Banks with Minimum ATM Fees

We're all trying to save a buck or two where we can. We'll drive 6 miles out of our way to save 4 cents a gallon on fuel. We'll stand in line at 2 different supermarkets to save $5 a week on the grocery bill. But we still love the convenience of the ATM, even with the owning bank isn't ours and we have to pay the extra fee to get our cash. When you add that fee to the charge from your bank for using a non-branch ATM, well, think of it as just dumping out your mocha coffee latte before even taking a sip.

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Who Sells their Cash for the Least Amount

If you can't stand the thought of driving a bit further to get money out of your bank's ATM, or you don't feel comfortable getting the necessary cash at one of a million stores that allow you to use your debit card and get extra while you're there, then you're going to have to live with paying the average US fee of nearly $3 per total transaction. But we've done our homework and compiled a list of the top banks with the lowest ATM fees. They are:

Washington Mutual

The gang over at WaMu has initiated a practice which will hopefully catch on to other banks with about 2500 branches nationwide. Their simple, no-fee, no minimum balance checking account comes with an ATM card with no fee for using a non-WaMu machine. Users will, however, have to pay the fee set by the competitors ATM. But if you can cut every bill in half, wouldn't that be great? That'll add up to about $100 in savings in just one year.

Commerce Bank: Another Plus for the Garden State

Commerce began to dismiss ATM fees for its customers that would happen upon a competitors ATM, but couldn't convince their competitors to do the same. Good News? Commerce's customers leave any ATM happy knowing that their bank didn't charge them, but rather disgruntled with the owning bank of the ATM. One caveat before tossing your checks into the incinerator; an average daily balance of $2500 must be kept in the account for the ATM to remain fee-free.

And Now for a Bit of Discouraging News

It seems that even when you find a bank that doesn't charge a fee for using a foreign banks ATM, you still need to find an ATM that wont charge a ridiculous fee as well. Of course, paying only half of a high fee is much better than paying all of it. But I personally believe in paying the least possible amount to gain access to my hard earned cash, so driving a bit out of my way or simply getting cash back at the supermarket are my favorite ways to fill my wallet. Occasionally I go to the extreme and actually go inside of the bank with a personal check to cash. Yes, I do get funny looks, but if I don't keep the bankers busy with work, the entire banking process could go completely automated, taking the "personal" out of "personal Banking".

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