ATMs in Playa

93Badger · 04-20-2004

My husband and I are leaving Friday for Playa and would like to know about using ATMs in Mexico. Our bank tell us it will not charge us for using our ATM card but there bank owning the ATM in Mexico will. Does anyone know how much the fees are for using an ATM? We've heard you get the best exchange rate using an ATM. Is that true? Any recommendations on using an ATM in Mexcio? Are they scattered all over? We are staying at the RIU Playacar.
Thanks for your help!

tommy · 04-20-2004

try a search.............here is what you find http://playadelcarmeninfo.com/playa-...?searchid=8629

Mave · 04-20-2004

I was charged no fees on either end of the transactions by my bank (actually a Credit Union) or the Mexican banks. I used ATMs owned by Scotiabank and Bank Norte (sp?). ATMs are very easy to find in town. I can't tell you about your resort, but there are some near the ferry pier on 5th Ave, in the grocery stores and many other places. We mostly used the ones at the bank in one end of the Pelicano Mall, 10th ave and Calle 8. It was all in spanish, but the setup was the same as home and we had no problem figuring it out. I have been told that you can get the ATMs to prompt you in English, too, but we didn't figure that option out. It is definitely the best way to get pesos. Don't worry! Have fun!

Mave

Bumper · 04-20-2004

We used the Scotiabank ATM across from the main bus terminal right downtown on 5th. The prompts are in Spanish and in English and everything worked real slick. We were not charged any additional fees by our bank for the withdrawals.

Dave y Stacey · 04-21-2004

There is also one on 10th Ave and 8th Street that doesn't charge a fee. We did however get charged a fee from our bank. Transactions were in English or Spanish and you were able to get pesos or there was an option for USD - which seemed to be unavailable whenever I actually needed USD.

jmac · 04-21-2004

We used our ATM card at the plaza in Playacar (not far from the Rui hotels). We were charged fees by our bank ($5 Cdn) per use. The balances came back in Spanish, I think the process was in both Spanish & English (hubby got the cash, not me). It's great to think you have a ton of cash in your account. Too bad it was in pesos, not our $$$. Hope it helps.

Ellymae · 04-21-2004

I used the ATM in the Playacar Mall and was charged $3.00 dollars for the transaction.

ELECTRA · 04-21-2004

We used the Scotiabank on 5th (across from the bus station). Yes the exchange rate is good. We just got our bank statements back and were charged $5 (Canadian) for EACH transaction. (Guess it depends on who your bank is). If you use the ATM, make your withdrawls count, you don't want to be going back every day.

**Anna** · 04-21-2004

It is always free to use an ATM in a foreign country (at least I have never been charged on any of my travels). It's your own bank that charges you, so that charge obviously varies and you would have to check with them to know how much. Some banks in foreign countries do have a charge if you do a cash withdrawal with your credit card with the teller. However, as far as I know, no banks in Playa offer this service. So, do remember your PIN!!

The Duke · 04-21-2004

I've never been charged for ATM use in PDC. I make it a point to withdraw the max and do it early in the day. This seems to get you smaller bills from the ATM's which makes spending them a lot easier.

1lostmaya · 04-21-2004

I apologize if this has already been discussed but I have not had the opportunity to browse the forum recently. In Playa as elsewhere in the world the are those who will exploit the tendancy of persons to be trusting of others. I relate the tale because it could and can happen to you. In our most recent trip to Playa this March one of the college students who was traveling with us became the victim of an ATM rip off. He is not unsophisticated or immature. As a world class biathlete he is a seasoned world traveler.

While entering a 5th Avenue ATM location he encountered a person who was just leaving the ATM booth. As they passed at the door the stranger dropped some money and needed to pick it up. He urged the young man in and continued to pick up his money and converse with him. As our traveling companion was was looking at the ATM to determine how it worked the stranger pointed out the sign that read "swipe card here" and the card swipe reader below it on the front of the ATM. When our friend swiped his card the stranger offered his further assistance. While saying " no this way". The stranger helped him and took the card and swiped it throught the reader the other way and then inserted it into the card slot on the machine, Said "there you go" and stepped away. Our friend then entered his code and conducted his withdrawal. As he was leaving he noticed that the person was still there and was concerned that he or others may have been watching as he enterd his PIN. As a result he carefully pocketed his money and his card and when he was a block away he felt his uneasy feelings were an overeaction.

The next day when calling home he learned from his family that his Card provider had called concerned about suspicious account activity to learn that his account had been emptied and was in fact overdrawn. How could this happen? When I took him back to the ATM there was of course no longer a swipe reader on the machine. It had been removed along with the information it had captured about his card and he was correct that the stranger or an accomplice had observed him enter his PIN. The stranger promptly took this information to Cancun and completed the unauthorized withdrawals.

The good news, he was reimbursed his losses by his card company. The bad, his embarassment and inconvenience of having to borrow from friends. But the
losses end up being passed on to us all.

Most disturbing in all this was the indifference of local authorities in regards to the impact on tourism that activity of this type would have as I repeatly tried to alert them to the scam that was preying on visiting tourists.

The lesson! BE CAREFUL! TAKE YOUR TIME! DO NOT ACCEPT HELP OR ASSISTANCE FROM STRANGERS! The availability of victims is changing the culture of Playa.

Playa is still a wonderful place but it is not the funky Burg in paradise that it was through the 90's. I now look at la cuenta a little closer and count my pesos more carefully.

1lostmaya

DavidB · 04-22-2004

One of our group in March had their credit card numbers stolen. They used their creditcards mostly at resturants and their hotel. When they got thier bill there was 3 unauthorized charges from Mexico on it. I realize this does happen everywhere. My neighbor used a new buisness credit card once and the numbers were stolen.

bahugi · 04-22-2004

We've been scammed twice - not in Mexico - at home! Still aren't sure just how or where as we are very careful about hiding our PIN when we put it in (even more so now). First time they cleaned out our bank accounts, maxed our credit card and line of credit. Second time we luckily caught it before they got much and had everything frozen. Now we just have one account on the card and it is much safer as they can't access anything else. We got everything back both times but it is embarrassing, a hassle and time consuming. No contact with police however - the bank said they would handle everything and that was the last we heard of it.

Just use common sense and if anyone is hanging around and you feel uncomfortable, leave and come back later. If a shop wants to swipe your card twice, say no and pay with a credit card or cash or just leave.

We've never had any trouble with the ATM's we've used in Playa, nor have we been charged by our home bank for the transactions.

barbj050 · 04-22-2004

there are one or two banks where if you use your atm card and it is from bank of america u.s. you will not get charged ...there was a thread about this not too long ago.....

barbj050 · 04-22-2004

Had originally posted a question but found the info on google. So I'm just passing it along for any other Bank of America customers out there.

Bank of America is part of the global ATM alliance which allows its cutomers to withdraw money from certain ATMs at no charge. In Mexico, these banks are Santander Serfin and Scotia bank. In Playa, a Santander Serfin ATM is on Calle 31 X 28 # 112. A Scotia bank ATM is on 5ta Ave. 101 esq. Benito Juárez

According to BofA, there are NO transaction fees for using these ATMs.

this is the info

04-20-2004	#1 (permalink)
93Badger sandflea Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 3	ATMs in Playa My husband and I are leaving Friday for Playa and would like to know about using ATMs in Mexico. Our bank tell us it will not charge us for using our ATM card but there bank owning the ATM in Mexico will. Does anyone know how much the fees are for using an ATM? We've heard you get the best exchange rate using an ATM. Is that true? Any recommendations on using an ATM in Mexcio? Are they scattered all over? We are staying at the RIU Playacar. Thanks for your help!

04-21-2004	#11 (permalink)
1lostmaya way into it Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Upper Mississippi Backwater Posts: 173	Practice Safe ATM Use I apologize if this has already been discussed but I have not had the opportunity to browse the forum recently. In Playa as elsewhere in the world the are those who will exploit the tendancy of persons to be trusting of others. I relate the tale because it could and can happen to you. In our most recent trip to Playa this March one of the college students who was traveling with us became the victim of an ATM rip off. He is not unsophisticated or immature. As a world class biathlete he is a seasoned world traveler. While entering a 5th Avenue ATM location he encountered a person who was just leaving the ATM booth. As they passed at the door the stranger dropped some money and needed to pick it up. He urged the young man in and continued to pick up his money and converse with him. As our traveling companion was was looking at the ATM to determine how it worked the stranger pointed out the sign that read "swipe card here" and the card swipe reader below it on the front of the ATM. When our friend swiped his card the stranger offered his further assistance. While saying " no this way". The stranger helped him and took the card and swiped it throught the reader the other way and then inserted it into the card slot on the machine, Said "there you go" and stepped away. Our friend then entered his code and conducted his withdrawal. As he was leaving he noticed that the person was still there and was concerned that he or others may have been watching as he enterd his PIN. As a result he carefully pocketed his money and his card and when he was a block away he felt his uneasy feelings were an overeaction. The next day when calling home he learned from his family that his Card provider had called concerned about suspicious account activity to learn that his account had been emptied and was in fact overdrawn. How could this happen? When I took him back to the ATM there was of course no longer a swipe reader on the machine. It had been removed along with the information it had captured about his card and he was correct that the stranger or an accomplice had observed him enter his PIN. The stranger promptly took this information to Cancun and completed the unauthorized withdrawals. The good news, he was reimbursed his losses by his card company. The bad, his embarassment and inconvenience of having to borrow from friends. But the losses end up being passed on to us all. Most disturbing in all this was the indifference of local authorities in regards to the impact on tourism that activity of this type would have as I repeatly tried to alert them to the scam that was preying on visiting tourists. The lesson! BE CAREFUL! TAKE YOUR TIME! DO NOT ACCEPT HELP OR ASSISTANCE FROM STRANGERS! The availability of victims is changing the culture of Playa. Playa is still a wonderful place but it is not the funky Burg in paradise that it was through the 90's. I now look at la cuenta a little closer and count my pesos more carefully. 1lostmaya

04-22-2004	#14 (permalink)
barbj050 añejo Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: puerto vallarta Posts: 1,885	atm there are one or two banks where if you use your atm card and it is from bank of america u.s. you will not get charged ...there was a thread about this not too long ago.....

04-22-2004	#15 (permalink)
barbj050 añejo Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: puerto vallarta Posts: 1,885	bank of america Had originally posted a question but found the info on google. So I'm just passing it along for any other Bank of America customers out there. Bank of America is part of the global ATM alliance which allows its cutomers to withdraw money from certain ATMs at no charge. In Mexico, these banks are Santander Serfin and Scotia bank. In Playa, a Santander Serfin ATM is on Calle 31 X 28 # 112. A Scotia bank ATM is on 5ta Ave. 101 esq. Benito Juárez According to BofA, there are NO transaction fees for using these ATMs. this is the info

04-20-2004	#2 (permalink)
tommy Rastaman Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Austin Tx Posts: 12,845	try a search.............here is what you find http://playadelcarmeninfo.com/playa-...?searchid=8629

04-20-2004	#3 (permalink)
Mave beachaholic Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Iowa Posts: 481	I was charged no fees on either end of the transactions by my bank (actually a Credit Union) or the Mexican banks. I used ATMs owned by Scotiabank and Bank Norte (sp?). ATMs are very easy to find in town. I can't tell you about your resort, but there are some near the ferry pier on 5th Ave, in the grocery stores and many other places. We mostly used the ones at the bank in one end of the Pelicano Mall, 10th ave and Calle 8. It was all in spanish, but the setup was the same as home and we had no problem figuring it out. I have been told that you can get the ATMs to prompt you in English, too, but we didn't figure that option out. It is definitely the best way to get pesos. Don't worry! Have fun! Mave

04-20-2004	#4 (permalink)
Bumper Class Clown Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Winnipeg, Canada Posts: 14,212	We used the Scotiabank ATM across from the main bus terminal right downtown on 5th. The prompts are in Spanish and in English and everything worked real slick. We were not charged any additional fees by our bank for the withdrawals.

04-21-2004	#5 (permalink)
Dave y Stacey beachaholic Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 277	There is also one on 10th Ave and 8th Street that doesn't charge a fee. We did however get charged a fee from our bank. Transactions were in English or Spanish and you were able to get pesos or there was an option for USD - which seemed to be unavailable whenever I actually needed USD.

04-21-2004	#6 (permalink)
jmac reposado Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Manitoba Posts: 1,040	We used our ATM card at the plaza in Playacar (not far from the Rui hotels). We were charged fees by our bank ($5 Cdn) per use. The balances came back in Spanish, I think the process was in both Spanish & English (hubby got the cash, not me). It's great to think you have a ton of cash in your account. Too bad it was in pesos, not our $$$. Hope it helps.

04-21-2004	#7 (permalink)
Ellymae lost on fifth Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: White Rock BC Posts: 14	I used the ATM in the Playacar Mall and was charged $3.00 dollars for the transaction.

04-21-2004	#8 (permalink)
ELECTRA reposado Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA (unfortunately) Posts: 1,080	We used the Scotiabank on 5th (across from the bus station). Yes the exchange rate is good. We just got our bank statements back and were charged $5 (Canadian) for EACH transaction. (Guess it depends on who your bank is). If you use the ATM, make your withdrawls count, you don't want to be going back every day.

04-21-2004	#9 (permalink)
Anna top babe admin Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: after 10 wonderful years in Playa, now back in Sweden Posts: 3,716	It is always free to use an ATM in a foreign country (at least I have never been charged on any of my travels). It's your own bank that charges you, so that charge obviously varies and you would have to check with them to know how much. Some banks in foreign countries do have a charge if you do a cash withdrawal with your credit card with the teller. However, as far as I know, no banks in Playa offer this service. So, do remember your PIN!!

04-21-2004	#10 (permalink)
The Duke way into it Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Crookston, Minnesota Posts: 127	I've never been charged for ATM use in PDC. I make it a point to withdraw the max and do it early in the day. This seems to get you smaller bills from the ATM's which makes spending them a lot easier.

04-22-2004	#12 (permalink)
DavidB añejo Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Mid Mich Posts: 4,250	One of our group in March had their credit card numbers stolen. They used their creditcards mostly at resturants and their hotel. When they got thier bill there was 3 unauthorized charges from Mexico on it. I realize this does happen everywhere. My neighbor used a new buisness credit card once and the numbers were stolen.

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04-22-2004	#13 (permalink)
bahugi very sparkly Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Guelph, ON Canada Posts: 29	We've been scammed twice - not in Mexico - at home! Still aren't sure just how or where as we are very careful about hiding our PIN when we put it in (even more so now). First time they cleaned out our bank accounts, maxed our credit card and line of credit. Second time we luckily caught it before they got much and had everything frozen. Now we just have one account on the card and it is much safer as they can't access anything else. We got everything back both times but it is embarrassing, a hassle and time consuming. No contact with police however - the bank said they would handle everything and that was the last we heard of it. Just use common sense and if anyone is hanging around and you feel uncomfortable, leave and come back later. If a shop wants to swipe your card twice, say no and pay with a credit card or cash or just leave. We've never had any trouble with the ATM's we've used in Playa, nor have we been charged by our home bank for the transactions.