Samir over at View from Fes has a very timely and important post up about using ATMs in Morocco.
He reports the story of a visitor from the UAE whose card was “eaten” by an ATM-
When the 25-year-old tried an ATM for the first time in Morocco, the machine rejected her card and told her to contact her bank. When she tried an ATM at a second bank her card was retained.
She said when she initially contacted Emirates Bank, she was told their system was down and she should call back later.
“I said: ‘I’m overseas, I’m cashless. Can you call me back?’ But they replied that they didn’t do international calls,” she said.
She said she was eventually told there had been an “operational error” that had affected several people.
The bank said she could get a replacement card by faxing written authorisation for a friend to collect the new card in the UAE before sending it to Morocco.
However, by the time the replacement card would have arrived in Morocco, she would have left the country.
I had the exact same thing happen to me at an ATM in Rabat, just down the street from my house.
Unlike the woman mentioned in Samir’s story, though, I knew darn well where my card was and how to get it back. I marched straight into that bank the following morning – by the way, never use an ATM on a holiday or a weekend – and demanded that my card be returned immediately. I provided my passport as identification, signed a release, and my card was in my hand ten minutes later. I was able to use it at a Banque Populaire the same afternoon with no problems.
The offending bank was not able to explain why my card had been retained.
There’s no moral to this story, only a few lessons learned.
1. Never use an ATM at a bank that’s not open.
2. Have a “buffer” bank account. By that, I mean have a second checking or savings account for use overseas, not tied to your main account by overdraft protection or anything similar. When you need money, transfer funds into it from your main account. That way, if your debt card or account number is compromised, there is minimal damage, and you can cancel the account without completely inconveniencing yourself.
3. Don’t waste your time trying to be friendly when the situation involves your money. Be polite but firm.