ATMs for my bank are inconvenient to get to and there aren’t very many of them.
I don’t really want to switch banks because I have so many things tied to that account number.
Is there any way to use all ATMs (or many) for free? Maybe some sort of non brick-and-mortar bank that I could transfer money to every once in awhile?
Heck, my bank wouldn’t let me use their ATMs for free. I asked last week, and the guy almost laughed at me for asking. So, I don’t spend a dime on ATMs. I also don’t use them.
[QUOTE=Folly]
ATMs for my bank are inconvenient to get to and there aren’t very many of them.
I don’t really want to switch banks because I have so many things tied to that account number.
Is there any way to use all ATMs (or many) for free? Maybe some sort of non brick-and-mortar bank that I could transfer money to every once in awhile?
[/QUOTE]
Many Internet banks offer refunds. Mine, for example, (First Internet Bank of Indiana) refunds up to $6/month of charges by other banks ATMs. I’ve never found an ATM that i couldn’t use in the USA, and only a handful in other countries.
As a side benefit, you’ll get much better interest rates than your brick-and-mortar bank (both savings and checkings). I wouldn’t be surprised if this bank went from being your secondary bank to your primary bank. I don’t see why anyone puts up with the insane policies of traditional banks (OK, there are a handful of disadvantages, but non really make a difference to me).
There are many Internet Banks these days. Look around, and find one that works for you.
You can also try and find a store that takes debit cards and gives cash back without charging a fee. My local Pathmark does that. Since my bank doesn’t charge me to use outside ATMs, it’s essentially free.
I usually just use my card at a store that allows cash back (which most do nowadays). I use it as a debit, tell it I want $20 or whatever back, then that’s it. I have not been charged for that so far.
Following on Cheesesteak, you can do this with any bank’s ATM/debit card at Walgreen’s, Jewel and Dominick’s, at least. But you have to buy something, even a candy bar, to get cash back. There may be a limit, but I’ve never tried to get more than $50.00 this way.
Was your card also a debit card?
My credit union belongs to the SUM network; I can use many other bank’s ATMs without charge. You might see if your bank is a member of an ATM network that doesn’t charge member banks.
Cool, I thought there would be some sort of internet bank or something that would offer ATM refunds.
Does anyone have any specific recommendations for one.
I can do the debit card thing, but there are so many times I need cash immediately and can’t make it to one of those bigger grocery stores that offer cash back.
Credit Union ATMs are free to anyone.
[QUOTE=BoBettie]
I usually just use my card at a store that allows cash back (which most do nowadays). I use it as a debit, tell it I want $20 or whatever back, then that’s it. I have not been charged for that so far.
[/QUOTE]
My current bank doesn’t assess an additional fee for getting cash back with a point-of-sale transaction, but my previous bank would charge 25 cents for any point-of-sale transaction in which I entered my PIN, even if I didn’t get any cash back. The only way to escape this charge was to use my bank card as a credit card, and of course I couldn’t get cash back that way. When I mentioned this point to a teller at my previous bank, she brushed aside my criticisms and tried to argue that I would still get hit by hidden costs at my new bank any time I acquired cash through non-ATM channels (I disproved this objection by getting cash back, with no additional charge, at a grocery store purchase the very next morning). At that point my regard for the previous bank’s customer service hit a record low, and I haven’t returned to any branch ever since, even to convert small coins into larger bills (a service they still offer at no cost to customers and non-customers alike).
[QUOTE=Mr. Rosewater]
Following on Cheesesteak, you can do this with any bank’s ATM/debit card at Walgreen’s, Jewel and Dominick’s, at least. But you have to buy something, even a candy bar, to get cash back. There may be a limit, but I’ve never tried to get more than $50.00 this way.
[/QUOTE]
In my experience as a cashier at the Rite Aid pharmacy, we were allowed to give up to $100 cash back in a debit card transaction. Stricter limits might be imposed by the bank issuing the debit card, but I never ran across any requests for $100 cash back that were denied, barring the obvious exception of too little money in the account.
Certain convenience stores – I think WaWa is one of them – advertise “no fee” ATMs. Of course they can’t control if your own bank charges. That’s why I use Commerce Bank, which never charges a fee, either.
The money back at point of sale gambit has generally worked well for me, too. Heck, back in the day, when there was no such thing as an ATM, I had a check-cashing card at the local supermarket. When I needed cash & couldn’t get to the bank, I’d just go buy something I probably would need eventually anyway and write a check for $30 over the amount.