What happens when an ATM in a country you're travelling through eats your card?
So you're travelling in some exotic land far from home.
You go to withdraw money from a local ATM so you can have some local currency.
But the ATM swallows your card! If you're lucky you might get a useful reason displayed on the screen, but it usually involved contacting your bank far, far away.
Now assume it's not an ATM installed at an actual bank.
What normally happens under such circumstances? Can you get your card back from the ATM or must you get a new one issued from back home? If you can get it back, how long would that normally take?
Now there could be complications:
You can't stick around in this town and you can't contact your bank at home immediately due to time differences with home, being a weekend or public holiday, need to catch a flight, or as it was in my case, I had to cross the border or I would be breaking the terms of my visa.
Please don't submit answers on how to get money wired etc. For this question I want to focus on getting the same card or a new card.
Best Answer
One thing you should be aware of is not all cases of an ATM eating your card are merely accidental equipment failure. There is actually a variety of ATM skimmer that prevents the ATM from properly ejecting your card, allowing the thief to come along after you have left, and steal your card:
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/11/beware-card-and-cash-trapping-at-the-atm/
Many security-savvy readers of this blog have learned to be vigilant against ATM card skimmers and hidden devices that can record you entering your PIN at the cash machine. But experts say an increasing form of ATM fraud involves the use of simple devices capable of snatching cash and ATM cards from unsuspected users.
Security experts with the European ATM Security Team (EAST) say five countries in the region this year have reported card trapping incidents. Such attacks involve devices that fit over the card acceptance slot and include a razor-edged spring trap that prevents the customer’s card from being ejected from the ATM when the transaction is completed.
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What happens if I use my debit card in another country?
When you use your debit card for a purchase in another country, you pay for the item in that country's currency. However, the charge that shows up on your statement will be in U.S. dollars. If the store asks you if you would like to pay in U.S. dollars on your debit card, decline.What happens when ATM eats your cash?
If an ATM eats your deposit, you should contact your bank immediately, says Kristopher Dahl, a spokesman for Wells Fargo. That will spur an examination of the incident.Why did the ATM swallow my card?
The most common reasons a cash machine keeps your card are: you entered your PIN incorrectly more than 3 times. your card has been blocked. there's a problem with the cash machine.Should you take your debit card when traveling?
If you're afraid of overspending, stick to the debit card. If you're afraid of fraud, use a credit card. (The credit card won't prevent fraud, but it does prevent your bank account from being accessed in case of fraud.)How ATM Can (AND WILL) Trick You When Traveling
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Answer 2
If the ATM is in a bank agency and it's working hours you can go inside and ask them to give you the card back.
It's not 100% guaranteed that they will give it back. Each bank has its own policies.
Most likely they will identify you (you probably have to give them an ID or Passport), they will make a copy of the ID/Passport and they will return the card.
In case they don't give the card back or there is no one you can ask the card to, it will most likely be sent back to your agency.
Most unlikely but possible, the card can be destroyed for safety reasons.
If you can't recover it from the machine I would definitely ask a new one to your bank, and ask it with urgency status. Many banks have this option, sometime you have to pay an extra for the urgency status.
Answer 3
I don't know if it's true for all banks, but I think that you cannot do anything. The owner of the ATM will send your card to your bank.
That happend once to a friend of mine in Germany. Both banks were part of the Unicredit group, however the German office refuse to give the card back and told us they will send it to Unicredit bank in Bulgaria and we should contact them to get a new card.
Answer 4
I realize this doesn't speak directly to your question, but when you travel - don't use your own bank cards - use something like Travel Cash. In the event that your travelcash card is eaten by an ATM, stolen or lost you can be sure there'll be a branch locally & you'll get a replacement immediately.
This also avoids leaking info regarding your own real (everyday) accounts - in a world rife with ATM fraud, it's worth it.
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