Maybe a problem From Mitten Yahoo # 920

[JDR4]

I agree with Ebo about the potential of having your card eaten.

I have never been to DR. But, I can offer some advice since I have
used ATMs (ATHs) in foreign countries. Ebo mentions that it is not
uncommon for the ATHs to eat your card. I would suggest going to the
nearest casino to withdraw cash from an ATH. I suggest this for two
reasons: 1.) The ATHs in the casinos are probably VERY reliable
(remember, this is a casino, the last thing that they want is a
gambler using their ATH and having their card eaten, rendering the
person unable to gamble. 2.) Although a taxi/motoconcho to the
nearest casino may cost a few pesos, the ATHs at the casino will
probably NOT charge a service fee. I am only speculating based on my
experiences in Costa Rica, but I can tell you that when I go to CR,
the ATMs at the casinos work at the speed of light, and you don't
have to insert your card, you just swipe it. And, they don't charge
you a fee (once again, they want to do everything to encourage you to
gamble, therefore, they don't charge a fee for the ATM). Now, if you
go to an ATM in CR outside of a casino, you will have to insert your
card and run the risk of having it eaten....I would believe that DR
is the same as CR.

[JDR4]

Your Bank card can very well get eaten in DR so be careful. It
happened to me just this year in Santo Domingo. The machine was an
ATM on El Conde, and like most bank machines there it required you
to insert the card not swipe it. A few seconds later and my card
was gone... never to return. I went into the branch and complained
but they said there was nothing they could do for me. I called my
bank and they said I should cancel the card, and that I would be
able to get a new one from my branch when I returned home.

My advice is to bring enough cash, carry only what you need and use
the safes(electronic if possible) in your rooms at all other
times.