- Thread starter Stefan1983
- Start date
ATM's not working anymore with foreign bank cards?
A lot of people traveling here forget to notify their financial institution about their travel itinerary. When they try to use the card for cash in the ATM, their bank freezes the account, thinking that the card has been scammed. Sometimes, even when you notify a bank that you are traveling, they screw-up and freeze the card. This happened to me last September: when I got off the plane at Heathrow Airport, I attempted to get British Pounds from the ATM and US Bank froze my account. Fortunately I had other accounts in other banks that I had also notified of my travel plans and they worked perfectly. Usually the biggest banks are the ones that screw-up the worst.
The new ATM enclosure at Banco Popular in Sosua has two machines. The one on the right apparently will not read international cards, but the one on the left will.
Out of curiosity (and I have no life), I walked over to the other banking mecca and tried Santa Cruz, which told me I had already reached my maximum withdrawal amount (although I had not taken any money all day). The machine across the street at BanReservas seemed not to be functioning, and Banco Progresso takes only AmEx.
So on to Playero, where the BP machine was unable to process my transaction "at this time" and finally I achieved success with the Banco Leon machine, but you can only get $2500 per dip. So I used it twice.
Out of curiosity (and I have no life), I walked over to the other banking mecca and tried Santa Cruz, which told me I had already reached my maximum withdrawal amount (although I had not taken any money all day). The machine across the street at BanReservas seemed not to be functioning, and Banco Progresso takes only AmEx.
So on to Playero, where the BP machine was unable to process my transaction "at this time" and finally I achieved success with the Banco Leon machine, but you can only get $2500 per dip. So I used it twice.
Thanks for the tip, I should try that new BP machine on the left, the old ones stop taking UK cards a year or so ago.
I've mentioned this a while back, BHD/Leon now gives so little with 195 pesos charge per withdrawal, work out the percentage you loose (not worth it).
I gather most of people having issues have UK or European cards, DR ATMs seem to work better with US and Canadian cards.
Scotia Bank is the only one that works in most cases and that charges 200 pesos and gives a maximum of 10000 pesos per transaction - can withdraw multiple times to your card max though.
Nacional bank ATM is one that was mentioned in another thread that does not charge foreign cards, but I have yet to try that....!
Thanks for tip, just checked it for their UK transfer, the maximum is 64,000 pesos and the charge is ?2.99. (Same limit on US site with $3.99 charge, rate is 45.1 pesos to $ today)
With their rate today (59.07 pesos to a ?) and the charge it becomes about 2.4% commission all together (to pick up cash from BHD/Leon). It is not a bad alternative for some people.
I get almost no charge from my bank on my UK card, also near mid-market exchange rates, so it is only the local 2% of the Scotia Bank (200 pesos on 10k withdrawal), so not a big difference.
But if more ATMs start giving us hassle (or raised the local charge), this is a good alternative... (they also top up Claro/Orange etc....)
I mentioned above that Banco Progresso WILL take any cards. However, the machine does not seem to want to take foreign cards with chips. Have your bank make you a backup card without a chip. I can withdraw 10,000- 4 times from that machine if I need to. It is my go-to ATM.
Lindsey
If your guests havn't previously called their credit card companies to give them prior notice that they will be using their cards in the DR than most of the time, because of security concerns, the cards won't work. Have them call their credit card companies to get the cards to work.
I use National at San Juan in Bavaro most all the time when in the D.R. The machine has yet to give me problems and there is no international transaction fee or withdrawal fee at that machine, and my Credit Union doesn't charge the international fee, either. So it's only the difference in the conversion. Plus, they have a security guard standing-by about 10 feet from the machine, even though it's inside the Super Pola!
Lindsey, my UK Lloyds card has a chip and has become problematic in a few banks, Popular being one of them. However it does work in the Progreso machine in Sosua, although there is a knack. First you have to slide in your card and remove it, then reinsert your card and leave it in. The strip on your card tells the machine your card has a chip, this activates the chip reader in the machine which is why you have to reinsert it and leave it in until your transaction is done. Sometimes it can take two or three attempts, but if does work.
I was able to withdraw 20,000 pesos in one go.
Necessity is the mother of invention! I desperately needed some dosh from my UK account and kept trying til it worked! The instructions on the screen do tell you how to do it, but not that clearly.
Load a Dominican debit card with some cash. Never use your debit card in stores or Gas stations. Use it only to fund your debit card.
The new Progreso machines have a slot that you slide your card into whist you keep hold of it. They don't have the carrier that draws the card inside any more. No danger if the machine swallowing your card that way.
must not have those at progresso on independencea in SD. that's the one that ate my card, about 2 mo, ago. they were also the ones that told me their system has a problem with the new chip cards, and to go inside and use the teller. so far so good. plus I don't get the atm fee and I can remove over the atm limits.
I think it depends on the policies of the issuing bank and arrangements the cardholder may have made. That explains why some people have problems and others do not.
We are in desperate need of PICHARDO's cashless DR where even motoconchos have card readers connected 24/7 to the WWW.