Now I really AM a starving artist! Why can't I get cash?

February 6, 2007 7:50 AM

Where would I look for information (and a solution) on why I can't use my American (mastercard) ATM card to withdraw money in Hungary?

I've been using it for the last 3 weeks, then yesterday, no ATM machine would give me any money. They are all in the 'network,' and I have successfully used these machines before.

My SO in Ireland is also unable to withdraw money from our State-side account.

I've talked to the bank, plenty o'cash, nothing wrong with the account or the cards. But they have no record of either of us trying to withdraw money. What gives?

I would like to be able to find out why this is happening and how long it will keep on happening. Any ideas on where to look or who to call? Many thanks!

posted by dirtmonster to work & money (17 comments total)

Before reading the [more inside], I was going to say that some banks will lock down an account after a certain amount of foreign activity, due to the risks of identity theft or credit card fraud. However, a call to the bank (which you have made) should identify that problem and rectify it. I'm stumped.
posted by muddgirl at 8:13 AM on February 6, 2007

Did you call the number on the back of your ATM card?
posted by designbot at 8:19 AM on February 6, 2007

I had an odd problem with my ATM card while abroad. Eventually, we discovered that my money was in a savings account, and the foreign ATMs were attempting to withdraw from my checking account (which was empty). Transferring the money to my checking account fixed the problem.

You've probably tried asking the local (Hungarian) banks about this problem, and tried using an actual human teller, but if not, that would be a good thing to do.
posted by !Jim at 8:22 AM on February 6, 2007

I think muddgirl may be on the right track. My bank put a temporary lock on my card once -- just once, never before and never again -- when I took a business trip to Kansas. The customer service rep told me that they generally do it whenever they notice the card being used outside of the state I live in (which clearly isn't the case, but it does apparently happen from time to time).
posted by treepour at 8:23 AM on February 6, 2007

I know of two problems that can happen with bank cards at foreign ATMs: as !Jim said, make sure you know which account the card will withdraw from (in my case, accessing a US credit union account, the card withdrew from savings, instead of checking as I expected); also, some foreign ATMs expect 6-digit PINs while most American bank cards use a 4-digit PIN. Good luck!
posted by aught at 8:37 AM on February 6, 2007

Thanks for the suggestions - but I have either already tried them or the situation does not apply. The problem seems to be unrelated to the card itself, and more having to do with the network of ATM's?
posted by dirtmonster at 9:11 AM on February 6, 2007

I've heard the opposite, aught, that European ATMs usually require a 4-digit PIN.

Were you trying to get money out at a touristy area? Lots of ATMS are fitted with data harvesting equipment by thieves in order to get your card number and PIN.
posted by look busy at 9:12 AM on February 6, 2007

Can you see your bank balance with the card in the ATM? Is it possible that your magstrip has died? I've had that happen in the past, due to the place where I stored it in my wallet. Oh, wait, no, your SO's card died too. Hrmm, possibly something busted in the link between the EU and US banks on the ATM network? If your bank doesn't even have any record of it, that seems like a likely culprit. They would have a record of it if they had put a block on your card (or they SHOULD) - was your SO trying to withdraw from the same account, or a different one?

Although I should add that I was able to use my Canadian credit card to make a purchase in Ireland today - I don't think the CC purchasing network and the ATM network are linked though. I could try to withdraw some cash from my Canadian chequing account to see if it works, as a test...
posted by antifuse at 9:25 AM on February 6, 2007

Have you tried emailing your bank? (I know often the cards only have the non-intl 800 numbers on the back) I ran into a problem like this in Nepal when my card stopped working. A couple of nervous days before I found out that Wells Fargo was revamping their global network or something meaning that I couldn't access my money. The work-around was to go to a place that did money exchanges, have them run the card as a debit-Visa and then get cash from them.
posted by blueberry at 9:27 AM on February 6, 2007

Sometimes the networks go down, particularly if they have to access international accounts.

Have you tried again today?
posted by winna at 9:27 AM on February 6, 2007

They have no record of your unfailed recent attempts to withdraw money, or no record of any of the times you used your card in the past three weeks?
Because there is a delay in the ATM system of at least a day, and it doesn't show up in the bank's computer right away. This is true even for a debit card of the bank whose machine you used (say "Hungary Bank"'s card in a "Hungary Bank" machine at the account-holder's physical bank location) and I'd assume it would be even longer for a different bank and different country.
But if you've been using it for 3 weeks, they SHOULD be able to see those transactions at least. If not, then maybe that's because they're looking at a different month. Call your bank again, and ask specifically for all withdrawals since the date you left.
posted by easternblot at 9:46 AM on February 6, 2007

I had something similar happen to me when I was in Peru. I was using my credit card (which I had prepaid some money on) at ATMs to get cash when I needed it. The limit on the card was $500 CDN but if I got money out after business hours or on weekends the card only recognized $500 units of whatevercurrency (soles in Peru) and wouldn't let me take money out over this amount. I found this out after a weekend of hard partying / trip to little resort when I needed some extra cash for dinner. Once business hours resumed on the Monday morning all was OK and my card worked fine. I'm wondering if the same thing could be happening to you?
posted by LunaticFringe at 10:13 AM on February 6, 2007

From backwards forwards:

Easternblot: They have no record of the recent, unsuccessful attempts. I have been here for 3 weeks and withdrawn money at least 3 times - all of those transactions show up.

Winna: This is what I was wondering - but surely if 'the networks'go down, there are Americans all over Europe freaking out because they can't get money. Wouldn't there be some kind of noise about that?

Blueberry: Thankfully, my dad has access to the account, and is in the States, so he has been able to talk to the bank. They swear up and down that everything looks good from their end.

Antifuse - That's interesting - I wonder if there would be some way for me to purchase something and get cash back. Of course, I'd have to go to a store where someone spoke English - easier said than done! Hope you're enjoying the fair isle!

Look Busy: I am in one of the regional towns, using an ATM that is connected to the bank lobby (ie pretty secure), so I don't think I'm at risk (famous last words).

Hmm, well it looks like I just need to be patient. I gave it another shot this evening, and no dice. Thankfully there is a fellow mid-westerner at my residency who was willing to lend me some dosh until Western Union comes to the rescue tomorrow. Thanks for your help, folks!
posted by dirtmonster at 10:15 AM on February 6, 2007

Can you see your bank balance with the card in the ATM?

This usually isn't possible in a foreign country. I wasn't able to see a balance at all when I withdrew money in Germany from a single U.S. account, when I withdrew money in the U.S. from a single German account, or at all in Canada, withdrawing from at least three different U.S. accounts.

Because there is a delay in the ATM system of at least a day, and it doesn't show up in the bank's computer right away. This is true even for a debit card of the bank whose machine you used (say "Hungary Bank"'s card in a "Hungary Bank" machine at the account-holder's physical bank location) and I'd assume it would be even longer for a different bank and different country.

This isn't true in the U.S., so I don't see why it's necessarily true elsewhere. I can withdraw from a PNC Bank ATM and have the ATM's address show up immediately in online banking, as long as I don't do it on a Sunday. I have no accounts with PNC.
posted by oaf at 11:19 AM on February 6, 2007

Because there is a delay in the ATM system of at least a day, and it doesn't show up in the bank's computer right away.

Huh? Whenever I use my ATM card, either at a bank machine or as a debit card in a store, the amount of the withdrawal is always reflected in my account by the time I get home. I assume from that that it's near immediate. It's certainly nowhere near a day.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:21 AM on February 6, 2007

I had this problem in Turkey. I called Wells Fargo ahead of time to say I was traveling. My card was on the right system for the machines & everything, yet suddenly on my 3rd week of travel NO atm would give me money. Finally I was able to get 200 lira out ($142), but I owed more than that for my hotel room so I ended up having to figure out a way to get an advance from a credit card through American Express. It was AWFUL. I called the bank, they said that the other requests for funds hadn't even gotten to them.

When I got home I called the bank to yell. I don't want this to ever happen to me again, it makes no sense. They said that there are just problems with withdrawing from an ATM card in some countries. Nobody offered any solution. Next time I'll bring more cash, but that trip was to 7 countries so I didn't want to do that.

Moral of the story... I feel your pain & I'll be following this thread to see if anyone has any good answers.
posted by miss lynnster at 2:21 PM on February 6, 2007

jacquilynne, I remember the day delay from when I worked as a teller at a bank in Holland (until 1998 or 1999) and the ATM network wouldn't communicate to the bank branches until the end of the day. So the money was already out of the account right away, and processed as such, but if you walked into a bank and asked to see your balance, it didn't show up yet.
However, now that I think about it, the people that answer bank helpline phones are probably connected to the network in real time and should be able to see recent transactions. I can't imagine they would only get processed data once a day.
posted by easternblot at 4:18 PM on February 6, 2007