ATM Charges
 

When I was last in Europe (over 2 years ago) banks there did not charge anything for use of their ATM's. Only charge was the usual $1 by my own bank. Is this still the same, or have foreign banks imposed a surcharge?

No change. Most ATMs in Europe still don't levy a charge.

Our experience has been the same as rkkwan. Last year we used ATMs in Prague, Vienna, Budapest and London. No charges from the banks in any of those cities.

Just back from Switzerland and ditto what has been said above. Makes you wonder why banks in the US continually tell us how they just "have" to charge people from "other banks" to use their machines, doesn't it?

Hi all

I think that European banks are forbidden by regulation (or maybe law) to charge for the use of ATMs.

I think the reverse is true in the US, it's some international agreement. US banks charge a fee to other banks' cards if they are US cards, not foreign. I know my bank's ATM clearly has a sign on it that they may charge a usage fee except to international cards or something like that.

It has to do with Visa/Plus and Cirrus/Mastercard regulations that banks sign up to: They cannot charge a fee to foreign cards used in their ATMs.
Beware that if you use an ATM in UK located inside convenience stores, fuel stations and so on (often bearing a name like Securicor), you are almost certain to be charged around £2-£2.50 flat fee, while there will be no charge at machines belonging to banks.

As Alex mentions there must be some agreement between various US banks and their European counterparts if they're on the Plus system or so. As a B of A customer I used the BNP Paribas ATM's and there weren't any ATM charges I was assessed but when I did use one of the independent ATM's in Bern I was charged a fee.