3 On Your Side: Avoiding ATM Fees
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- How much money do you shell out for bank fees? It may only be a few dollars per month, but over the course of time, those little extra bank fees can add up. 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan has advice that can help you trim the amount of money you spend getting your money.
An annual survey from Bankrate.com recently found that the fees consumers pay to use an ATM that's out of their network, climbed another five percent over last year.
On average, a customer will pay a $2.77 cent surcharge to another bank to use their ATM, plus an average of $1.58 to their own bank for a total of $4.35 four dollars per transaction.
That may not seem like a lot of money, but really think about how many times per year you do it. For many consumers, those fees can quickly add up.
One way to try to avoid them, download your bank's app, which will likely have a function that maps out the branches and ATM's in your network, even when you're far from home.
Try to skip the ATM if you can't find a bank branch close by. Make a debit purchase at a grocery store or other retailer and select the cash back option.
Finally, plan cash spending carefully. That may also trim spending overall. Bankrate says consumers typically spend less when relying on cash than their debit card.
Planning can also avoid another banking fee on the rise, overdraft fees. By the way, Bankrate finds that Philadelphia has the highest overdraft fees of 25 large cities in the nation, averaging $34.80.
For more information visit: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/checking/checking-account-fees-surge-to-new-highs-1.aspx
