ATM Charges in Oz

Hi all,

Has any UK reader used their Nationwide FlexAccount card to withdraw cash at
ATMs in Australia? I know they say free withdrawals but I was wondering
whether the ATM owners charge a fee out there?

Any advice appreciated!

Cheers,

Russ.

Russell Teale wrote:
Hi all,

Has any UK reader used their Nationwide FlexAccount card to withdraw
cash at ATMs in Australia? I know they say free withdrawals but I was
wondering whether the ATM owners charge a fee out there?

Not for normal ATMs. What is the machine to do? Pay out AU$ 498 when
you ask for 500? It will have a hard time printing that AUD$ 8 bill! :-)

But sometimes there are special ATMs which are *not* owned/operated by
banks. *Those* sometimes do charge. I don't know how exactly they do
that, because they are uncommon and easily avoided.

Bottom line: Ask *your* bank what the *costs* are and don't fall for
"free", because "free" doesn't exist. If there is no explicit charge,
there will be an implicit one in a the exchange rate, and most likely
there will be both.

As a general rule of thumb:

If the ATM is owned by your Banker there is no fee.

If the ATM is not owned by your Banker a fee will apply.

There are exceptions and the only way to find out is to ask your banker.

Why are fees charged? Because it costs money to load the machine just so
"you" can get cash when ever and where ever you may wish to do so.

No. The money (cash) in the machine is not yours. Under law, once you make
a deposit to your account the money (cash) is the Bank's.

Even withdrawing that money from another branch of the same Banker could
attract a fee (in theory).

I recall a teller from the old ES&A Bank recounting the story of some newly
arrived migrants from the sub-continent who came to his branch with a bunch
of cash to open a new account.

Because the cash was a little "worse for wear" he "muted" the notes, i.e.
returned them to the central bank for destruction.

A week or so later the new customers returned and insisted on seeing their
money. A bank passbook with a few figures was nowhere near good enough;
they insisted that they see their cash.

So the teller produced a sum equivalent to their original deposit but using
brand new notes issued by the central bank.

Not good enough. That wasn't their money. It was too clean. smile

Ross

"Russell Teale" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Has any UK reader used their Nationwide FlexAccount card to withdraw cash
at ATMs in Australia? I know they say free withdrawals but I was wondering
whether the ATM owners charge a fee out there?

Any advice appreciated!

Cheers,

Russ.

No charge from Bank owned ATMs in Australia - which is most of them The
privately owned ones, in some 7/11s, casinos and the like, often do charge a
fee.

All Banks are party to an agreement with the owners of the Card networks
(Plus, Cirrus, Star etc) which precludes their charging fees for foreign
cards. Your bank on the other hand (not Nationwide I understand) will almost
certainly charge you their customer a fee for using a foreign ATM. Seems to
vary between $2 and $5; depending on your Bank's scale of fees.



"Russell Teale" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Has any UK reader used their Nationwide FlexAccount card to withdraw cash
at ATMs in Australia? I know they say free withdrawals but I was wondering
whether the ATM owners charge a fee out there?

Any advice appreciated!

Cheers,

Russ.

"Russell Teale" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Has any UK reader used their Nationwide FlexAccount card to withdraw cash
at
ATMs in Australia? I know they say free withdrawals but I was wondering
whether the ATM owners charge a fee out there?

Any advice appreciated!

You'll need to check which banks in Australia have a contra deal with
Nationwide, then use that bank's teller machines. Inter bank use of
teller machines attracts fees in Australia which make it cheaper to sell
your organs than use the ATM. Non bank ATMs charge even more
and are very common in pubs, clubs, casinos, etc.

I'm sorry - I normally avoid entering into 'wars' on usenet - but..........


Neither Ross nor Roger are correct.

There is no charge whatsoever for users withdrawing from Bank ATMs in
Australia from the owner of the ATM (the Bank whose machine you are using).
Any charge to the user is levied by the card holders' Bank. Nationwide does
not charge their card holders for foreign ATM transactions. So! No charge!

The interbank charge the Bank absorbs is usually about 20c. No big deal! No
charge to you (if you have a Nationwide Card!)

Em Tasol! Pinis!




"Roger" wrote in message
...

"Russell Teale" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Has any UK reader used their Nationwide FlexAccount card to withdraw cash
at
ATMs in Australia? I know they say free withdrawals but I was wondering
whether the ATM owners charge a fee out there?

Any advice appreciated!

You'll need to check which banks in Australia have a contra deal with
Nationwide, then use that bank's teller machines. Inter bank use of
teller machines attracts fees in Australia which make it cheaper to sell
your organs than use the ATM. Non bank ATMs charge even more
and are very common in pubs, clubs, casinos, etc.

Then explain how I got stung in Walpole (Southern part of Western Australia,
Valley of the Giants timber country) $6.25 for using it for one withdrawal.
(I think it was Cashlink)

It was the only ATM in town, the next closest being Denmark, a 70 Km drive
away. And Bankwest does a part-time bank there, and is only open on
Wednesday's, when Denmark staff man it.

And I'm telling anyone planning to go there to avoid it if they can by
getting funds prior to arrival there.

I'd respectfully suggest you ask your card issuing bank - since that'll be
by whose agency you 'got stung in Walpole'.






"The Aussie Viking" wrote in message
...
Then explain how I got stung in Walpole (Southern part of Western
Australia, Valley of the Giants timber country) $6.25 for using it for one
withdrawal. (I think it was Cashlink)

It was the only ATM in town, the next closest being Denmark, a 70 Km drive
away. And Bankwest does a part-time bank there, and is only open on
Wednesday's, when Denmark staff man it.

And I'm telling anyone planning to go there to avoid it if they can by
getting funds prior to arrival there.

Already in hand, they have the single transaction printout to show it wasn't
a multiple.

They were stunned also.

What I said was :

As a general rule of thumb:
If the ATM is owned by your Banker there is no fee.
If the ATM is not owned by your Banker a fee will apply.
There are exceptions and the only way to find out is to ask your banker.

Any fee is charged by the ATM owner to the card issuer, while the card
issuer "recovers" the cost from the card holder.

Card issuers do not levy charges for ATM use (yet).

At least that how it worked when I was in The Bank.


Ross


"A Mate" wrote in message
u...
I'm sorry - I normally avoid entering into 'wars' on usenet -
but..........


Neither Ross nor Roger are correct.

There is no charge whatsoever for users withdrawing from Bank ATMs in
Australia from the owner of the ATM (the Bank whose machine you are
using). Any charge to the user is levied by the card holders' Bank.
Nationwide does not charge their card holders for foreign ATM
transactions. So! No charge!