Nothing ruins the joy of an international adventure like unexpected ATM fees, hidden charges or sky-high conversion rates. In some countries, accessing your own money while traveling can feel like an uphill battle. But what if you could sidestep these fees altogether?
I’ve been pretty much cash free for the last 15 years, but in some countries cash is still king. With that in mind I’ve compiled a list of fee-free ATMs in every country I’ve visited and a few more I know about.
Albania 🇦🇱
Credins Bank ATM was fee free when I used it in 2023. In fact it was recommended to me by a local as being the only fee free ATM around. Unfortunately there are now reports of a 500-600 LEK fee.
Bolivia 🇧🇴
Bolivia is suffering from a slowly emerging financial crisis. Many tourist places will accept cards, and there’s at least one free ATM, but you’re better off exchanging US dollars, Euros, Peruvian Soles etc.. for Bolivianos, either on the street or at bureau de changes in towns.
For example, during my visit, the official USD-BOB rate was $1 to 7BOB, yet on the street in Copacabana, I was offered 11BOB per dollar.
All that being said, if you need to hit an ATM, you’ll find that Banco Fie offers fee free withdrawals.
Chile 🇨🇱
Scotiabank in Chile is free (at least for many Canadian and European cards), unfortunately its branches are more limited than the likes of Banco de Chile, and the ATMs actually close when the branch closes. Bizarre.
I was able to withdraw money free of charge from Scotiabank in Puerto Varas, but my partner who was using a German card was charged roughly €1.50.
Banco BICE is an alternative, but its ATMs are even more elusive. I’ve visited branches in Puerto Montt, and Viña del Mar, but they’re none in San Pedro.
Colombia 🇨🇴
Unfortunately, I was not able to find any fee free ATMs in Colombia. There were reports that Caja Social was free, but when I tried it there was a charge of 19,800 COP, which I promptly rejected.
Davidienda claimed not charge, and sure enough the receipt from the ATM didn’t show any additional charges, yet when checking my online statements, I could see there was a charge of around 15,000 pesos or roughly $3.40 USD. Fortunately Davidienda allows withdrawals up to 2,000,000 pesos a time, so you can withdraw in bulk to save on the fees .
Croatia 🇭🇷
Erste Bank and Nova Hrvastka Banka both offer fee free ATM withdrawals throughout Croatia, but can be difficult to locate even in larger cities such as Split, and Zadar.
Ecuador 🇪🇨
At first I had a little trouble getting cash out in Ecuador. For some unknown reason its ATMs take the card sideways (i.e the long side of the card) rather than in portrait which is more common around the world. Additionally, they will only accept card with a magnetic stripe as their machines aren’t all chip capable. That might rule out some of the debit cards from popular fintechs such as Trading 212.
Fee free ATMs in Ecuador
Banco International is free but very few around. Instead I opted for Banco Guayaquil. This does have a charge, but it’s just $1,52 and allows withdrawals of up to $300 a time.
Beware of Banco Pichincha, which charges $4.50.
France 🇫🇷
Most ATMs are free
Germany 🇩🇪
Most ATMs are free
Greece 🇬🇷
During my stays in Greece, both on islands and on the mainland, I was unable to find a fee free ATMs. Most ATMs charge between €2-4 a time. Banking in Greece is one of the bugbears of expats who move there.
Fortunately, Greece has come along way since my first visit in 2002, and since my winter stay in Lefkada in 2017. Now most places accept cards at the point of sale, and I had no problem paying for everything from Gyros, to coffee and cake with my card.
Ireland 🇮🇪
ATM’s owned and operated by the main banks typically don’t charge a fee for withdrawals.
I successfully used my Revolut card at ATMs operated by Allied Irish bank and Bank of Ireland without any additional fees.
Montenegro 🇲🇪
Despite spending a month in Kotor, I didn’t have much need for cash in Montenegro. When I did, I tried various ATMs and found that Erste Bank offered fee free withdrawals with my Mastercard debit card.
Peru 🇵🇪
Use of card payments at the point of sale is growing in Peru, especially in tourist destinations, but often these carry an additional 5-10% charge. Cash still rules here.
Fortunately Peru’s Banco de la Nacion, has fee free ATMs. The downside is there isn’t one in every town (as a lot of banking is done through shops acting as agents), and the maximum withdrawal limit is just S/. 400 which is roughly $107 USD.
That in particular is something to watch out for if your bank only allows x number free foreign withdrawals a month.
ATMs of other popular banks such as BBVA often carry fees of up to S/.18, so beware.
Portugal 🇵🇹
The only fee free ATMs I found in Portugal were Multibanco ones found outside post offices (CTT). A lot of the ATMs, especially on the South coast seemed to be Euronet, which comes with all sorts of charges. Multibanco is the national network, so all ATMs labelled Multibanco will be free.
I’ve also heard that Millennium BCP ATMs are free, but I haven’t yet been able to test one.
Spain 🇪🇸
Spanish banks make a ton of money from tourists. No only in the form of ATM charges, but also by offering dynamic currency conversion. Tip: if you’re ever offered to pay or withdraw cash in your own currency rather than the local currency, always refuse.
Fee free ATMs are dying out fast in Spain. The most reliable I’ve found was Deutsche Bank, but it typically only has branches in larger cities, and usually only one ATM.
If you have an N26 account (EU residents can sign up here and get a free €15 bonus), I also found that Santander was free. Santander is also free for in Spain for UK Santander customers. Otherwise it has a €5 charge and is best avoided.
United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Almost all ATMs run by banks in the UK are free. You do need to watch out for some non-bank ATMs like those sometimes found in pubs, nightclubs, or at petrol stations.
USA 🇺🇸
Most ATMs charge. Fees range from $5-$8. Some regional bank ATMs are free though. For example Regions Bank in the Miami Beach area is known to be fee free.
In addition, Chase UK debit card holders can use Chase US ATMs nationwide fee free.
I’ll be adding more in the future, both as a travel, and search through my withdrawal history to double check there weren’t any fees, but if you know of a 100% fee free ATM not on the list please let me know in the comments below.
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