Korean Job Discussion Forums

[leftx47]

I've been reading posts on here about using international ATM cards in Asia and other threads on wire transfers, but I'm wondering if anyone's used their Korean ATM card in their home country as an alternative to wire transfer.

A little background, I had a US Citibank Gold ATM card that I used to withdraw money from my US dollar account to the local currency in Europe and Japan. If I called Citibank and asked them what they would exchange my money for at a bank, they always gave a ridiculously poor rate. However, the exchange rate I got at the ATM was essentially identical to the daily exchange rate I got when I googled dollars to yen or whatever, and there was no fee for a CitiGold account. (It's 3% on a regular Citi account. )

So I'm wondering what exchange rates people get when they use their Korean ATM cards overseas, especially anyone who has used it within the US. If ATM fees are lower than wire transfer fees, and the exchange rates are good, hitting the ATMs on a trip home might be a good option for getting money out of won.

Anyone with a Korean bank account have any thoughts? I haven't chosen a bank yet myself, but I'm going to be making some calls this week to check on fees, English support , etc.

[leftx47]

So anyone use their Korean ATM card in the US?