Washington Mutual - no ATM fees really?

[pan2]

I'm trying to understand the no-fee policy of WaMu. I understand that they will not charge any ATM fee for using a non-WaMu machine, but suppose I go to a B of A or Wells Fargo ATM-- will those banks charge me a fee? And in general, if an ATM charges a fee will you know about it before you complete the transaction?

[genmed]

My understanding is that they won't charge you, but you can still be subjected to ATM charges from non-Washington Mutual ATMs from the ATM holder.
If an ATM charges a fee, they usually have something on the screen saying .. There is a $1.50 (or whatever) charge at this ATM, are you sure you want to continue.
A lot of credit union ATMs don't charge fees (even for users from other "banks")

[Squantum]

That's right. No matter what bank you have, you can go to a WAMU ATM for free. But if you are a WAMU customer and go to another bank's ATM, you'll have to pay a fee, most likely, because the other bank will charge a fee. I was a WAMU customer for a while but it just wasn't worth it...I could use their ATMs for free using my trusty credit union account!

[pan2]

So can I infer from your replies that most other banks (around here, Wells Fargo and B of A are the big names) will in fact charge a WaMu user an ATM fee?

[poundwise]

A little off-topic, however, I thought I'd point out that several banks now have no ATM fees period. If you use the bank's machine, there is no charge. If you use another bank's machine and they charge you a fee, your bank will reimburse you for the fee (credit it back to your account.) Of course, this has limitations which vary by bank and/or type of account(s) you hold with them.