Australian bank ATM fees (and how to avoid them)
Avoid ATM fees by making withdrawals at your own bank ATMs, or a Big Four bank ATM. And watch out for independent, non-bank ATMs that charge withdrawal fees of $3 or more.
Key takeaways
- It's fairly easy to avoid ATM fees by using your own bank's ATMs or any ATM from CommBank, ANZ, NAB or Westpac. Banks never charge you for using their own ATMs if you're a customer.
- Independently owned ATMs can charge fees of $3 or more. But even then, some of these ATMs partner with major banks to offer customers fee-free withdrawals.
- But with more independent ATMs and fewer bank ATMs around these days, you have to be careful not to get hit with an ATM fee.
Australian bank ATM fees and charges, partnerships and alliances
You can use this table to see whether or not your bank has any ATM partners that offer you ATM withdrawals without a fee.
| Institution | ATM partners | Withdrawal fee for other Australian bank cards |
|---|---|---|
 |
| $0 |
 |
| $0 |
 |
| $0 |
 |
| $0 |
 |
| $0 |
 |
| $0 |
 |
| $0 |
 |
| $0 |
 |
| $0.70 |
 | N/A | $0 |
 |
| $0 |
 |
| $0 |
 |
| The fee may vary from $1.50 to $3.50. |
 |
| $0 |
The biggest ATM networks in Australia
Finder survey: Do Australians regularly have cash in their wallet?
| Response | |
|---|---|
| Yes | 55.98% |
| No | 44.02% |
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1004 Australians, December 2023
Independently owned ATM fees
There are many independent ATMs in Australian now, with multiple operators. You can find these machines inside pubs, clubs, convenience stores and in public places.
They work just like bank ATMs but they charge an ATM withdrawal fee. These fees vary widely, but they will cost at least $2 or $3 and can go higher.
You can avoid withdrawal fees if your bank is an ATM partner
Atmx is one of the largest independent ATM networks in Australia. If you have a debit card with one of its partner banks you can make fee-free withdrawals.
These ATM partners are:
- ANZ
- Suncorp Bank
- Westpac
- BankSA
- St.George Bank
- Bank of Melbourne
- Horizon Bank
- Bank Orange
- BCU Bank
- P&N Bank
- AMP Bank
- RACQ Bank
- Police Credit Union
- Warwick Credit Union
- Central Murray Credit Union Limited
- Police Bank
- BankWAW
- Central West Credit Union
- BNK Banking Corporation
- GMCU
- Broken Hill Community Credit Union
- Dnister Ukranian Credit Co-operative Ltd
- Transport Mutual Credit Union
- Defence Bank
Note that rediATM was acquired by Armaguard in 2019 and now operates as atmx, so it has the same partner banks.
How to avoid paying ATM fees
Use a partner ATM or any of the big four banks' ATMs
Use an ATM owned by your financial institution or a partner ATM. Check your bank’s website or mobile app for an ATM locator that can advise you of nearby machines you can use for free.
The four major Australian banks – and a handful of others – don't charge ATM fees for out-of-network Australian cards. As these ATMs are typically the easiest ones to find, you shouldn't have an issue making a fee-free cash withdrawal with your debit card.
Use a global alliance ATM if you’re overseas
There is a Global ATM Alliance that gives people who bank with partnered financial institutions a way to use ATMs for free around the world. In Australia, Westpac is part of this alliance, which means Westpac Group cardholders (Bank of Melbourne, BankSA and St.George) can make withdrawals for free at a huge number of international ATMs.
For example, if you were using a Westpac Group card in France, you wouldn't be charged fees at BNP Paribas ATMs. Or, if you were in the UK, you could avoid international ATM withdrawal fees at Barclays Bank ATMs.
Plus, most ATMs in Europe don’t charge a local ATM operator fee, so the main charges you’ll incur will be from your own bank if you don’t use a partner ATM.
Use a fee-free debit account
If you want to avoid ATM withdrawal fees, a fee-free debit card is another option. The ING Orange Everyday Accountand the ME SpendME Transaction Account both offer fee-free withdrawals to cardholders.
However, some of these debit cards have terms and conditions you need to meet to be eligible for fee-free withdrawals, so make sure you read the fine print or contact the bank to find out if you qualify.
Which bank has the biggest ATM network in Australia?
Our expert says: Bank ATMs are getting harder to find
"The number of bank ATMs peaked in 2016. Since then, banks have been shrinking both the number of branches and ATMs in their networks. But independent, fee-charging ATMs are becoming more common. Depending on where you live, it may be hard to actually find a fee-free bank ATM. "
What fees will I be charged for using my credit card at an ATM?
When you use a credit card to withdraw cash from an ATM, you'll be charged a cash advance fee worth around 2-3% of the transaction amount, or a minimum dollar value of around $2 to $5. You'll also attract the cash advance interest rate from the date of the transaction.
Even if your credit card doesn't charge overseas ATM withdrawal fees, you'll still attract the relevant cash advance charges. Given the high fees and interest rates, you may want to consider using your debit card to make ATM withdrawals instead.
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Please add online banks to your list re access to atms eg ubank and up.
Even though their patent banks get free withdrawals at independent atms these online banks don’t?
Hi Ingrid,
You should be able to use most CBA, Westpac, ANZ and NAB ATMs without paying a fee with any Australian debit card – including ubank and Up.
For online banks like ubank and Up you can also make withdrawals at Australia Post, or at supermarkets.
Are there any zero or low exchange fee credit cards in Australia?
Not referring the to transaction fees.
Hi Michael,
Depending on which bank or credit card provider you’re with, they will use either the Visa or Mastercard exchange rate on the day of the transaction.
Some credit cards will also offer no international transaction fees – you can see these here: https://www.finder.com.au/credit-cards/foreign-currency-international-fees-for-credit-cards
Thanks,
Alison
Tried to use my Suncorp key card at a Bendigo bank and it was going to charge me $2.50 as an ATM fee. Do these banks really have a partnership as listed in this article? Why is the ATM fee there?
Hi Abigail, The relationship between Suncorp and Bendigo wasn’t reciprocal – Bendigo customers got free transactions at Suncorp, but Suncorp customer never got free transactions on Bendigo ATMs. The arrangement has now ended, so I’ve updated the listing above to reflect that.
How come on your website states 0 fees for using another australian card (St George) at a commonwealth bank ATM yet just got charged $2.80
Hi Kathleen,
CommBank removed ATM fees for customers of other Australian banks in 2017 (for reference, here is the announcement from CommBank). However, around 300 offsite CommBank ATMs were acquired by a third-party provider (Armaguard) in 2020. Since then, Armaguard has been rebranding the machines as atmx. As this guide states, fees do apply at atmx by Armaguard machines. So it might have been one of the rebranded machines. Your account transaction history may provide details of the operator.
I’ve also checked the St.George website and can see that the current transaction accounts available to customers do not charge ATM fees in Australia. The Complete Freedom account even says “$0 cash withdrawals on major bank ATMs in Australia (Certain ATM providers may still charge a fee)”.
If you want to follow up on the fee, you can contact St.George on 13 33 30, CommBank on 13 22 21 or Armaguard on 1300 785 258. Or, contact the Australian Financial Complaints Authority on 1800 931 678. Hope this helps.
If I had a bank of Melbourne card and I needed to deposit money but the only ATM near me with cash deposit is anz would I get a charge?
Cheers
Hi Tom,
Thanks for reaching out to finder.
You can only make cash and cheque deposits at selected Bank of Melbourne’s partner banks ATMs such as St.George and BankSA. It’s best to contact Bank of Melbourne to verify and confirm if it’s possible to make a deposit through ANZ ATM to avoid any mistakes.
I hope this helps.
Cheer,
Charisse