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Accessing Your Own Cash Shouldnt Cost You Money
Wednesday, October 27th, 2021
Spending hard-earned cash on yourself is one thing: forfeiting it to escalating ATM fees is quite another. According to a recent Bankrate.com survey, ATM fees have reached an all-time high of $4 billion per year—a 44 percent increase since 1999. In fact, consumers who use an ATM at a financial institution where they do not have a checking account can expect to pay enough to finance a café latte at their favorite high-end coffee house every time they take out their money.
Using the wrong ATM often means paying a surcharge both coming and going. That is, 96 percent of financial institutions charge non-customers for the privilege of using their ATMs, according to Bankrate.com. The average fee for this “service” is $1.54. Additionally, a full 87 percent of FIs charge their customers for using another bank’s ATM—on average, $1.37 per transaction. All told, the combined average cost of using “someone else’s” ATM is a hefty $2.91.
It’s even possible to pay a surcharge for not receiving money. At a few banks, ATM “denial fees” may accrue when you attempt to withdraw more cash than your daily limit or bank balance allows. Translation: You are charged for a transaction you could not complete.
We’re here to help. Because FIRST IMPERIAL CREDIT UNION is a member of CO-OP Network, you won’t ever have to pay a surcharge when withdrawing cash or making deposits at one of the 30,000 CO-OP Network surcharge-free ATMs nationwide. By partnering with CO-OP Network, we want to make sure that you never have to pay outlandish fees to get your own money.
Saving money isn’t the only advantage, either. Saving money at the ATM is not cost-effective if you have to drive 300 miles to do it. Through CO-OP Network, ATM access is not only free, but also easy and convenient. With more than 30,000 locations, CO-OP Network is one of the largest ATM networks in the country. CO-OP Network ATMs are everywhere, with an emphasis on locations that are well-lit areas and inside secure buildings. Partnerships with 7-Eleven stores and high-end grocery retailers around the country have enabled CO-OP Network to become a leader in providing convenient, in-store ATM access—at locations where you live, work, and shop.
It’s this simple: You shouldn’t have to spend your money to get your money.
To find a CO-OP Network ATM in your area, click here or get the link from the Support tab within Online Banking.