Using ATMs in the UK

European banks are prohibited by law from charging noncustomers for the use of their ATMs. The only fees you will encounter will be charged by YOUR bank.

A British bank will not charge you for using its atm. you will also find atms in supermarkets with the name of the store, and they won't charge you either. However, at gas stations and convenience stores you will see atms operated as a profit-making venture. They will charge you, but they will tell you in advance the charge they will make. It is easy to avoid using them, except in extremis.

good advice above... Make sure your network, or card, is on a sign on the machine. Always watch out for skimming gadgets attached by crooks. Always hide your pin when you enter it. You won't automatically get a receipt. If you request one be sure to take it.

Check with your bank in Vancouver to see if they have done a deal with a UK bank to eliminate or reduce fees when you use that ATM card. And don't forget to tell your bank when you'll be using the card in the UK.

Thanks, Nancy! Just what I needed.

And everyone else (didn't see you at first). Cheers!

Not to make you paranoid, but be weary of using ATMs outside of banks or reputable stores. A professor who teaches in London told us he'd had a few students who'd had their bank accounts cleaned out after using street ATM's that had a 'skimming' device attached that copied their card info. I try to stick to ATMs inside the actual bank, home or abroad.

You don't say much about this professor who teaches in London, but you may be worrying too much. I live here and never seen a skimming device, or lost money because of one. The majority of banks only have cash machines (atms's) accessible from outside. Very few have machines inside. You will, however, find machines inside some supermarkets and other stores, and they may be marginally less likely to have been tampered with.

<<European banks are prohibited by law from charging noncustomers for the use of their ATMs. The only fees you will encounter will be charged by YOUR bank.>> This is no longer true. There are ATM's in the UK that charge for using them. You won't be charged for ATM's at banks and many other places like supermarkets but some independent ATM's do charge. However they have to prominently state on the machine that they are making a charge if they do.
Most ATM's are free and make a point of saying they are free prominently.