cheapest Koruna

June 1, 2008 8:21 PM

Best US bank for cheap atm withdrawals in Prague.

I am going to be in Prague for 6 weeks and have heard the best way to get money is just to use atm machines. I currently have a Bank of America account and a Chevy Chase Bank account, but I wondered if there is some other bank will save me enough in atm fees that it is worth opening another account.

posted by vegetableagony to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

Don't know how widespread HSBC is in Prague (they do list a Prague branch) but you could try them if you have one local to you here.
posted by wangarific at 8:28 PM on June 1, 2008

I was just in Prague a couple of weeks ago. There is a Citi branch office not far from Wenceslas Square. I was there to exchange currency, so I did not notice whether they had an ATM, but I'd be very surprised if it didn't.

Unfortunately, I don't recall the address, but maybe the list of CitiBank ATMs in Prague will help. Maybe also the expat's guide will be helpful too.
posted by tomwheeler at 8:53 PM on June 1, 2008

Join a bank that refunds all ATM fees. My bank does this-- City National Bank of Taylor Texas.
posted by jcruelty at 11:07 PM on June 1, 2008

USAA also refunds all ATM fees worldwide. If you qualify for a membership, it's a kick-ass bank.
posted by Stewriffic at 3:14 AM on June 2, 2008

If you're in Chevy Chase Bank's footprint, you may have PNC nearby as well. They have an ATM fee-free account or accounts, but may require minimum balances.
posted by ersatzkat at 3:35 AM on June 2, 2008

I had an account through State Farm's bank a couple of years ago when I went traveling, and I'm pretty sure there were no ATM fees for them.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 6:29 AM on June 2, 2008

Personally, I went with Capital One, as they also have a great no-fee policy to foreign credit card use, and practically no minimum for the account.

The Flyerguide wiki has a good article on the different policies and fees for foreign ATM and credit card use.
posted by dragoon at 8:57 AM on June 2, 2008

Surprisingly, I've found my small local bank to be the most efficient.

I got an HSBC ATM card because I saw a lot of HSBC ATMs overseas. But I don't actually use it, because they charge a 3% fee on international withdrawals, silently included in the transactions. If you didn't look at the fine print, you would never know there was a fee. OTOH, my local bank charges a 1% fee, and lists it out as a fee. Much better.

(OTOH, it is useful to have a 2nd ATM card, if your plan is to rely on the ATM card for cash.)
posted by smackfu at 6:17 AM on June 3, 2008

Thanks everyone. The flyerguide wiki has an extensive list of options. I decided to go with Schwab which should give me free atm withdrawals.
posted by vegetableagony at 3:51 PM on June 8, 2008