Travelling soon and looking for best ATMs in Lebanon that work well with foreign debit/credit cards and dont charge crazy fees. Any recos will be highly appreciated.
Traveling the coast, BBAC and BLF ATMs worked with my Dutch debit card, but the 5% fee meant I only used them once. Bank Audi had a max of $1,000 and was always busy, but I only used it in emergencies due to the $15 fee. Use Fransabank - no fees for foreign cards. Make sure your cards are enabled for international use before arrival-some networks have outages, so always keep backup cash for rural trips.
If you’re looking to dodge ATM fees in Lebanon, Fransabank is your best bet: $0 fee and $400 limit per transaction. Most other ATMs- Bank Audi or Bank of Beirut charge between $15 or a flat 5% , which adds up quick on longer stays. I recommend maxing out every withdrawal and going early in the day, as local machines sometimes run out of cash fast.
Foreign cards mostly work fine at ATMs in Beirut and Jounieh, but beware the nasty 5% fees at Byblos, Bank of Beirut, BLF Bank, and BLOM Bank. Credit Libanais charged me 3.5% fee. Limits are usually $400-1,000 per transaction (randomly lower out in smaller towns). Fransabank’s zero-fee ATMs near Gemmayze were a lifesaver-just always check for an onscreen fee before confirming, as things can change super fast in Lebanon these days.
Just got back from Beirut-ATM fees are all over the place! Bank Audi charged me $15 for a $1,000 withdrawal, but Fransabank had no fees - use this one. but of course, it has a lower limit $400. Heads up - you cannot withdraw local currency - foreign cards can only get US dollars from the ATMs here. Tried a few others also Byblos Bank and Bank of Beirut both wanted 5% fee so i cancelled the transaction - that is seriously a lot of money if you need lot of cash. I stuck to Fransabank as much as possible; my UK Visa worked fine there, and lines were short near Hamra.