Canada ATM Fees - I know this is "General Europe" but...

When I use ATM machines in Canada, I'm charged a $1.50 convenience fee (at RBC Royal Bank ATM, for example), but I'm with Nancy on this one. The machine will inform you of the fee on the screen...you can either accept it or cancel the transaction, just like here. As much as I don't like being nickel and dimed by corporations, there's only so much you can do. You need money, and they'll give it to you for a fee. That's just the way it works in our system. Other systems may not work this way (i.e. North Korea). :)

Not sure the answer to your question, but enjoy the Maritimes! If you have any Nova Scotia questions, drop me a line! I can't speak for fees the banks may charge, but if you use a generic ATM (as opposed to one of our national banks) they charge $2 or $3 I believe...

Does it really matter? Do a couple of dollars in fees on an ATM withdrawal matter so much that you would skip the withdrawal? Would spending a few bucks on fees ruin your vacation? As for "giving away money to corporations that don't need it", why should they provide money for your convenience for free? (And how do you know they "don't need it"?) They are businesses, not charities. I'm all for getting the best deal possible, but there is a certain cost of doing business, and I understand that the services I expect won't always be free.

@Michael, If it's any consolation, I also get "nicked" with the $1.50 fee if using my Credit Union card at Royal Bank or any of the other Bank ATM's. I can avoid the fee by using Credit Union ATM's, which isn't too difficult as there are lots of them. Credit Unions here all fall under the "umbrella" of the B.C. Central Credit Union, so there are no extra fees regardless of which one I use. Cheers!

Wow. Ask a simple question, especially when there is the place on the Graffiti Wall "ATM's: Minimizing Fees'" and I get a lecture that banks are people too and deserve whatever they can get. Sorry, but we are not in the 1%, and the banks make a lot of money while holding our money. Maybe that "ATMs: Minimizing Fees" should be removed because it's unfair to the banks. That said, the answer that banks charge $1.50 per transaction answers my question, and means that proper planning is to minimize ATM usage.
Reminds me of when we had a Swiss high school student here on exchange in the 90's. His father was in finance and sent him with a huge amount of cash, so we had him open an account where we bank, but could not be part of our package. He was astonished to find he was charged $2 every time he took $20 from the machine, especially the day he did it 4 times. He used a bank machine, but not from our bank.

A couple of problems with your assumptions: While the one particular bank mentioned charges $1.50, every bank is free to charge whatever they want, so that might not be a realistic guideline in the end. I've seen a wide variety of charges from various ATMs. "banks make a lot of money while holding our money"
That is true of your own bank. But when you are traveling in another country, the ATM you are using isn't holding any of your money or using it - they are just the middleman. They have made nothing from providing money for you, unless they charge you a fee. As I said, I like to keep my fees as low as possible, but I recognize that sometimes "low" will not equal "zero".

I don't understand all the hostility this has generated. it was a simple question. And as we know Europe's banks do not (are are not allowed to) charge a fee for their ATM use, which kind of destroys the arguments presented as to why this has to be. So why was it so terrible to ask what the practices involving ATMs are in Canada?
I'll repeat what I last wrote - based on these replies, how can this message board allow the thread "ATMs: Minimizing Fees"?

Ken: That's good to know about the credit union ATMs...I may have to look into that, because I do all of my personal banking at a local credit union here. When I use one of their ATMs, there's no fee, but I will incur a fee at any other credit union or bank ATM, which makes sense...they're providing a service I need, I'm not a member or customer, so they charge a fee. I'm assuming I would incur a fee at Canadian credit union ATMs with my own local credit union debit card since I'm totally out of network, but maybe not...I'll have check it out in a couple of weeks when I'm back up there in God's Country. I don't normally worry about this stuff too much. If I need cash, I use the nearest ATM...end of story (but I do like lower or no fees). Nancy's right...different banks charge different fees. I provided the one example, as it's the last one I remember from a trip in mid-April (although I actually think I always end up at an RBC machine somehow). Larry: You simply need to accept the fact that some business transactions are going to cost you something...it's a market economy, and you have other choices. Don't get me wrong, I'm about as far left as one can be, but I certainly don't expect a private corporation with whom I have no affiliation as a customer whatsoever to do me a kindness and give me money without taking a cut for themselves. It's their equipment, it's their connection to the banking system, it's their cash in the machine, etc. It's just the way it is. I don't normally do business with banks, but this is an exception...another is credit cards...even your credit union credit card is underwritten by a huge banking corporation. Accept it and move on...you're shortening your life worrying about this stuff...not worth it.

@Michael, I don't know if U.S. Credit Unions have reciprocal arrangements with their counterparts in Canada, however it would certainly be worthwhile to get some information on that. I don't recall if I've paid a fee when getting cash at Credit Unions in other Provinces, but I DO get "nicked" with fees whenever I use ATM's in the U.S.

Larry, I don't detect any hostility or any criticism of you for asking the question. There was nothing wrong with asking. What people reacted to was your apparent belief that they shouldn't charge fees (even before you knew whether they did or not). If European ATMs are prevented from charging fees to out of network people, they must make it up with their own customers, or some other way. As for the Graffiti Wall section, I believe it actually refers to minimizing the fees you are charged, by your own bank, by shopping around for a card that offers the best deal. I guess to answer your question, the Graffiti Wall can allow the thread because it's their website and their post - they can post what they want. You have yet to answer what you were asked, though. Why would you expect that they should maintain their network and machines, and keep them filled, at no cost to you, when you are not their customer or in their network? "Because they do it in Europe" isn't a valid reason.

I already pay, through the interest I don't receive from my bank, to be a member of the Cirrus Network worldwide for this card. So somewhere in there, the owner of the bank providing the ATM machine IS receiving some compensation for this. Hostility? Negativity? There was a fascinating thread here last year, the title was something like "Why don't they just answer the question?" And your answer to my question was , and I quote (which I normally hate doing online or in e-mail): "Does it really matter? Do a couple of dollars in fees on an ATM withdrawal matter so much that you would skip the withdrawal? Would spending a few bucks on fees ruin your vacation?" Now, wasn't that a helpful answer to "what kind of fees (flat, %?) are charged by Canadian ATMs?"
Indeed, it was not. Rather, it expressed the opinion that my question was out of line and not deserving of an answer.

Larry, as there are only five major banks in Canada, it would be easy for you to go on line and find their rates. All five will have branches in the maritime provinces. Look for, BMO, TD, RBC, Scotiabank, CIBC.
Have a great time.

Peter:
Thank you so much for answering my question (and I see you are in Canada). That is exactly the sort of information I was asking for when I posted this question.

I thought your original question was: "So does anyone know what kind of fees (flat, %?) are charged by Canadian ATMs?" And I thought an answer was provided early in this thread by a non-Canadian (an Iowan, in fact) - $1.50 (sorry, I didn't see that you were asking this only of Canadians). You added some additional commentary, and that generated some additional responses. If all you were really looking for were the names of the different banks in Canada, couldn't you just have Googled that information? Now that I think about it, you probably could have simply Googled the fees, too. My take is that your added remarks/opinions clouded what could have been a simple question with a simple answer, but maybe your intent all along was to use this forum as a sounding board for your anti-bank rant...who knows?

I guess my Google skills just aren't up to the standard of the members of this board, since I was unable to find that information. of course, i have never been able to find via Google that European banks don't charge ATM fees, i only fo8und that out here. But then I suppose your "Go to Google and don't bother us" would apply to most of the questions posed here. Or, "why don't you search the forums where this has been answered so many times?" which could be applied by your logic to so m any questions posed here. My comment was thrown in because without it I fully expected the reply "Don't be so cheap!" Which I wound up getting anyway. If you think this was an anti-corporation rant then maybe your sensitivities are set too tight on this (or is the only corporation that may be attacked here Ryanair?) i will repeat what I said in a couple posts back: "There was a fascinating thread here last year, the title was something like "Why don't they just answer the question?" And your answer to my question was , and I quote (which I normally hate doing online or in e-mail): "Does it really matter? Do a couple of dollars in fees on an ATM withdrawal matter so much that you would skip the withdrawal? Would spending a few bucks on fees ruin your vacation?" Now, wasn't that a helpful answer to "what kind of fees (flat, %?) are charged by Canadian ATMs?"
Indeed, it was not. Rather, it expressed the opinion that my question was out of line and not deserving of an answer. If you don't have an answer to a question, then don't give one. It's a shame that some people here feel that they have to chime in with opinions that serve no positive purpose. And while we are at it, Michael, where do you get off deciding my "intent?"

'It's a shame that some people here feel that they have to chime in with opinions that serve no positive purpose' Which isn't much different than people who chime in with an opnion about something they haven't done. Which isn't much different than people who chime in based on a wild guess. Which isn't much different than people who chime in because they think their way is the only way to do things - - or that the things they saw are the only things worth seeing - - or that they places they went are the only places worth going. Which isn't much different than people who sort of chime in with a bunch of links which makes you wonder if they know what they're talking about or just googlized something. Idle fingers ... .

Lighten up Larry.....handbags at 20 paces

What's really sad, as the original poster of the question I at least get an e-mail every time someone responds. But it sure looks like some people are constantly checking to see what responses their comments get, and then having to further justify them.

Kill the auto-email function? Petition the Webmaster for an 'ignore' button?

"Rather, it expressed the opinion that my question was out of line and not deserving of an answer." Since you are quoting me here, I would appreciate it if you would also refrain from surmising my "intent". I did not ever express an opinion that your "question was out of line and not deserving of an answer". In fact, I stated the exact opposite in a subsequent post. You do not know what my opinion is regarding your question.

Actually, it sure looks like your "opinion" of my question was rather clear, as you gave an opinion rather than a factual answer to the question I asked. And if you would actually examine the chain of replies fully, you will see that the remark about "intent" was not directed at you.
Does anyone else realize how ridiculous this has gotten?

I didn't decide Larry's intent..."maybe" means a mere possibility. Relax, Champ...just take your trip and enjoy Canada.

I'm sorry you're getting so much flack, Larry. I'm not sure why the Americans are getting so defensive about your trip to Canada. I hope you had a good time on your trip, and that the nasty ATM fees didn't bite you too bad (they can charge 2 or 3$ per transaction, in addition to your bank fees - which I'm sure you've discovered).

A one time poster has revived a one year old zombie thread. How do people find these things??