Out of cash in Warszawa

Did you know that you are only allowed to withdraw SEK 15.000 per week with a Swedish ATM/cash card?
Did you also know that the most cabs in Warszawa do not accept cards and have quite angry cab drivers?

So the cab driver stop at an ATM just before my destination, Piotr and my bag stayed in the car while I ran over to the hole in the wall.

"You have reached you maximum daily withdrawal limit"
- WTF!? You are not my mum! Gimme my PLN 100!
"Would you like to try with a lower amount? Recommended: PLN 20; PLN 40"
-OK, I'll pick 40 then.
"We cannot serve you less than PLN 100 bills. Would like to have that instead?"
- Gaaaaaah!!!!

I call the bank in Sweden while walking towards the cab and ask about what the heck a daily limit is. Then the tell me that I do not have a daily limit but all cards in Sweden has a weekly limit of SEK 15.000 of cash withdrawal and I have reached it.
I kindly inform the lady that thanks to their service being down this Saturday, I could not pay in the shop, but had to pick out a lot of cash.

-Well sir, we cannot do anything about that limit, sir.
-Hey! You are my bank and I am in Poland with the only card I have and thanks to your bad service, times two, I am f*cked?
-That is pretty much correct, sir.

Now I was getting closer to the cab and the driver looked less than happy... Piotr tried to calm him down, but he was, well... outspoken.
Thankfully there was a bank open next to us, so I ran in while again calling my bank in Sweden. This time it was someone more solution oriented. I asked if they could send money, but her tip was to ask if I could withdraw money with the card at the teller.

-Does that make a difference?
-Maybe. Sometimes those withdrawals are registered as a purchase, not as cash withdrawal.

And hey! It worked!

I tipped of the driver and after bringing out my bag, Piotr told me that the cab driver wanted to call the police but when checking Piotr, the driver noticed he was a VIP and waited without more drama.

Why the cab? Well, we had a meeting with Models-n-Shoots' great design agency. I should have met two people, but Agata told me that a lunch delivery the other day had put a lot of the staff IN HOSPITAL! That is some heave food poisoning if you end up in hospital!
I hope they survive and get ready to make our service better, easier and nicer. 

Now I am now back in the 3-persons-chain-smoking apartment near the Palace of Culture, smack in the middle of Warszawa. Nice people. Bad air. :-)

Next stop: Gothenburg 19-21, maybe 22 November

See ya!


Oh! The saint? It is not me. It is the local saint in the court yard of Piotr's apartment.