ATM's in Guatemala

You'll have no trouble getting your card to work at an ATM in Guatemala if it's on the "Plus" network. I'd suggest that you read the hints posted over the last couple of years about measures to help prevent getting your bank account hacked. Some of the sound advice includes the following:

Look at the ATM carefully. Are there any odd looking appendages? If so, give it a miss.

If possible, prefer those ATMs hard wired into banks, as opposed to free-standing machines which will use the telephone system to communicate your card details.

Check your account very frequently on-line to look for unauthorized transactions.

My personal favorites: (1) if you happen to see any machines which the local cops use themselves, use those ATMs; and (2) load travel money into an account at a bank or credit union you don't normally use, and use an ATM card from that financial institution while you're away (to limit how much you can lose to fraud).

Bon voyage!

There was an on going problem with the BAC Bank on the west side of the park in Antigua a few years back, but haven't heard of anything recently about them. I live in Antigua and use BI for my ATM needs, they charge Q16 or $2 per transaction. My debit card is a MasterCard now and use to have a Visa Debit no problems with either. I limit my withdrawals to two locations, the BI by Monoloco and the two next to Café Barista across from the park.

I used BI when I lived in Antigua as well, and never had any problems.

Here's my take on money, reposted from a previous thread:
For money I take US cash in small bills (no torn or worn bills or bills with pen marks - the banks are getting increasingly picky about accepting damaged bills so providers are generally careful to check and will reject them) and (usually) enough local currency to get me started which I save from previous trips or order online and pick up at my bank. Generally you'd be fine with just USD to get from the airport to your 1st destination. I also take American Express travelers checks for backup and for hotels, Spanish schools, dive ops, etc. that allow me to pay that way - I find out in advance (fewer and fewer places are taking them). Then for the rest I use ATMs as I go; in my experience you get the cash in the local currency and the exchange rate is decent. There are fees involved but that's just a travel expense along with many others; some banks charge more than others. I check out the forums ahead and check with hotel and Spanish school folks once I'm on the ground and avoid ATMs in areas with a history of problems.

Last year I set up a travel account at a credit union, separate from where I normally do my banking; ATM card use is free and I use it while traveling, then change my password and empty it so I don't have worries about subsequent removal of the funds if the ATMs are buggy - often the fraudulent withdrawals are made months after the trip. I have it set up with daily emailed balance notices so I can keep an eye on my balance without having to use my bank password in questionable wifi environments.

Remember to notify your bank and card company you'll be using the cards on foreign shores - where and when - and also find out before you hand over your card if there will be an additional fee for charge card use - sometimes 5% or more. I email myself a scan of the travelers check numbers (yes, I know many folks feel they are dinosaurs but they are still the safest and easiest way to pay when I know I'll have largish charges at a place that accepts them) and our main passport pages and pack a copy of them with me, too. I also go to http://www.oanda.com/currency/travel-exchange-rates and make tiny cheat sheets with the conversion rates for each country to keep handy. Happy trails!