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ATM Restrictions?

PostPosted: 01 Jul 2016, 19:29
by bill
Hello,

haven't visited Symi for a couple of years and just wondered if any restrictions still exist on the amount of money that can be withdrawn per day by tourists and foreign bank cards?

Thanks for any advice.

Re: ATM Restrictions?

PostPosted: 02 Jul 2016, 07:21
by Andy W
The Greek government has never placed any restrictions on the amount of cash that can be withdrawn by holders of foreign-issued cards. You could always withdraw as much as you wanted, up to the daily limit set by your own card issuer, which would be the same wherever you went in the Eurozone. Indeed there are daily limits on how much you can withdraw in your own country too, designed to prevent card fraud.

There was and still is a restriction on the amount that can be withdrawn by holders of Greek issued cards, though that has eased slightly since the height of the financial crisis. This is now as much to encourage electronic payments, which are traceable by tax inspectors, rather than cash payments, which aren't, as down to any shortage of banknotes.

As is very common, the UK press totally misrepresented what was happening and claimed the sky was falling. Lots of photos of empty cash machines in Athens. Strangely no photos of empty cash machines in the UK, even though it happens every weekend somewhere or other and gets sorted out on Monday.

Re: ATM Restrictions?

PostPosted: 02 Jul 2016, 07:22
by Oor Willie
just came back last week and the only restriction was your card's normal daily limit set by your UK bank

Re: ATM Restrictions?

PostPosted: 02 Jul 2016, 11:25
by STEVE
Came back last Tuesday. No restrictions other than those normally imposed by your own, UK, bank.

Only problem we saw was that Hotels etc. wouldn't exchange sterling in cash for euros at the end of last week because the exchange rate was changing by the minute and they didn't know what it was. There again, anybody who takes a wad of sterling in cash and expects to change it for euros deserves all they don't get!! I understand that this supposed 'issue' was reported in the UK press last week as a major problem. What rubbish, shame on them.

Steve

Re: ATM Restrictions?

PostPosted: 05 Jul 2016, 11:32
by bill
Good news indeed.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.