Using Your ATM Card in Paris, France

Case 2: Your ATM Card Does Not Work

You try to get euros from an ATM, and instead of receiving your cash, you receive a "Transaction Rejected" notice. Everyone in front of you received money from the machine, and you wonder "What is wrong with your ATM card"?

First, don't panic. Your ATM card will still work in Paris. The most likely explanation is that the International network needed to verify your account is down, and instead of getting a message of "Try Again Later", you're receiving a catch all "Card Rejected" notice. Going into the bank and asking for euros will not help - the bank uses the same computer system as the ATM to verify your account balances.

Come back in a few hours and try to withdraw cash again or try another machine down the street.

If you can't wait for your euros, try withdrawing cash via your Visa card (if you are setup to do so). Visa uses a different routing system than ATMs and may be able to process your request when the ATM system is down.

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Author: Cheryl Montgomery