My card was taken by an ATM near my hotel in North Macedonia. Has this happened to anyone else? Solution?
My Revolut Mastercard was taken by a Halkbank ATM in Ohrid late on Friday night. I couldn’t reach anyone until Monday, and by then they told me the card had already been destroyed. I had to cancel and switch to my backup Wise card. North Macedonia is still fairly cash-oriented, especially outside Skopje, so losing access to a card is stressful. Always bring at least two cards and withdraw only during branch hours to avoid being left without your main card.
I had my Monzo Visa swallowed by a Stopanska Banka ATM in Skopje. I went into the branch the next morning with my ID, and after checking their records, they handed it back. The staff were polite and spoke enough English to make the process smooth. A friend had a similar experience with NLB Banka. As long as you use ATMs at main bank branches and not standalone ones, there’s a good chance of retrieving your card quickly in North Macedonia.
In North Macedonia, ATMs are mostly operated by Stopanska Banka, NLB Banka, and Halkbank. If your card is captured, go to the branch that owns the ATM with your passport. Branch ATMs in Skopje and Ohrid are usually emptied daily, and cards may be returned if you act quickly. Call the hotline printed on the ATM to report it immediately. Many banks, however, destroy foreign cards within a couple of days, so block it in your app until you confirm.
Yes, this happened to me in Skopje, near Macedonia Square, at a Stopanska Banka ATM. The card was retained, and the staff told me it would be destroyed for security. In North Macedonia, banks rarely hand back foreign-issued cards. The best move is to cancel and rely on a backup. If you’re staying in Ohrid or Bitola, use ATMs from major banks like Komercijalna Banka or Halkbank inside branches. Always keep some denar cash on you - taxis, bus tickets, and small cafés usually won’t take cards.