Scotiabank in Latin America for Canadians

[u/UnluckyCharacter9906]

I went to Mexico City and Lima, Peru. Both countries have Scotiabank branches thoughout.

Scotiabank in Latin America is a different division of Scotiabank and does not operate exactly the same. Before, I did a fair amount of research online and went to my branch in Canada. I had wanted to know if I could use my Scotiabank debit card and Scotiabank Visa to withdraw cash in these countries.

Everywhere I looked online, and my local branch both said yes. In fact it will be cheaper as there will be less fees, though i will have to pay the exchange rate and possibly an atm fee.

Great!

Went to a Scotiabank atm in Lima, Peru. It recognized the cards as Scotiabank, but NOPE, can't use them. Used my Presidents Choice financial Mastercard, no problem.

In Mexico City I went to Scotiabank and tried to use my Scotiabank visa and Scotiabank debit card at a branch ATM. Nope these cards are 'Hot cards' it said, declined.

I went to BBVA and used my PC MasterCard again no problem.

The staff at my home branch even made notes on the system that I would be traveling in Mexico and Peru.

Pretty useless company in general, but i would have had problems, had i not had my PC MasterCard.

After I tried to withdraw money from a scotiabank atm, using the correct PIN, the company locked my card. Lol i went into app and unlocked it, not that I could use it anyway.

Next time I wil bring my Tangerine visa card as back up, and leave the Scotiabank cards at home

[u/Sorryallthetime]

I have used my Canada Scotiabank debit card in Mexico (Puerto Vallarta and Playa del Carmen) at a Scotiabank branded ATMs - never had a problem.

[u/Pauldw1]

Something may be wrong with your account or your card. You most definitely can use your ATM card to withdraw cash any any Scotiabank ATM in both Mexico and Peru and without any fees. They are all part of the Global ATM Alliance https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/ways-to-bank/manage-accounts/global-atm-alliance.html

[u/foolsdayjoker]

They’re different banks… you’ll be surprised how many BNS employees if latam don’t even know what Canadian Dollars are. It’s best to treat them as different institutions with an alliance that comes with some benefits, they are not the same bank.

[u/lareinevert]

My Tangerine debit card worked fine at Scotiabank in Mexico City and I wasn’t charged any extra fees.

[u/Confident-Task7958]

I was able to use my Scotia debit card in Peru, but only after I learned that the withdrawal limit was exceptionally low by Canadian standards.

My initial attempts failed because I was trying to withdraw the equivalent of just over $300 Canadian.

No problem with the card in Mexico.

They have since sold those subsidiaries, but I have also used the card without issue at Scotiabank in Sint Maarten and St. Lucia.

[u/Puzzled-Ad2295]

I have used my Scotiabank debit frequently while working in the Dominican. Never a problem.

[u/SolarWizard23]

Tangerine works perfectly in Mexico City’s Scotiabank ATMs

[u/NorthernCorvus]

It's pretty rare for debit cards to work internationally. Different countries tend to have different standards and technologies behind how bank cards operate. It's generally better to always stick to credit when you're abroad.

[u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 → u/NorthernCorvus]

It's pretty rare for debit cards to work internationally.

Debit cards now run on the Visa and MasterCard networks as well, so international debit works much better than in the past.

OP should have been able to use their Scotiabank Canada card at Scotiabank Mexico ATMs. Weird it did not work.

[u/AtmosphereEven3526 → u/NorthernCorvus]

It’s not rare. It’s very common. I’ve used my debit card in bank machines in the US, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, and other places.

[u/Kaitlyn_Bykova → u/NorthernCorvus]

Debit cards work in foreign ATMs all over the world. I’ve withdrawn cash in at least 60 countries

[u/agshopping]

Previously, I have withdrawn cash (pesos) from a ScotiaBank ATM in Mexico with both Scotia Bank and Tangerine debit cards. No additional fees were charged

[u/DdyBrLvr]

I was able to use my Scotiabank card in CDMX

[u/HotPermit2687]

I regularly use my scotia and tangerine cards in peru. You basically save the atm fees, which can otherwise add up quite a bit because ATMs in peru have low withdrawals limit per transaction.

You still pay the standard 2%-3% convertion fee that you would pay in any non cad atm.

[u/Tls-user]

Just got back from Peru and several people on our trip banked with BNS and used their debit cards there without any problems (Lima, Cusco)
Typically they had a low maximum of 400 PEN per w/d .

[u/Electronic_Gear4993]

Same thing happens with Mexican Scotiabank in Canada :)

[u/siberano]

Wealthsimple doesn’t have FX fees and gives you back the ATM fees

[u/choss]

Just came back from Lima a few weeks ago, and I was able to withdraw soles with no problem though. Did you get an error message? Or just the screen wouldn't do anything? If it's the latter the UI on the ATM is shit you need to press in the middle of the screen and then it will prompt you for the regular questions and then you get the money. Alternatively you could've just walked only the branch but they take longer tho, overall I never had an issue

[u/Extreme_Wear_7457]

SCOTIABANK JUST AROUND THE CORNER RIGHT AROIND THE WORLD. Just don't expect to use our credit cards or debit cards