They are essential but are gradually disappearing. ATMs are becoming increasingly rare in the territory, yet the French continue to use cash. If the bank card is becoming more and more important in transactions, especially since the arrival of contactless payment, die-hards continue to favor banknotes and coins for some of their purchases.
For your daily life needs, you are used to withdrawing money from the nearest ATM, but do you know the difference between a withdrawal card and a bank card?
Some rules do not change, whether you have a debit card or a bank card in your wallet:
These rules are valid if you withdraw cash in France, but they differ abroad. As the Public Service website explains, withdrawals can be limited to a certain amount daily or weekly in many countries. Here they are :
Your bank card may be swallowed by the ATM after your withdrawal. Sometimes it disappears during the operation (the machine does not give it back to you) or even before you have had time to type in your confidential code. Sometimes it’s your fault, other times not at all! Why is this happening to you? How can you recover your bank card when it has been swallowed? All the answers below.
