<p>D is heading to Italy mid June with h.s. tour. Two week trip. We don’t want her carrying too much cash, yet don’t want to worry about our ATM card being lost/stolen. Have heard that AAA will set up a travel account that kids under 18 can access with ATM cards. Is this the best option? We’ve been killed with fees when using ATMs in Europe. Does anyone have a suggestion for a particular bank, or another way to keep her solvent without worries?</p>
<p>Open an online Citibank account. Use Citibank branch/ATM in Rome, Florence, Milan, Turin.</p>
<p>Be careful with credit cards, many cards charge MC/VISA fee and fx fee. Capital One does not charge any fees.</p>
<p>When my daughter was living & traveling abroad while in high school, we set up her bank account and ATM so that I also had access to the account online and could easily transfer money into it. The mechanism we used was to set it up as a joint account. The idea was that we would keep a relatively low balance in the account (no more than $300), and I would watch it and transfer money in to replenish it if it got too low – of course I could ask my d. if I saw any withdrawals that seemed unusually high. </p>
<p>My d. also had a Visa charge card with her, which turned out to be a good thing- because she found there were places where her debit card would not work but the Visa would. Obviously a charge card has its own issues. But the point is that I was monitoring usage. I could communicate easily with my d. by phone, text message or email. </p>
<p>It worked out fine and there were no issues. We bank with Bank of America and I don’t remember any sort of unusual ATM fees – I think there is aways a small fee for using a non-B/A ATM, maybe $1.50 or so, but I don’t remember European fees being any higher than the fees my d. incurs in Manhattan. Anyway, with exchange rates its hard for me to know how much money was “lost” on transaction – but nothing crazy happened. </p>
<p>We’ve kept that joint account because it makes things very easy for college, too, in terms of transferring money.</p>
<p>We went to the branch manager to have checking accounts set up for our kids when they were well under 18. I could transfer money directly into the account and see what was spent and where. It is possible to do and they can have credit cards too ( with what ever limit you want). The credit card will be in the parent’s name but a second card can be for the student.The bank can give you the phone numbers in Italy to call for stolen cards. </p>
<p>If she is going to use a purse or back pack I highly recommend attaching small soft pouches containing her stuff to the inside walls of her purse. I have foiled pick-pocketers and back pack slashers with this technique. They get the purse open but cannot steal stuff that is attached ( without taking the whole bag) and if a pouch in dropped no one can swipe it from the ground. I hope this makes sense. Baggellini brand, designed by airline attendants is good stuff.</p>
<p>Also keep the ATM separate from the credit card, and keep small amounts of cash in a variety of places ---- she can’t loose everything at once. Travel wallets the go around the waist or neck can be helpful for passports and bigger amounts of cash.</p>
<p>No fees are charged in stores when you get extra cash. So you can buy a drink and get cash back. </p>
<p>So there’s a few ideas—</p>
<p>Our Bank of America charges $5 for most foreign ATM uses :-(</p>
<p>DD has gone to France the last 2 summers (& is headed back this summer, as well). Due to her hectic day/night schedule (she’s a Pilgrim Helper at Lourdes), it was clear Traveler’s Checks wouldn’t work – hard to get to a bank when it was open, plus her passport was locked in the hotel safe, etc. I discovered the AAA Money Card – it works as a debit card at ATM’s or in stores. I loaded $$ on it and it has been a perfect solution. She also uses the card throughout the year to buy gasoline, or to have emergency funds. I can check the balance online, and reload it up to 3 times.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions. We always give D our ATM with no fear, but we were warned by the Italian teacher about pick pockets being a problem.</p>
<p>StickerShock, thanks for asking the question, as my daughter is also going to Italy and I wanted to know the same thing.</p>
<p>Another note of caution – on our Caribbean spring vacation, I charged our hotel to my credit card, and was not too pleased to learn that the card charges a 3% fee on all foreign transactions – and this was for a charge in US dollars! Watch out for that one!</p>
<p>The teachers probably will not want the kids going to the ATM very often. (It just takes too long.) My guess is they’ll give you exact instructions. They’ll probably let the kids get some cash at the airport and that’s about it.</p>
<p>Since she will be with adults, give her an ATM card to carry. Don’t restrict it to one bank or service. You want her to have access to cash mostly in the event of an emergency. She won’t be using it often enough to worry too much about fees.</p>
<p>You do need to talk to her about pick pockets etc. Even in a group, kids on the fringe can be a victim. I would buy her a money belt (maybe the kind that goes around her neck) and make sure she carries her money and passport in it. Talk to her about things like not flashing cash when she’s paying for something, checking her change, not talking to strangers, not handing her camera to a stranger…you know, the basics!</p>
<p>She really shouldn’t need much money - aren’t meals included?</p>
<p>Oh - and call your bank and make sure they know that ATM card will be used overseas!</p>
<p>Also:</p>
<p><a href=“Rick Steves Europe: Site error”>http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=124&id=157</a></p>
<p><a href=“Rick Steves Europe: Site error”>http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=124&id=32</a></p>
<p>(I like the belt a lot.)</p>
<p>The teacher said that at lest $50 a day is needed, because lunch and drinks are not included & some towns do not have safe drinking water. The girls are given about two hours each day to handle their own lunch, bathroom trips, and ATM needs.</p>
<p>If they’re wandering around alone, all the more reason to make sure she buys and wears a money belt…</p>
<p>Not that I think they are unsafe doing that, but I think they just need to be smart.</p>
<p>StickerShock:</p>
<p>Another idea. If you have an old Visa or MasterCard account that you don’t use very often you can get a card with her name on it. (The idea is if she loses it it’s painless to cancel it.) Or, maybe open an account for that. </p>
<p>We did this when our kids starting traveling around, and I like the fact that they aren’t carrying so much cash and they have resources in case of emergency.</p>
<p>Yes, a money belt or somehing along that line is a good plan. The trip is well chapereoned, but I’m sure girls will be allowed to grab a bite & shop a bit in between the touring/academic schedule.</p>
<p>Sticker - </p>
<p>Make sure the part about not talking with strangers. I ADORE Italy, but there are more con jobs there than I’ve seen other places in Europe. Just so she knows.</p>
<p>Sounds like a great trip. She’s going to love it. I’m jealous.</p>
<p>Also, I’ve never heard anyplace in Italy where the water is bad. Of course they’d much prefer to sell you a 4€ bottle of water… The water coming right out of the street fountains in Rome is wonderful. (They are all over the place too.) It’s so hot there - have her bring a Nalgene bottle and she can keep filling it up – saves lots of $$$.</p>
<p>Weenie, Thanks for the advice. The teacher running the trip warned us parents that for some reason, level headed girls who have incredible street smarts at home can be completly fooled when traveling in a foreign country. The girls were also warned about dressing modestly, as a large group of beautiful teens will attract more attention than they need!</p>
<p>Probably no matter how they dress, teen girls will get a lot of attention throughout Italy. :D</p>
<p>But seriously, they do not want to pay any attention to pan handlers (a stern “no”), kids begging for money, anybody who “needs help” or volunteers to take their picture or tries to sell them anything on the street, and they should not plunk their purses down on tables or on the back of chairs - even if they are sitting right there.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that stuff to scare you - but just so they know how to handle things.</p>
<p>Many of my DS friends just used the AAA visa card on a recent trip to Italy. No problems whatsoever. </p>
<p>FROM THE AAA Website:
Flexibility: The Visa® TravelMoney card is a PIN-based card that is accepted at any Visa debit location and at any Visa ATM worldwide.<br>
Total Convenience: Simply preload and activate your card before you go. Use it to make purchases or to withdraw cash at any Visa ATM. And, it’s small enough to slip into your pocket - making it really convenient when you want to travel light.<br>
Easy to Budget: Load as little as US $250 and as much as $9,999. If you run out of funds while traveling, reload your card at any participating AAA office or call toll-free 1-866-339-3378.<br>
Peace of Mind: If you lose your card, or it is stolen, your card is PIN protected - no one can access your funds without your PIN. As an added safeguard, take an additional card for your partner or to keep in the hotel safe. The second card accesses the same funds with a different PIN. You will also receive “Zero Liability Protection” if fraudulent purchase transactions are made with your card. Phone number(USA): 1-866-866-8140 or Elsewhere: +44 1733 457679(collect calls accepted).<br>
AAA Global Advantage: Your Visa TravelMoney Card comes with AAA Global Advantage - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week assistance if you lose your Visa TravelMoney Card, credit cards, or even your passport. Wherever you are in the world, AAA Global Advantage will arrange for emergency funds, cancel your cards, and begin the process to replace your passport.</p>
<p>Italy is very different. I would advise cash, even though it is not safe, for the following reasons:
- easy access all the time, you don’t have to look for banks and nobody at the bank will tell you “no, we can’t do it”
- no additional charges
*simply put no headaches. When I last went to Florence, my girlfriend had a City Bank account and also had been told that it will be easy, no fee transaction. Turned out no to be so. First of all a City Bank that would give her money was not easy to find (not all of them would do it, in Florence there was only one (!!!) that would engage in such a transaction), second od all she had to pay some fees on top of the echange rate.</p>
<p>I always carry cash. Small change in my front pocket (never in a purse, never!), larger bills on my body - I have this tiny money belt that keeps the bills on my lower abdomen). And use your regular credit card if in money crunch.</p>