Atm withdrawals Spain

Bermond

Does anyone know if there are any banks in Spain that don't charge for atm withdrawals? I will be using a Halifax Clarity card.

Voyager2002

I don't think that any banks charge: I was there in 2013 and this was never an issue.

leylandsunaddict

We've never been charged by an ATM. Don't forget to make sure you opt to be charged in Euros to get the Mastercard exchange rate.

Bermond

Thanks for your replies. Hopefully you are correct but when we were there last year banks were bringing in charges. You had to be careful which atm you used. I can't find a definitive answer on Google though so was hoping someone had up to date information.

leylandsunaddict

Bermond wrote: »

Thanks for your replies. Hopefully you are correct but when we were there last year banks were bringing in charges. You had to be careful which atm you used. I can't find a definitive answer on Google though so was hoping someone had up to date information.

We were in Lanzarote last September and this April, and used plenty of ATMs to obtain cash with a Clarity. No charges.

Doshwaster

I got to Spain 2-3 times a year and I don't think that I've ever seen an ATM which charged. As above just be very careful that you do the transactions in Euros as some of the machines can be very sneaky in getting you to choose Sterling and it can be easy to make a mistake.

Bermond

It looks like I'm having a senior moment then and the changes I remember didn't happen. Thanks again for your replies.

SW17

Although I use a Metro Bank debit card rather than Clarity in Spanish ATMs, I don't think any ATMs that are attached to a bank will charge. I use them regularly and haven't been charged by any in the last couple of years that I can remember, most frequently using Santander and La Caixa.

Also endorse the warnings to be careful about exchange rates. When used in English, ATMs in Spain will usually present the options as "with conversion" or "without conversion". Make sure you choose "without conversion" to have your card issuer do the conversion rather than the ATM operator.

zagfles

Been to Spain 4 times in the last 18 months and not come across any charging ATMs.

In fact never come across any charging ATM anywhere in Europe. There might be some somewhere, eg like the ones in shops & pubs here.

Bermond

Hmm, looks like my memory might not be totally out of wack. This article suggests they are starting to charge. Some don't seem to charge if you take out a large amount, say over €150. That may be why people who have been recently haven't been charged.

http://www.theleader.info/article/49364/beware-of-new-atm-charges-from-january/

zagfles

Bermond wrote: »

Hmm, looks like my memory might not be totally out of wack. This article suggests they are starting to charge. Some don't seem to charge if you take out a large amount, say over €150. That may be why people who have been recently haven't been charged.

http://www.theleader.info/article/49364/beware-of-new-atm-charges-from-january/

Don't understand what that's on about - the ATM owner has always charged the card issuer - they either absorb the cost or make a charge as they detail in their T&Cs. It happens here if you use a NatWest card in a Barclays cashpoint.