![]() They also sent a new card to Val Bromann in Honduras and to a friend of Talon Windwalker in Canada who was on his way to visit him in Mexico. Charles Schwab sent a replacement card to Kate McCulley in Spain ( albeit after she had to send them 7 faxes asking them to do so) and to Ryan Rubi in Belize. Petersburg bank, I would have had to wait until a replacement card was sent to my parents’ home in Minnesota so my parents could send it on to me in Russia ( which, as it turns out, wouldn’t have been possible because Russia prohibits the import of credit and debit cards). As it turns out, they would only send a new card to my mailing address on record in the United States – if I hadn’t gotten my card back from the St. Petersburg, Russia, I reached out to Capital One about getting a replacement card sent to me in case I couldn’t retrieve it from the bank. When I initially lost my debit card to an ATM in St. See the blue Cirrus logo on the right? That’s what I had to look for on every ATM I wanted to use.Ĭapital One won’t send replacement cards overseas. In several cities ( particularly in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan), I just gave in and used my backup card ( a Visa issued by US Bank), incurring both ATM fees and currency transaction fees. Many ATMs didn’t have any logos displayed on them, so I had no idea whether the card would be accepted or not – if it was a machine where I actually had to insert my card all the way, I usually didn’t want to risk having it confiscated again. ![]() I sometimes had to try as many as 8 or 9 banks before finding an ATM that would accept my card. How was I supposed to know that when my card did not have a Cirrus logo on it?Īs it turns out, Cirrus-compatible machines are few and far between – at least in the regions where I was traveling ( Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia). She advised me only to use the card in machines with that logo. Petersburg and Krasnoyarsk), a Capital One representative informed me that my debit card was part of the Cirrus network, meaning it would only work in ATMs that were also part of the Cirrus network. My Capital One debit card has a Mastercard logo on it, so it should work in any ATM sporting a Mastercard logo, right?Īfter my card was rejected by several ATMs in Russia ( and actually confiscated by machines in St. My debit card wouldn’t work in a third of the ATMs overseas. Indeed, I’m in the process of switching banks before I head overseas again. Capital One really isn’t all that great for travelers. Unfortunately, just over a month into my trip, I realized I had made a mistake. ![]() Several travelers recommended Capital One, so I dove right in, opening checking, savings and credit card accounts more than a year before I was set to leave. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Emailīefore leaving on my career break trip, I researched good banks for international travelers – banks that would refund out of network ATM fees and that wouldn’t charge foreign currency transaction fees.
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