Things we wish we had known sooner

1.  Wells Fargo Bank requires one to use a new and different 4-digit PIN if one wishes to withdraw money from one's checking account at ATMs in Asia.  Such new and different PIN is available only from a Wells Fargo branch.  During business hours.  Which is of very little help given that we are leaving at 8 a.m. on Monday and it is now 3 p.m. on Sunday.

This would have been an extraordinarily helpful thing for somebody at Wells Fargo to have mentioned earlier.  Maybe on one of the two trips to the branch I made last week, in connection with ordering JAPANESE CURRENCY for my TRIP TO JAPAN.  Grrr.

2.  Item 1, above, is wrong.  One does NOT have to go into a branch to change one's PIN.  One can do it automatically on the phone.

This would have been an extraordinarily helpful thing for the first Wells Fargo customer service lady to have known.  Grrr.

3.  Oops!  Nope!  Item 2, above, is wrong.  When we tried to change the PIN per the second Wells Fargo customer service guy's directions, the automatic system hung up on us.  Twice.  And then a third customer service lady told us that the second customer service guy was wrong.  Grrr.

And...

Heh.

So the lesson here is this:  If you have had your bank account for a long time, like we have, and have a five-digit PIN for your debit card, like we do, go into your bank in advance of your international trip and have the PIN changed to four digits.

You're welcome!