Found out my bank charges 3% for foreign ATM withdrawals, ouch

So after two weeks in Lisbon I finally checked my banking app and saw these little fees adding up. I always figured my account had no foreign transaction fees because the card says 'no annual fee' on it. Turns out that's totally different from ATM fees, they hit me with 3% on every withdrawal plus a flat $2.50 from the local bank. In a month of pulling cash for markets and small cafes I probably lost close to $60. I found this out by reading the fine print on their fee schedule PDF, which took forever to locate. Wish I had just gotten a travel card before leaving, or at least used my credit card more for purchases since that has no foreign fee. Has anyone else got surprised by hidden bank fees while hopping countries? How do you handle cash in places that are mostly card-free?

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ruby45020d ago

Damn, at least that $60 bought you a lesson in reading every fee sheet!