Travelling soon and looking for best ATMs in Nepal that work well with foreign debit/credit cards and dont charge crazy fees. Any recos will be highly appreciated.
On my recent Annapurna trek, Global IME ATMs were frequent in Pokhara and Kathmandu with NPR 625 fee, but hard to find elsewhere. Sunrise Bank near the Lakeside let me withdraw up to my card limit, but still charged NPR 600-1000 per use. If you only do one thing, avoid using your card for repeated small withdrawals, as the hefty cumulative fees will eat into your trekking budget fast.
Just the practicalities: nearly every bank from Everest Bank and ADBL to Sunrise Bank charges between NPR 500-700 per transaction for international cards. Limit is typically NPR 25,000, except for Nabil and Siddhartha (NPR 35,000). I used SCB for safety, but the process was the same everywhere. If your trip takes you beyond big tourist areas, take out the max each time-rural machines are scarce and often offline.
Nepal’s cash point fees add up quick: SBI and Prabhu Bank set their withdrawal fees at NPR 500 each, and others like Kumari Bank and Global IME hit me with NPR 700 or NPR 625 per go. The withdrawal cap is generally NPR 25,000, though I found a few Siddhartha Bank and Nabil Bank ATMs in Thamel that let me pull NPR 35,000. Always plan ATM runs for mornings-machines can run out by the evening, especially during peak trekking seasons.
For travelers in Kathmandu or Pokhara, there’s no escaping ATM fees, but some banks are a bit cheaper than others. Most ATMs-like Citizens Bank, NIC Asia, or Laxmi Bank-charge around NPR 500-700 per withdrawal (₹600 at Citizens, ₹700 at Nabil). Limits per transaction are usually NPR 25,000, though some banks like Siddhartha and Nabil let you pull NPR 35,000 at a time. My Wise Mastercard always worked, but I’d avoid making lots of small withdrawals to keep overall costs low.
Sunrise Bank ATM in Nepal was expensive. No further details shown on-screen - just deducted the fee.
In Sauraha, the Siddhartha ATM charged Rs 650 and capped each transaction at Rs 35,000.
The Siddhartha ATM in Nepal showed a Rs 650 processing fee - a bit steep for a single transaction.
Global IME ATM in Nepal displayed a 625 NPR fee instead of 500 NPR. Be alert to the change on screen.