Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Large Hadron Collider]

Well, I think the title of this thread says it all really.

I'm down to my last 5,000 won and I can't draw any cash out of any of the ATMs I've tried. I thought the HSBC company was the world's local bank. How terribly ironic that I'm in a city with a population of about 16 million people and the only other country I've ever had difficulty with using my debit card is Laos!!!!

Please offer me some advice with alacrity or otherwise I could well lose a stone in weight over the weekend as a result of malnourishment. Please feel free to mock me for the predicament I am in as long as you can sweeten the pill with some sage advice as to how I can get some cash.

LHC

[Css]

Find yourself a citibank..

SC banks are usually ok..

KB banks in a semi busy location will have a global ATM..

[Xuanzang]

Try the HSBC bank machine in Namdaemun lol. or any global ATM machine especially found in Myeongdong

[Large Hadron Collider]

thanks guys. hopefully one of those options will work. and i walked into a glass door today and gave myself a bloody nose. Mr Bean is alive and well in Seoul!!

[Mr-Dokdo]

If your card is from a different country and you did not tell HSBC that you were travelling, they will block the card after a few withdrawals. This is to prevent fraud. Call the HSBC international number in your home country, and they will immediately sort it out.

[seoulteacher]

1
Try the ATMs of different banks, including KEB's.
At least one ATM, of the cluster of ATMs that KEB has, usually has a sign that states that it accepts foreign cards. I used one today - the ATM inside the Burger King in Itaewon, Seoul - to withdraw from an a/c in Canada, using a debit card.

2
If no luck, perhaps going in to a bank for assistance might help? I believe that there are a couple of banks that still open on Saturdays in Seoul (perhaps in Dongdaemun, or Itaewon)? You could do a web search, and this website has some general, and hopefully not outdated, info:
http://www.yattit.com/travel-tip/5534-Fast-Facts-Seoul-South-Korea
including this bit of advice:
"If you have any trouble using an ATM/CD, call the Korea Travel Phone at tel. 02-1330 for assistance in English."
(If you're in the 031 area code, dial 031-1330, and similarly for other area codes). I've found this to be an excellent service for all sorts of info, and I keep the no. in mind.

3
Or perhaps the problem is the card itself? (eg. its magnetic strip may be damaged). You may want to call HSBC here or back at home. I'd imagine that a web search would turn up those contact details.

(Or is this all a big send up? Your posts do seem to have more than a hint of the dramatic to them. But my empathizing has won out over any doubts: I'd not want to be overseas, with only won 5,000 in hand, and unable to access funds at home. Good luck!).

[Gatsby]

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=144837&highlight=

[maingman]

kb !

Lee, yong Min and others were cool

[email protected]
02 735 4674

[Davew125]

i had exactly the same problem when i first got here. It took me a month or so to find this out but you can actually use most cash machines in 7/11s and Family Marts etc.

select 'foreign card/english'

swipe your card

select the 'Master card' or 'Cirrus' option

and then carry on as normal

it'll charge you a fee of around �2 per transaction


hope this helps

[Large Hadron Collider]

I decided to go to Itaewon today as I knew that I would be able to access money there. I panicked a little because I had drunk a little soju. Yes I should tell my bank I'm abroad. I hadn't thought of that. Thank you.

Seoulteacher: that comment about me possibly winding you all up was a little uncalled for. I would say that my mother being diagnosed with Alzeihmer's disease and my sister suffering from severe depression and self-harming is fairly 'dramatic' from my perspective. I can understand you may wish to be on your guard on internet forums but really your cynicism is badly judged in this case. I'm biting my tongue here; you've upset me a little but I know your intention wasn't malicious. I guess I should consider being less candid on this forum in the future. Perhaps my bad.

Thank you for the helpful advice people.

[seoulteacher]