More ATM Fees in Store? Using your...

More ATM Fees in Store? Using your bank’s automated teller machines, one of the few free bank services left, may soon cost you if banks take advantage of new rules. Most of the nation’s banks can begin imposing fees at ATMs beginning in April as a result of a decision last month by Visa International, a bank association that sets rules for ATMs.

The first place consumers might notice the charges is while on vacation. Banks want to charge fees at ATMs in tourist areas. Visa did not set a maximum fee that could be charged but said it expects banks to charge between 25 cents and $2.50 per transaction. Most institutions charge customers only for using ATMs owned by another bank. Few charge for use of their own ATMs, because they want to encourage customers to use the machines for routine transactions rather than turning to tellers, a more expensive service.

But that could be changing. Banks lobbied Visa to lift its ban on ATM surcharges because they want to levy fees at ATMs in hotels and resorts, convention centers and turnpike rest stops. These ATMs are convenient for customers but expensive for banks, Visa says. “Our members have told us that they don’t feel they can operate certain ATMs cost-effectively,” said Susan Forman, a Visa spokeswoman.

But the new policy applies to all ATMs in Visa’s Plus network, which encompasses most of the nation’s 100,000 machines. About 38,000 machines are located off bank premises in places such as supermarkets and hotels, according to Bank Network News, a Chicago trade publication.