Why one ATM withdrawal can carry two fees, how to find cash without paying them, and how to compare accounts' ATM policies.
At an ATM outside your bank's network, one withdrawal can carry two fees from two different companies.
One withdrawal. Two possible fees.
Illustrative amountsIllustrative amounts, not any institution's prices. A $40 withdrawal at another bank's ATM. The ATM operator adds a $3 surcharge and your bank adds a $2 out-of-network fee, so the withdrawal carries $5 in fees.
The surcharge displayed at the ATM may not be the only charge.
Illustrative amounts, not any institution's prices. Your receipt shows the first fee and your statement shows the second.
Which machine you use decides who can charge you. There are three kinds:
At the machine, look for three things:
Networks named in fee schedules
Allpoint: named by 30 institutions' fee schedules
Four Seasons Federal Credit UnionAL
Greenwich Municipal Employees Federal Credit UnionCT
Ion BankCT
The Farmers State Bank of WestmorelandKS
Mass Bay Federal Credit UnionMA
Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit UnionMD
Five Star Of Maryland Federal Credit UnionMD
Jersey Shore Federal Credit UnionNJ
Picatinny Federal Credit UnionNJ
United Roosevelt Savings BankNJ
Auburn Community Federal Credit UnionNY
Across 1,649 institutions, the median fee a bank charges its own customer for using another bank's machine is $1.50; most fall between $1.00 and $2.00. The machine owner's fee comes on top.
Enter your own numbers from your receipts and your account terms to see a month and a year:
Your account agreement sets the limit
Unreimbursed fees
$20.00
a month
$240.00 a year
Starting values are illustrative. Enter your own account’s terms.
| Fee | Institutions |
|---|---|
| $0 to under $1 | 177 |
| $1 to under $2 | 775 |
| $2 to under $3 | 455 |
| $3 to under $4 | 182 |
| $4 to under $5 | 23 |
| $5 to under $6 | 26 |
| $6 and up | 11 |
Your bank or credit union lists the machines its customers can use without its fee, in its app or on its website. Search its locator before you go. Fee Insight does not track where ATMs are or which ones are free for you.
Ask your bank which surcharge-free network it belongs to, then search that network's own locator. Only your bank can confirm that it takes part and that the machine owner's fee is waived for you.
Cash back at a store checkout skips the machine. Some stores require a purchase, set a limit or charge a fee, so read the screen before you confirm. If your account reimburses ATM fees, find its monthly limit, keep your receipts and look for the credit on your statement.
Smaller ways to pay less
These medians compare published prices, not accounts. Many credit unions belong to shared networks, and some banks reimburse other banks' fees, so the account you hold decides what you pay.
A withdrawal abroad can carry up to four separate charges. Check each one in your account terms:
The foreign transaction guide covers the percentage and the exchange rate in detail.
The fee is only part of an ATM policy. Check each of these for the account you hold or plan to open. Where Fee Insight does not track a feature, the guide says so.
Compare up to three institutions' published ATM lines: the account each line names, its conditions, the source and the date it was read.
Or start with
| If your bank charges | Where that puts you |
|---|---|
| $0, or fees reimbursed | Best available |
| $1.00 or less | In the lowest-priced quarter |
| Around $1.50 | Right at the national median |
| More than $2.00 | In the highest-priced quarter |
The machine owner's fee must be disclosed at the machine. Your own bank's fee is disclosed in your account terms under Regulation DD instead, which is why the second fee can come as a surprise. 12 CFR part 1030
There is no federal cap on either fee. Each institution and machine owner sets its own.
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