Cash Flow

Most ATMs outside of North America do not have letters printed on the numeric keypad. This makes sense, since the local alphabet is usually not English. The sequence of the keys may even be reversed, following the pattern on the computer keyboard (the number 1 in the bottom left corner), rather than the telephone (starting from the top left).

I first learned this long ago, the hard way, in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, while trying to get some krónur (ISK) to buy lunch. It took a hurriedly drawn diagram on a scrap of paper before I could enter my PIN. However, that won't help if you've forgotten/never chosen a PIN for your Eurocard (Mastercard) kontokort in Sweden, where a PIN is sometimes required for transactions.

The second tip I learned about foreign currency is not to withdraw a round number, but an amount like €180, or 990 HUF, so that you always get some small bills. A very accommodating shopkeeper in Old Town Prague once allowed me to buy some fruit and water with a 2000 koruna (CZK) note.

When the credit card bills come in after a vacation, I'm glad that I followed and then forgot about a third tip, to conceal a €50 note separate from the rest of your valuables, like deep in the pages of a guide book. It's as good as finding an $80 bill in the pocket of an old coat. Just the extra incentive to do some more tidying up.