Does Banelco work with foreign cards?

[BrownOlive]

Recently I have not been using BANELCO for cash but from time to time it happens the need comes up. Also just last week I could not use my card on different days...The machine recognized it was a foreign VISA Plus card but each time on three different days the message appeared each saying: ask for less! Starting at 12,000 and then when going lower a good and low enough number did not appear. Thinking it could be that my card is worn out I tried my foreign based Visa card. Again recognition but no cash came out. Credit card is active and works for other things as does my bank card. I am not blocked by foreing bank.

So is there some restriction on accessing pesos with Banelco that has come into place recently? Where I am I have only one place in town to check this so I ask the community as my opening question to you all.

 

[Irelander]

Have you tried at the ATM of a different bank? The fact that it's asking you for less may have to do with the limits set by each bank. For example, 'm a BBVA customer here, and I can withdraw up to 25k from a BBVA ATM, but if I go to my nearest machine, which is Banco Galicia (also Banelco) it only lets me take out 6K.

 

[BrownOlive]

I know about individual bank limits and I had 7K recently and that was enough for my petty cash purposes. This town has only a Banelco at the Santander, not my local bank. I can try at Banco de la Nacion and Banco Provincia... not cooked yet. Because I could not get money suddenly it made me think that there might be some policy change that I had missed. I will keep investigating. Thanks.

 

[Rich One]

So what is the current limit.? maybe some banks ATMs don't have the needed bills combination of larger denominations.? it used to be that the ATM can deliver 40 bills per extraction ?.

 

[lunar]

The machine recognized it was a foreign VISA Plus card but ...

You are probably the only person in the city who withdraws pesos from a foreign ATM card enjoying official exchange rate. Why don't you send yourself a Western Union transfer from the same card?

 

[BrownOlive]

I do the Western Union transfer but occasionally a need comes up. The individual bank too could be the problem. So far it seems there is no perception that the service has died.

 

[sts7049]

maybe it's just that that particular ATM was out of cash?

 

[dsp27]

When I last used my US ATM card to take money out in December 2019, there was a daily limit of 8.000 pesos per day. This limit is for the entire BANELCO system. So if you take 8.000 you have to wait till next day. Nothing you can do. Not sure if they have increased the daily limit since then. One would assume but who knows. But there definitely is a daily limit.

Alternatively, if the ATM is asking you to pick a smaller amount it may mean the ATM does not have enough backnotes. Very common in AR esp on weekends and nights.

 

[Irelander]

Not sure if they have increased the daily limit since then. One would assume but who knows. But there definitely is a daily limit.

For BBVA account holders, the limit the last time I looked was 25k (but only from a BBVA ATM); this is the minimum amount you can take out from the counter - if you ask for less they tell you they're not allowed: you have to use the ATM.

 

[FrankPintor]

Recently I have not been using BANELCO for cash but from time to time it happens the need comes up. Also just last week I could not use my card on different days...The machine recognized it was a foreign VISA Plus card but each time on three different days the message appeared each saying: ask for less! Starting at 12,000 and then when going lower a good and low enough number did not appear. Thinking it could be that my card is worn out I tried my foreign based Visa card. Again recognition but no cash came out. Credit card is active and works for other things as does my bank card. I am not blocked by foreing bank.

So is there some restriction on accessing pesos with Banelco that has come into place recently? Where I am I have only one place in town to check this so I ask the community as my opening question to you all.

I'm in the same boat as you, I fortunately haven't had to use my card recently in an ATM here, but the need could come up. I'm sure your card is fine. I would try to use Link, if that's an option, the fees are lower.

But anyway: I've also had the problem with the amount, if you ask for too much initially, and go lower as the ATM suggests, it will never work. I've complained about it to zero effect. Try with say 4000 pesos (yes, I know, the fees will kill you) and then go higher. At Link ATMs I used to be able to get 6000 pesos in one go. Banelco wanted to give max 4000 pesos and charge 10% of that in fees. That was a while back, of course. In any case, the ATM should be able to dispense 40 banknotes to you, and the hopper will be filled with 500-peso notes at a minimum.

There were also certain ATMs, of the same bank (Banco Ciudad) as other ATMs I successfully used, that would never, ever, give me any dosh. I also remember that Banco Ciudad at one location I used "upgraded" their 2 ATMs, one worked for me, the other not. Banco de la Nacion also uses Link, and has never ever wanted to give me money. It also waited about a minute to give me my card back. YMMV. AWA.