www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I have a HSBC online savings account and need to get some dollars out to pay the rent. I have been to 3 ATMs that say you can take out dollars but none of them actually have dollars to pay out. Does anyone know of one that does?

Thanks

I've never taken $$ from the ATM but the HSBC ATM at the east end of Plaza de Cultura offers both $ and Colones. Whether or not there are actually any $ in the machine I don't know.

It wouldn't suprise me if, many things being "muy tico" there, that they are not loading the ATMs with $. In that case try the ATMs at some of the casinos.

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Women are like beers. I've never had one that I didn't like. Just some that I like more than others! --Western

The BAC Bank of San Jose ATM will pay out in dollars, but you may need to use the ATM at one of their banks.

I've gotten US dollars out of the ATM in the Lobby of the Barcelo Palacio hotel numerous times. Not sure which bank owns that ATM though.

Many ATM's in San Jose dispense both dollars and colones. There are times, particularly on weekends and holidays that the machines run out of dollars.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

maybe Monday will bring me better luck.

The later in the day you try the better chance you will have. There are a lot of machines to be serviced and unlike most bank ATM's in the states it seems that the bank machines in CR are serviced by armored car services not by the bank.

Most banks will honor your debit card at a teller window and not charge it as a cash advance.

Good luck

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

The other got some good ideas for where to find a ATM machine, but may I suggest a minor change in how you are handling funds. As no dollars in the ATM may not have been the problem

After some bad experiences in Europe I stopped using debit card to access my money and only use Credit cards ( the ATMs were bank specific for debit cards, but took MC and Visa credit cards ) This meant unless saving acct was at the bank that owed the ATM machine they did not work. ATM heres were like that when the first came out, but for then shifted very fast to be more Universal. --O the good old days of driving around town to find a machine my bank owed at 2 am.--
So a questions is have you tried to use a CC, not debit card to get Dollars?
My credit card is issued by the same Credit union as my savings, so after and a lot of times before, I get on line to the CU and transfer the funds to my credit card, go to ATM and get cash . Never has a problem any where in the world and have not paid a penny interest in 10 years on any thing. Plus with CC I am only on the hook for around 50 bucks if some borrows my card and does not tell me, but a debit card they can get every thing you got until you call the bank, which may be hard from some of the places I been around the world.
You lose a little on the currency exchange charge, but the rate is usually better then I could get at a bank, so that’s almost a wash and I rack up the cost difference as a safety/peace of mind charge, and have anther beer to forget about it

I practice the same system here at home and it’s a habit, so there’s no thinking about it when I am over seas.

Gee Xman, I've never seen a debit card from a bank that was not part of a "network" for ATM use. Maybe it was very early on in the debit card days?

For the past 20 years I have been using a debit card from my little bitty local credit union all over the world and I have never had a problem finding an ATM that will accept it. I've used that card in Europe, UK, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and probably a dozen or so other countries. The credit union DOES belong to a couple of ATM networks so that helps a lot.

I have NEVER used a personal credit card for a cash advance. I hate the associated fees and interest rates. I do use my company issued credit card for cash while out of the country. Since I am on their dime, they fooT the bill.

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Women are like beers. I've never had one that I didn't like. Just some that I like more than others! --Western

I have always been lazy and forgetful when it comes to paying bills on time so I have stayed away from getting credit cards. I guess that now you can set it up to automatically take it out of a savings account so that shouldn't be a problem now. I will have to look into further.

Here in the US it was western Wis, Lacrosse area and around 20 years ago, and I sure it was that solved as soon as they saw how much money there was to be made in ATM use ( cost cutting and fees) Amsterdam, Kiev 3 years ago, Moscow 6 years ago I had problems with a few of the machines I used, others worked fine- I did notice that they had differant logos on the machines that worked and the ones that did not, 5 years ago in Peru the lady I was with who bragged about her Debit card, had problems and we spent a few hours trying different machines around the city we were in, before we found one that take her card ( the city for the Big Lake up in the highlands Lake Ticcakoca?? ) BUT she had no problems in Lima, . So my experience, is what I based my thoughts.
Possible the ATMs use two "lines" oe for CC and one for DC and one's line is down for some reason at time he using the machine? With out knowing the secrets of how they work, the wiring/program design gots to rank up there with the secret to "Coca Cola "
But for security reason I just use the CC now

the few times i've used them the one in del rey has always had dollars.

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I know nothing, nothing!

Try the HSBC ATM in Clinica Biblica, Ave 14 entrance.

PIDD