Am I making this up? ATM charges around 1999

[gregdaviesiswonderful]

Having a disagreement with DH who thinks I'm making this up. It is entirely possible that I've misremembered this so wanted to check!!

Around the time I was at university (1999-2002) I was with NatWest who had a bank on campus.

I started off getting money out at various cash points around town as there was only a NW branch on campus, not in the local town.

Now, this is where I'm not sure my memory has failed me.... I distinctly remember after a term realising that every time I used a non NatWest ATM, I was charged (I have £10 flat fee in my head but this seems too much).

I remember my parents sitting me down and pointing out that I had spent over £100 just in charges to get money out as there wasn't a NatWest ATM in town.

So from then on in I always got money out on campus before heading into town for a night out.

My DH says this is bollocks and although atms have always had some that charge, there was never a time when bank 'brands' charged for not using their ATMs and the charges were minimal and hoc depending the machine you used.

Sooooo...
YANBU: I remember this also being the case
YABU: As DH says, charges have varied but not for the reasons you state.

Yes you were charged if it wasn’t your bank.

That’s why some machines still say Free Money.

It was a thing but the charges weren't that high.

The banks were in groups and you could withdraw money from a machine from your bank or another in the group for free. Some groups were bigger than others so you had more choice. Building society accounts like Abbey National or Nationwide normally allowed you to use any machine with the link symbol.

You were charged for using a machine outside the group but it was about £1, there were also some independent machines in corner shops and bars that charged more though, still not £10 but quite off putting.

my student account had separate ATM card and cheque guarantee card in 1987. I seem to remember as a Nasty West customer I could also use Midland bank ATMs free. My friend was with Lloyds and could also use Barclays (?). Nights out had to be planned around where the cash machines were, and I used to take a fiver out for a night out so I couldn’t overspend.

when banks introduced debit (switch) cards I think they were dual purpose with the cheque guarantee card, and then they moved to one card for all three purposes and I hated that because I was paranoid that if I lost it I was stuffed for accessing my account. Of course in those days (late 80s/early 90s) there were many more bank branches and it wouldn’t have been an issue.

Yes you are correct, but it was £2.50 for me to use a link card in another ATM.

Agree with everyone posting. I moved to the UK in 2001 and was very careful to check if I needed to use an ATM. Got into the habit of using cashback in shops as a rule; but then I was working shifts and not going out in the evenings much! Needed cash on me much more than I use nowadays though.

This thread has made me feel completely vindicated!!

Yes, it was a thing!!

I don't think I had a Link card, think it was just a NatWest on and I could only use it there or Royal Bank of Scotland cash points

Completely overestimated the charges though! £2.50 rings a bell

No you are definitely right!!!!

Definitely was a thing. I think it was only £1 or something to use another banks atm though

Yeah i remember that was a couple of pound maybe?

used to have go to a differnt town sometimes to get money-(not too far)

There was a small 20p charge, but there were lots of cash machines so unless you were very lazy, you just found the machine for the correct bank.

I remember a hefty charge if you used your credit card to withdraw cash. Some people got caught out by it, they thought it was better than using the credit card to pay. Spoiler: it wasn't!

Yep, the cash machine nearest my student house charged. It would have been 2003

I had totally forgotten this but you are right. But NatWest and Midland (now HSBC) could use each other’s machines for free. Not sure who else!

I remember it being about £1.50 I think, and taking specific routes to pubs to pass an Alliance and Leicester ATM.

I’d completely forgotten about that.

I don't think I had a Link card

You wouldn't have done, it didn't work like that. Link was one of the names the banks called the inter-bank systems between them so if your bank was a Link member, you could use the cash machines of the other member banks as well.

@MatildaJayne , ahhhh find memories of the Mandela bar and Rolf's. (I expect they've renamed the latter now 😳).

I also remember being able to get 5.00 out of a cashpoint!

Ahhh that makes sense!

I do remember adding up the charges and seeing it was over £100 once I realised. But I think this was over a year and I just didn't notice them for ages (too much time partying, not enough reviewing my statements!!)

I also have the same pin number as I did in 1991!! 30 years

publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmtreasy/191/191.pdf

Sometimes in the 80s there was the Mint agrément between NW TSB and Midland for ATM reciprocity ie fee free withdrawals. I did the database design for this. There was another one for Lloyds, Barclays and someone else.

The very first ATMs only allowed you to take £10 out at a time, I seem to remember.

Yep. Definitely, I had a NatWest account at the time and they had some agreement so we could also use HSBC without paying and then after a time the Link machines too.

I've no idea what the fee was though, I would never have dreamed of paying it!

I think originally, cards only worked in their own bank's machines so the option to use other banks was progress.

God I'd forgotten about this but you're absolutely right I was at Uni at that time too and always had to walk past half a dozen banks to get to mine so I wouldn't get charged.