Are you charged to access your cash?

[Bruce Wayne]

In Britain many banks charge people to get their money using ATM machines. Do you get charged for similar facilities where you are?

[CRFSaver]

Usually in the US if you use your ATM card at your own banks ATM terminal you dont get charged. If you use it at a competitors terminal you usually get charged by the competitor terminal (like 1.50) and many times your bank (for example Wachovia in my case) will charge you another fee. There are also private ATM's, such as in a convenience store that will charge you 2 bucks sometimes.

I don't think they do it anymore, but First National Bank of Chicago (which Bank One bought) used to charge you a teller fee if you went to a teller for "ordinary" transactions. They really pushed you to use their ATM networks.

I dont know the British market real well but I think part of it has to do with competition. The US has 8,500 banks alone. That doesnt include savings and loans, savings banks, industrial loan companies and credit unions. Would love to hear a little more how the UK market is structured. My company issues credit cards there but don't know a ton about it.

[34saving]

I chose my bank partially on availibility of ATMs, so I never pay ATM fees.

[Bruce Wayne]

Obviously the UK is much smaller than America so there are alot less banks operating here. Of the banks that do operate some don't provide physical facilities (ie telephone or Internet banks) and some won't have a facility in your town.

Therefore it can be quite difficult to find your branch sometime, or alternatively it reduces your choices by limiting you to companies operating in your town.

The banks used to operate a network of cash machines called Link and customers were free to use any Link ATM without charge. Unfortunately some banks have since decided to charge non-customers for using their machines.

[jmjj215]

I use the ATM to withdraw money probably once a year - to deposit checks every few months. No fees here.

[PrincessPerky]

I never use the ATM once the fees started, I can get cash back at the grocery store no fee if I want to. (and that is someplace I will be in EVERY week.)

I always thought the time and gas involved in going out of my way to find an ATM was pain enough much less adding the fee on top of it. I would rather not go anywhere unneccessary.

[tomkat]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

I never use the ATM once the fees started, I can get cash back at the grocery store no fee if I want to. (and that is someplace I will be in EVERY week.)

I always thought the time and gas involved in going out of my way to find an ATM was pain enough much less adding the fee on top of it. I would rather not go anywhere unneccessary.

I'm with Princess on this one. When I go to an ATM, I try very hard to go to my bank's ATM. Ocassionally, I'll go to a competitor's bank, but I try not to do that very often. I usually get my cash when I go to the grocery store or a place like Wal-mart. Those places with let you withdraw to $100 free of charge.

[Snoopy2645]

I never use an atm anymore when I worked ft I used it once in awhile mainly because I worked the same hours the banks were open so thier was never time. Once I quit working I quit using the atm I have to watch my pennies now!!

[BAGAGT1]

Originally Posted by CRFSaver

I don't think they do it anymore, but First National Bank of Chicago (which Bank One bought) used to charge you a teller fee if you went to a teller for "ordinary" transactions. They really pushed you to use their ATM networks.

You are correct Bank One (which recently merged with JP Morgan Chase) used to charge a fee for using a teller. I don't think too many other banks followed suit, and therefore they had to remove the teller fees.

[cercis]

I don't even have an ATM card. It's too much of a pain plus my bank does charge.

I rarely use cash anyway, though, so it's not a big deal.

[Tree0164]

If we use a bank outside our bank, we are charged fees by the other bank plus ours. I rarely pull out money from a bank that is not owned by Bank of America

[crosses]

I have to use our bank's ATMs or I will get charged. I try not to, but on occasion I do.