Banking and Post

Lost Cards

Regular Visa / Mastercard
http://www.cartasi.it
Italy toll free: 800.15.16.16
USA Toll Free: 1.800.4736.896
Outside Italy & USA: +39 02.3498.0020*
*Collect charge possible.

BNL Top Card Visa / Mastercard and Bancomat
Outside Italy: ++39-02.3498.0009
Italy toll free: 800.900.910

Banks
Most Europeans and Americans find Italian banks unfriendly and archaic. Opening an account can be a hassle unless you or your family is known to the bank manager. Getting checks and ATM cards is considered a luxury, internet services work with very few banks, telephone assistance is a rarity. Yet, for some reason they are among the most expensive in Europe. Their opening hours are Mon-Fri from 8.30 a.m to 1.30 pm and from 3 pm to 4 pm Only very few banks open on Saturday morning.
Cash Machines

Cash Machines (ATM) are a problem in Rome. They are not accessible to handicapped persons, just like most Italian banks. Each bank rarely has more than one machine, and it’s not unusual to find them out of order. Most banks won’t network with each other after midnight and on Sundays, so getting cash with your card can become an adventure. You’ll find most large banks unable to dispense cash on Sundays, except for post office cash machines, which tend to be more reliable. It’s always better to plan ahead and get cash on weekdays, at business hours.

Post Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 8.30am to 1.40pm. Saturday: 8.30am to 1.00pm. The central post offices (at piazza San Silvestro, Piazza Bologna, Via Taranto, via Marmolada) stay open afternoons, until 6.30pm.
Informazioni Poste Italiane
For information in Italian about rates and local post offices’ opening hours call160
Sending Mail
Posta ordinaria
The cheapest option, starting from € 0.41. Letters take about three days.
Posta prioritaria
Fast, reliable, and relatively cheap. Letters inside Italy should take about a day. Prices start at € 0.62.
Posta raccomandata
Letters with a delivery receipt. An Italian bureaucratic fetish, you’ll see many people and companies prefer to communicate this way, and may require you to do the same. A standard letter costs € 2.58.
Posta assicurata
Letters are insured in case of loss. Prices vary depending on the amount insured.
Postacelere
Fast mail with delivery receipt. Packages should weight less than 3 kg and should not measure more than cm 45,5 x 32 x 5. Delivery is guaranteed all around Italy in one working day (excluding the day you sent the package and Saturdays). Packages are also delivered on Saturday in 750 Italian cities
Rates
Letters and postcards up to 20 grams sent Posta Ordinaria, or regular mail, cost € 0.41 to Italy, Europe, and countries around the Mediterranean Basin, and € 0.52 to the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Delivery is from three to five days in Italy, about six days within Europe, 10 days around the Mediterranean Basin, and 14 days to the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The Italian post office aims to deliver Posta Prioritaria, or priority mail, within one working day (plus the day of mailing) to destinations in Italy, three working days to the rest of Europe, four or five working days to countries of the Mediterranean Basin, five or six working days to the U.S. and Canada, and seven or eight working days to Australia and New Zealand.

A standard Posta Prioritaria letter, weighing up to 20 grams (and measuring 14 to 23.5 centimeters by 9 to 12 centimeters) costs €62 for Italy, Europe, and countries of the Mediterranean Basin, and EUR.77 for the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. A package weighing the maximum 2 kilos (and measuring the maximum 34.3 by 35 by 5 centimeters) costs €8.06 for Italy, Europe, and countries of the Mediterranean Basin, €16.53 for the U.S. and Canada, and €20.66 for Australia and New Zealand. Stamps can be purchased at the post office or in tobacco shops; a special Posta Prioritaria sticker (free) is necessary. The envelope can be mailed at the post office or dropped in any letter box or in one of the 3,000 or so special Posta Prioritaria letter boxes.

Postacelere, for destinations in Italy only, guarantees delivery within one working day (Saturdays included, Sundays and holidays excluded). Envelopes sent Postacelere cost EUR7.23 and may not weigh more than 3 kilos nor exceed 45.5 by 32.5 centimeters. They can be sent only from a post office, where you must fill out a special mailing form.

Buying envelopes
You can buy some boxes at the post office, but they haven’t thought of selling envelopes yet. If you need them, go to the nearest tobacco store, they usually carry a complete range of postal products.
Paying bills
A surprising number of people in Italy pays bills at the post office, despite the endless lines and fights. Most utility companies won’t let you send check payments. Credit card payments and bank transfers are possible, but only when agreed well in advance.

One comment to “Banking and Post”
  1. It’s really a nice and helpful piece of info. I am glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

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