Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Does anyone know if any of the banks will accept this card to give cash. My friends are here and whilst they can pay for food/car hire etc with the card, they are having trouble accessing actual cash from machines. Any thoughts anyone?

You can use the Nationwide card to withdraw sterling from any ATM that dispenses sterling - and you can do that at no cost to the card holder as well because Nationwide treat TRNC as being in the EU. Then just change your sterling into Lira and bobs your uncle!!!! HSBC ATM's have sterling, the bank next to where Mr Pound used to be has sterling and the ATM (The green one) across the road from the money changer in Karakum also has sterling.

Never tried the banks but if they did - they would charge for it!!!

I frequently use my Nationwide card to withdraw sterling at the banks previously mentioned and TL fro Turk Bank cash machine with no problems whatsoever.
Good luck

Sorry I should have said that I withdraw cash sterling from the bank machines mentioned previously and TL from the Turk Bank cash machine.

Thanks so much folks. My friends say they have tried to withdraw cash but unable to do so. Perhaps they are using wrong banks or there is a problem with their cards. Either way, I will let them know.

If your friends have Nationwide flex account there is no charge for sterling at HSBC, TEB and GERANTI cash machines.

I have a nationwide cash card, its not a flex account card and although I can use it in shops, etc I can't withdrawl cash from any of the machines here.
I used to be able to but it all changed a couple of years back.
So maybe your friends have same card as me?

I second what Mavis has said. You need to make sure that the Nationwide debit card that you have is a proper Visa Debit Card and not just a cash card. The cash cards can only be used for withdrawing cash from UK ATMs.

Cash cards can be used Worldwide for over the counter withdrawals but not at ATM's as Agobard has stated.

Also it's becoming the norm now to inform your bank you are travelling abroad due to fraud. If your spending pattern shows to be different they may stop the card. Nationwide has the facilities on line to inform them. I got caught out in Poland in a department store because I didn't inform them and it would not let me make the purchases, frustrating and embarrassing. Learnt my lesson from that.