ATM's - Ship or Harvest Cay

[carlp]

I'm going to want to withdraw cash using my debit card from a ATM

while on the Getaway. can someone give me any info -on the ship, what's the limit you can withdraw and

the fee's. also are there ATM's on Harvest Cay - again, limits and fees and I would assume you get

US dollars - -how about in Cozumel?

[VideoTech]

There is an ATM on every ship, usually  in the casino. The fee charged is fairly steep if I remember correctly - I think it was around $5 or $6 per withdrawal. Then you also have any fees that your bank would charge, if they do.

 

As far as I know, there's no limit on the amount you can withdraw, other than any limits imposed by your bank.

 

And yes, you get U.S. dollars.

 

You can also get money through the casino, with a service charge of 3% of the amount requested. Of course, they'd like you to use it to gamble. The advance shows up as a room charge on your shipboard account.  

[BirdTravels]

21 hours ago, carlp said:

I'm going to want to withdraw cash using my debit card from a ATM

while on the Getaway. can someone give me any info -on the ship, what's the limit you can withdraw and

the fee's. also are there ATM's on Harvest Cay - again, limits and fees and I would assume you get

US dollars - -how about in Cozumel?

Withdrawing cash from a ATM on the ship will cost you $5.99 from the ATM and whatever your bank charges you. You get US Dollars. You are limited by your bank, not the ATM.

 

No ATMs on Harvest Cay. For most places on Harvest Cay, you need a credit card or cash (including beverage service on the beach). 

 

Never tried an ATM in Cozumel. Still limited by your bank. Likely also get an ATM fee, an international withdrawal fee from the your bank for the foreign transaction, your normal bank ATM fee. And get Pesos. 

 

[VideoTech]

If you feel you're going to need to use an ATM in another country, I suggest checking on using your credit card instead of your debit card int the ATM. While this transaction becomes a cash advance on your credit card, a lot of credit cards do not charge foreign transaction fees. Of course, you may end up paying a cash advance fee to the CC company, so if your card does also charge a foreign transaction fee, you would not want to do that. 

 

But in the end, I wouldn't even bother with getting cash in any port. Your CC is likely accepted everywhere, and provides protections for you that cash or an ATM card will not. If you use local cash (or even U.S. dollars) in any port, you may get your change back in the local currency. If that happens, be aware that most banks and exchange booths will not accept foreign coinage to convert back to U.S. dollars. Just paper bills. 

[Nola26]

I would suggest using the ATM in the casino for cash withdrawals if you are getting at least $200. At a 3% charge for an advance that's the break even point for onboarding fees. My bank charges $2 for a non network ATM so my break even would be $270 total with my bank card. 

 

I would not use a local ATM in the Caribbean as US dollars or credit cards are accepted. I have used them in Europe or Japan when I have needed local cash. I have one card that doesn't charge ATM usage fees and I have used that abroad.

[kochleffel]

If there is a chance that you'll want to make an ATM withdrawal outside the U.S., look into opening an account with a bank (online) that doesn't charge foreign ATM fees. Keep in mind that you'll receive local currency, not USD (however, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos, and Bonaire use the U.S. dollar as their official currency).

 

I have such an account with Capital One and it's worked out very well for me. In the U.S., there is no service charge for withdrawals from ATMs in Walgreens and Rite Aid stores, perhaps also some others.

Edited December 20, 2018 by kochleffel

[Nola26]

Again since you're sailing the Caribbean cash onboard  or credit card for purchases. 

 

My bank debit is part of SUM and the Allpoint ATMs at CVS, Walgreens, Dunkin Donuts, Target, Costco, and other places are free for me too. But outside of that network I pay a fee. My brokerage(Merrill Lynch/BoA, Fidelity, etc) card has no ATM fees at all so that's what I have used in Europe and Asia when I need a small amount of local currency (snacks, water, train ticket, etc).