Passage Two

The handy ATM/debit card you’ve packed for your big overseas vacation may be packed with fees. Many banks charge fees whenever a customer uses an ATM/debit card outside the United States. Debit cards, such as the Visa Check Card and Card Money, are linked to a cardholder’s checking account and can be used for purchases and to withdraw money from overseas ATMs. Foreign-fee double whammy. Most banks zap customers with USD1.50 to USD5 fees for using overseas ATMs. And now some major banks are charging customers 2-percent fees for each debit card purchase made while traveling abroad. These new fees come on top of 1 percent fees long charged by Visa and Card for transactions involving foreign currency. "If your bank is adding 2 percent it’s simply because they see it as a way of getting extra money out of you," says Ed Perkins, a nationally syndicated travel columnist and consumer advocate. "By the time your bank gets the charge it’s already in dollars. " When you make a purchase with a credit card or debit card, you pay an overseas merchant in local currency. But the charge that shows up on your credit card bill or bank statement is in US dollars.

When you’re paying for your meal in Swiss francs, your bank statement will list the cost of your dinner in US dollars.