's largely a trial-and-error thing. I've even had machines from the same bank act flaky.

Cheers,

Fairfax71