With the amount of ATM’s that are now available in African cities and towns their use is an obvious choice rather than carrying large amounts of USD cash to change at a Bureau. There are however a couple of things to watch out for………………..

On a recent trip through Malawi a friend of mine who shall remain nameless had a run in with an ATM in Mzuzu outside the ShopRite, that almost ended in tears, his. Now we would normally avoid machines that are not attached to a bank (that is open) but as anyone who has been to Malawi knows bank ATM’s can have ques outside them that would even discourage an Englishman. Anyway, I had just used the machine myself and had commented on how slowly the card was taken into the machine and returned at the same pace, so far so good. However, when Hamish tried he apparently did not remove his card in the allotted time and so it proceeded to withdraw it back into the machine. Unfortunately, by the time he realised what was going on the card was already too far into the machine to get a decent grip on. Several beeps later the dreaded words “Card Captured” appeared on the screen followed by a short but very precise outburst from Hamish.

Not to worry I said I’ll just call this emergency contact number on the machine. Now I know what you’re thinking and I must say it was with a large amount of scepticism that I called the said number thinking there was little to no chance of someone answering. But to my surprise someone did and with even greater surprise they arrived at the machine an hour later as promised. A further 10 minutes later we had secured the release of the card and some cash along with the run down on how you need to take both your card and cash as soon as they come out to avoid capture. The length of time you had was not really known but straight away sort of inferred immediately. So well done National Bank of Malawi Northern region ATM response team.

Now,

Ironically the same sort of thing happened to me several weeks later on Zanzibar. Being mindful of the Mzuzu debacle I was paying extra attention to the on screen prompts ready to pounce the second it instructed me to take either my card or cash. My mistake this time was that the screen was telling me to take the cash, which had not appeared, while all along my card had.

Clearly, I did not notice this and my card disappeared back into the depths with the words “Card Captured Please Contact Your Bank” mockingly flashing across the screen. This time however I had listened to my own advice and used a machine attached to a bank that was open, so half an hour later life could continue. Kudos to KCB Zanzibar.

So here are the tips,

Try and always use an ATM that is at a bank which is open.

Take your card as soon as it comes out of the machine and be wary of the on-screen prompts.

If you do have to use a machine outside of banking hours, or one away from a bank then make sure you have a cell phone handy and there is a help line number.

Be mindful local banks charges differ. Example Barclay ‘s Tanzania charge $3 per transaction where FNB and KCB do not charge at all.

There will be a maximum you can withdraw from the machine which is set by the local bank, so you may need to make several withdrawals to get what you need. Hence the transaction charges can make a dent in you budget.

Always cover the key pad when entering your PIN.

If possible have someone else with you.

Avoid using them at night.

If you plan to use debit cards while travelling? Have a backup card just in case your card gets captured and you have to leave town before your card see’s daylight.

And finally, always have some USD cash.

 

If your card does get captured?

Questioning the machines parentage won’t get it back, but it sure feels good.