To pay Italian bills by means other than cash, you’ll need a local bank account. Three credit unions that offer Italian banking have offices on post. Learn about paying bills and exchanges rates with your Italian bank card. TIP: Pay bills directly through your utility company’s website with your Italian chip/pin card and avoid the bank’s bill pay fees!
Each bank has different products and services. For details, visit them on post or ask your Sponsor for more information on fees, exchange rates, wait times, English-speaking staff, etc.
EXCHANGE RATES & PAYING BILLS
Paying Italian Bills
There are a few ways that you can pay your bills in Italy:
Tobacco Store (“Tabaccheria”): ~2€ fee/bill Take your bill to the counter of a tobacco store and pay your bill with cash or debit card.
Bank Teller: ~2€ fee/bill Take the payment stub from your bill to your bank. They’ll deduct the bill amount from your bank account and transfer it to the utility company.
Online Bank Transfer: ~1€ fee/bill Ask your local bank how to setup “payee” accounts so that you can pay your utilities online from home. In the memo line of every online payment, ALWAYS include your account number (“codice cliente”) and bill number (“numero Fattura”). Without this info your payment could get lost with no way for the payee (e.g. utility company) to track it down.
Online via Company Website: Free. You’ll have to have a credit card issued by an Italian bank. Italian companies cannot allow you to pay your bills online via credit card unless you have a credit card issued by an Italian financial institution.
ATM (“ANCOMAT”) EXCHANGE RATES
When getting Euros from an ATM, the exchange rate is generally more favorable if you take out a higher amount in a single transaction, rather than take out smaller amounts via multiple withdrawals.
NOTE: Most Debit Cards include a foreign transaction fee when converting your foreign purchase or ATM withdrawal into US dollars. Usually it’s 1-2% of the total transaction. However, for cards without a fee you may just get a lower exchange rate. Shop around for the best card.
ATMs On Post When using an ATM on post to get Euros, BNL & Community Bank generally have better exchange rates. There are 3 ATM options on Caserma Ederle:
BNL, Community Bank, Global Credit Union
There are 2 ATM options on Caserma Del Din:
Community Bank, Global Credit Union
ATMs Off Post In general, most exchange rates at off-post ATMs will be a bit better than the rates of on-post ATMs. Use ATMs at banks for better rates and lower fees.
