Trying to avoid paying crazy ATM fees while traveling in Australia. Anyone found ATMs that are free for foreign cards? Would love specific banks or locations if possible.
Just finished a road trip across Queensland and stopped in several towns to withdraw cash. Here's a quick low-down:
Commonwealth - 7.5 AUD
HSBC 5 AUD
Westpac - 4AUD
Commonwealth 7.5 AUD
NAB 7.5 AUD
ANZ 2 AUD
Almost all of them allows up to 2000 AUD withdrawal in 1 transaction. Machienes are all modern and in English with some of them offering language options like Chinese, Hindi, French, etc. One time I tried a TAB-branded ATM inside a bottle shop and it added a $4.50 fee upfront, so I cancelled it. From then on, I stuck to proper bank ATMs only. Westpac in particular had great coverage and worked every time.
I used my Erste bank card at a Westpac ATM in Brisbane and got hit a 4 AUG fee. The machine showed the full amount in AUD but didn’t push any weird currency conversion prompts either. Also used ANZ in Melbourne and it was the same screen type but with a 2 AUD fee. I avoided all those random TAB machines you find in petrol stations and convenience stores. I believe they are free for locals but those ones almost always try to add a surcharge at least to foreign cards. Sticking to the big bank branches like Westpac, ANZ, saved me a lot over my two-week trip. NAB and commonwealth were the most expensive with a 7.5AUD fee.
I learned that most foreign cards still face a local ATM surcharge of 2 to 7 Australian dollars, especially outside major banks or in remote spots. I used Commonwealth and ANZ machines for most withdrawals to avoid unexpected fees. ANZ charged me 2 AUD for a 2,000 AUG withdrawal so it was ok. I used Commonwealth bank only once because I was in a hurry but landed up paying 7.5 AUD, scam!!!
I’ve been using ATMs across Sydney and Melbourne. Among the big four banks - Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, NAB, and Westpac - Westpac was the only one that did not charge me any atm fee with my German debit card, that too because I have a Deutche bank card which is part of the Global ATM alliance. Tried commonwealth bank and it wanted 7.5 AUD for a 2,000 AUD withdrawal. hell no i aint giving them my money!!!
Used my Visa Debit card at Commonwlth - got charged A$7.50. Machine worked fine and somehow made me feel more comfortable... maybe because I got my money!
At Commonwlth Bank in Australia, theres a fixed minimum charge of A$7.50 for any withdrawal. Pretty steep, especially for smaller amounts.
Used a Swiss debit card at the Commonwlth ATM and withdrew A$500. No issues, might allow even higher limits.
No queue at the Commonwlth Bank ATM. Used my UK Revolut card to withdraw A$1000 - everything worked perfectly.