Use ATM in Australia for cash

Col.I.n

I use a Nationwide Flex Plus card for free ATM withdrawals for years, the number of banks offering free transactions went down so I used N A B until they now charge $8 per use, is there an Au bank still offer free transactions. Have spoke to Nationwide and the $8 charge is not theirs

GingerTim

As far as I'm aware unless you are using a card provided by one of the Big 4 Australian banks and in one of their machines, you are liable for a withdrawal fee.

Westpac seem to be part of the Global Alliance so if you have a Barclays account you can avoid fees using their machines.

Neil49

Australians are big users of card payments rather than cash so you should be looking at suitable cards for day to day contactless use. When we were there we even came across a petrol station that charged extra for cash because of the charges imposed by the banks for processing it. 

Starling, Chase and Monzo are ideal for day to day use as you get virtually instant notifications on your phone and excellent exchange rates. 

DullGreyGuy

ATM operators outside the UK routinely charge for withdrawals, particularly for cards not issued by them. This is outside of the control of your bank and no "free foreign fee" type promises will override them.

I dont know about in Australia explicitly but in some countries the fees can vary by state and so whos cheapest to use in one place arent necessarily so in another. Its a question that often popup on TripAdvisor which can help avoid the trial/error approach.

With some multi-national banking groups and alliances there may be agreements to waive the fees for use in the related ATMs but that may be offset by the poor FX rates

comeandgo

I’m just back from Australia and have the Nationwide Flex Plus, I can’t remember which banks give free withdrawals but it was certainly one of the main banks .  If I used a machine that was going to charge it told you so before you concluded the transaction so you had the opportunity to take your card out and go to another bank.  I also used the Nationwide credit card which has no fee for foreign transaction but many of the Australian hotels and cafes add on a 2 percent charge when using a credit card.

PRAISETHESUN

Having thought about this a bit more, you probably want to look at the MSE guide on travel cards:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/#debit

You're at the mercy of the ATM provider if they want to charge a fee. Most of the AUS ATM providers tend to charge fees, particularly if you're not using a card issued from their banking group and although the above cards will get you the best deals on the underlying exchange rate of the cash withdrawal (ie. how many GBP you're charged for your AUD), they don't really help you if the ATM wants to whack extra fees on top.

penners324

Shouldn't need to use cash in Australia or New Zealand at all. Everywhere accepts card payments

Col.I.n

penners324 said:

Shouldn't need to use cash in Australia or New Zealand at all. Everywhere accepts card payments

its not easy giving grandkids a credit card payment for their birthday

jon81uk

Col.I.n said:

penners324 said:

Shouldn't need to use cash in Australia or New Zealand at all. Everywhere accepts card payments

its not easy giving grandkids a credit card payment for their birthday

Why not get cash at a bureau de change in the UK before travel and avoid any issues with ATM and card fees?

This site has a great tool for finding the best rate
Travel Money: The best foreign exchange rates - Money Saving Expert

Troytempest

Take AUD dollars with you - the rate is very good right now but will probably fall back soon.
Also credit card charges of 1 - 2% are routinely added to bills. 

penners324

jon81uk said:

Col.I.n said:

penners324 said:

Shouldn't need to use cash in Australia or New Zealand at all. Everywhere accepts card payments

its not easy giving grandkids a credit card payment for their birthday

Why not get cash at a bureau de change in the UK before travel and avoid any issues with ATM and card fees?

This site has a great tool for finding the best rate
Travel Money: The best foreign exchange rates - Money Saving Expert

You'll get a far better rate using the ATMs out there than the bureau de changes here