Suzan,
Awhile back, you recommended Capitol One as your no-fee ATM card. With that in mind, I recently applied for their card. I asked the representative how it worked re ATM withdrawals, and she could not answer me, plus I could not understand the heavy accents on subsequent calls. I searched on the Internet to see if Capitol One is a “real” bank, not just a credit card company. Apparently it is mostly an online bank with checking and loans, etc. So now I am thinking you must have a checking account with them, with an ATM card, not just their credit card. Is this what you do? Somehow an online bank I can’t visit in person seems a little sketchy.
I didn’t need another credit card, and getting cash advances on them is exhorbitant. I’ve never done it. The other question is, one of your experts (forgot name) sent me a list of things to do to disentagle one’s self from the U.S. tax system, and one was to be sure and close all bank accounts. Yet it seems many expats maintain a U.S. account for Social Security and many other reasons. For safety, as we are told banks in Ecuador should not hold large amounts of our money. So, a bit confused here….Thanks in advance for your help!