Tim wrote on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:34:30 +0200:

ask before sending e-mail wrote:

my credit union is charging me 1/3 of what my commercial
bank is charging for conversion fees, so i think i am
settled on that ATM card. however, it's on the ``Cirrus''
and ``Accel/Exchange'' networks (as evidenced by the logos
on back). an informal survey seems to suggest that those
networks are less popular (here in the U.S. at least) as the
``Plus'' and ``Star'' networks.

Cirrus is the only name mentioned I recognise, do your cards
have pin codes in chips on the card, euro cards do
now. mastercard, maestro, visa, link and cirrus are the logos
on my UK cards

For Germany and Austria you might want one that says "Maestro"
somewhere on it.

This is interesting! I don't believe my regular US ATM card has any
embedded chip for a PIN code. I certainly have to type it in at the
machine. I can get other ATM cards, like at my credit union, and some
have lower foreign exchange fees. Do people know of US banks issuing
cards with embedded chips? Another question could be how to search for
such cards on the Web?

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not