Taking money out via ATM on Holiday

[PaulMacC]

Can I take money out of my account via VISA debit. I'm getting paid on the 15/16th via PayPal and it takes two days to transfer to my banks so I wont have the money in hand until the 18/19th, by that time I'll be gone. So the bank transfer will be happening while I am away and the money will be in my account when I am 2-3 days into my holidays. Can I use my debit card to take money out while over there?

[N!ck]

Yes.

You will probably get charged a transaction fee and a sub-optimal exchange rate.

[PaulMacC]

Define sub-optimal?
Like any examples?

[Nuxty]

Can I take money out of my account via VISA debit. I'm getting paid on the 15/16th via PayPal and it takes two days to transfer to my banks so I wont have the money in hand until the 18/19th, by that time I'll be gone. So the bank transfer will be happening while I am away and the money will be in my account when I am 2-3 days into my holidays. Can I use my debit card to take money out while over there?

Depends on the bank, I think? I thought some banks require you to contact them before you go so that they can enable your card to be used abroad. :) Check with your bank, see what they say!

[N!ck]

Define sub-optimal?
Like any examples?

Worse exchange rate than you would get in the UK. Not always the case and not by much though.

[PaulMacC]

Worse exchange rate than you would get in the UK. Not always the case and not by much though.
Would it be as bad as 1 pound for 1 euro?

[N!ck]

Would it be as bad as 1 pound for 1 euro?

Nowhere near that bad.

[wixard]

be careful of the machines too some are dodgy
in zante 3 of my friends got their cards swallowed

[PaulMacC]

be careful of the machines too some are dodgy
in zante 3 of my friends got their cards swallowed
How can you differentiated a dodgy one from a normal one?
Also do I need to ring my bank and tell them I'm going abroad?

[wixard]

ehhhhh i didn't so i wouldn't bother
and i dunno you can't really tell, my frist friend used it and it was fine, the second person used it and the card was swallowed
i guess just use one in a really popular location and not one thats randomly in the middle of nowhere

[Ashley 12344]

If you plan on making several withdrawals (as opposed to all at once), I'd write to your bank informing them as such, they stop a lot of cards 'cause of suspicious transactions.