PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT
Barcelona, Spain – 10 June 2026
14 Western European countries, including the UK, Switzerland, and Portugal, charge nothing at any major bank ATM. But Spain charges up to $8.22. Iceland can reach $31 per withdrawal. And Turkey, in Eastern Europe, has the three most expensive ATMs on earth. A new 182-country study reveals the full picture – Europe is a continent that is the friendliest in the world for ATM fees and also home to some of the most expensive ATMs ever recorded.
Europe is the most visited continent on earth. Over 700 million international tourist arrivals per year. Travellers come from every corner of the world, and most of them will withdraw cash at some point during their trip. A new global study has ranked, for the first time, exactly what those travellers pay at ATMs in every European country.
The Travel ATM Fee Index 2026, published by ATM Fee Saver – global travel fintech company, is the most comprehensive analysis of foreign ATM withdrawal fees ever conducted. It ranks 182 countries, territories and dependencies across 12 continental regions for ATM Access Fees. Across the 51 European countries and territories analysed (28 in Western Europe, 23 in Eastern Europe) the findings show a continent split in two. In half of Western Europe, every major bank ATM is fee-free for foreign travellers. In the other half, fees range from modest to punishing. In Eastern Europe, the extremes are even wider.
Western Europe – full rankings
It’s the world’s friendliest region for ATM fees. Average ATM fee is 0.64% and 78.57% of countries in the region have at least one fee-free ATM option. 67.86% have at least two fee-free options.
| Rank | Country | Average ATM Fee |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 2.30% |
| 2 | Norway | 1.50% |
| 3 | Andorra | 1.40% |
| 4 | Spain | 1.31% |
| 5 | Netherlands | 1.13% |
| 6 | Iceland | 1.09% |
| 7 | Finland | 1.04% |
| 8 | Austria | 0.99% |
| 9 | Italy | 0.60% |
| 10 | San Marino | 0.53% |
| 11 | Sweden | 0.48% |
| 12 | Germany | 0.24% |
| 13 | Greece | 0.20% |
| 14 | France | 0.14% |
+ 14 countries where every major bank ATM charges foreign travellers nothing: Belgium, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Eastern Europe – full rankings
This region has an average fee of 1.37% but also the highest fee-free option coverage on earth – 82.61% of countries have at least one fee-free ATM option. It is also home to the three highest-fee ATMs in the world, all in Turkey.
| Rank | Country | Average ATM Fee |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Türkiye | 6.29% |
| 2 | Moldova | 2.54% |
| 3 | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 2.14% |
| 4 | Belarus | 1.81% |
| 5 | Poland | 1.66% |
| 6 | Georgia | 1.59% |
| 7 | Ukraine | 1.52% |
| 8 | Slovakia | 1.25% |
| 9 | Albania | 1.15% |
| 10 | Croatia | 1.10% |
| 11 | Montenegro | 0.98% |
| 12 | North Macedonia | 0.81% |
| 13 | Armenia | 0.54% |
| 14 | Serbia | 0.48% |
| 15 | Hungary | 0.45% |
| 16 | Kosovo | 0.43% |
| 17 | Slovenia | 0.32% |
| 18 | Czechia | 0.17% |
| 19 | Latvia | 0.16% |
| 20 | Bulgaria | 0.08% |
| 21 | Estonia | 0.04% |
| 22 | Lithuania | 0.04% |
| 23 | Romania | 0.00% |
The full country-by-country regional tables are available in the complete report – Travel ATM Fee Index 2026 – Full Findings and Report (atmfeesaver.com).
Regional rankings – 12 regions compared
The study ranks 12 continental regions from most expensive to cheapest:
| Rank | Region | Average ATM Fee |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South America | 2.82% |
| 2 | Central America | 1.46% |
| 3 | Sub-Saharan Africa | 1.41% |
| 4 | Eastern Europe | 1.37% |
| 5 | South & Central Asia | 1.35% |
| 6 | North Africa | 1.26% |
| 7 | South East & East Asia | 1.07% |
| 8 | North America | 1.03% |
| 9 | Caribbean | 1.00% |
| 10 | West Asia | 0.89% |
| 11 | Western Europe | 0.64% |
| 12 | Australia & Oceania | 0.54% |
The findings that make Europe’s ATM fee landscape unique
Spain, Europe’s tourist trap vs Portugal next door, fee-free. Spain is one of the most visited countries on earth. It has only three fee-free ATM options among 18+ ATM networks, and those three have limited presence. ATM Fee range from $5.87 to $8.22 per withdrawal. Right next door, Portugal charges nothing at every major bank ATM. A traveller driving from Lisbon to Madrid crosses from fee-free to expensive in one border crossing.
Iceland: the $31 withdrawal. Iceland’s average ATM fee is 1.09%. On paper, that sounds negligible. In practice, Icelandic króna exchange rates and high withdrawal limits push the actual cost to $31.06 per withdrawal at the ATM’s maximum limit. Iceland has no fee-free option. Every traveller pays in one of the most expensive countries on earth.
The Nordic split. Five Nordic countries. Two have fee-free ATM options – Norway and Sweden. Three do not – Iceland, Denmark, and Finland. Denmark charges a typical fee of $7.87 with no fee-free alternative. A traveller doing a Scandinavian circuit crosses from fee-free to expensive and back depending purely on which border they cross. Same region, same culture, opposite ATM experiences.
Turkey: the most extreme country in the world. Turkey has the three most expensive ATMs recorded in the entire 182-country study – charging 11.99%, 12.09%, and 13.98% per transaction respectively. A traveller withdrawing the equivalent of $200 at the worst ATM in Istanbul pays $27.96 in fees. Yet five major Turkish banks, with wide national presence, charge foreign cardholders 0 fees. The gap between worst and best in the same country is the largest anywhere on earth.
The Baltics: near-zero across the board. Latvia (0.16%), Lithuania (0.04%), Estonia (0.04%) – all three Baltic states charge near-zero fees, with fee-free options widely available. A traveller moving through Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius pays virtually nothing in ATM fees. By contrast, their neighbour Poland charges a typical fee of $5.56.
Czechia: the misleading average. Czechia’s average ATM fee is 0.17% – among the lowest in Eastern Europe. But the typical fee a tourist actually encounters is $8.16 per withdrawal. The low average is driven by high withdrawal limits, not low fees. Prague – one of Europe’s most visited cities – charges every tourist at the ATM. Fee-free options exist, but only at few specific bank ATMs with limited presence.
The UK: fee-free at major bank ATMs for everyone. Every major bank ATM in the United Kingdom charges foreign cardholders nothing. Whether a traveller arrives from Mumbai, São Paulo, or Sydney – every ATM withdrawal in London, Edinburgh, Manchester, or anywhere in the UK costs zero in ATM fees. The UK is one of 27 countries worldwide where this is the case.
Six factors that change the fee
The index reveals the same ATM can charge different fees to different travellers based on six variables:
- Card network and issuing company – 19.78% of ATMs charge differently based on whether the card is Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc. and whether it is issued by a bank or a fintech company.
- Card alliance and tie-up – 18.5% of ATMs charge less or nothing if the cardholder’s bank belongs to a global or regional ATM alliance.
- ATM location – 15.9% of ATMs charge differently at airports, malls, and supermarkets versus in-branch or standalone ATMs.
- Card’s issuing country – 13.4% of ATMs charge differently based on where the card was issued.
- ATM operating party – 5.1% of ATMs charge differently depending on whether the ATM is bank-operated or independently contracted.
- Card type – 2.5% of ATMs charge different fees for debit versus credit cards.
What travellers to Europe can do
- In Turkey: Research before you arrive. Choosing the right bank ATM will save a lot of travel budget.
- In Portugal, the UK, France, and Ireland, use a major bank ATM.
- In the Nordics, know the split. Norway and Sweden have fee-free ATMs. Denmark, Finland, and Iceland don’t. Plan withdrawals where possible.
- In Italy and Spain, find the fee-free networks. They are limited but they exist.
- Avoid airport ATMs. In 25 countries, the same bank ATM charges more at the airport than in the city.
- Always decline the ATM’s currency conversion. Dynamic Currency Conversion adds up to 15% to every withdrawal. Choose local currency every time.
- Withdraw larger amounts less often. Most fees are per transaction. Fewer withdrawals = fewer fees.
- Check for alliance partner ATMs. In 29 countries, belonging to a banking alliance eliminates the fee.
- Get a forex mark-up fee-free card. Card’s own charges add up.
Founder’s statement
Pooja Meswani, Founder & CEO, ATM Fee Saver: “Europe is the most visited continent on earth, and it demonstrates the ATM fee dynamic better than any other region in our study. Half of Western Europe charges nothing. The other half charges you and gives you almost no way to know in advance what you’ll pay. Take the most common European trip, a traveller flying into London, then on to Paris, Barcelona, and Rome. In London, every ATM is fee-free. In Paris, most are fee-free. In Barcelona, they’re paying $5 to $8 at most popular ATM machines. In Rome, it depends entirely on which bank’s ATM they use, some are fee-free, some charge nearly $6. That’s four major European capitals, four completely different ATM fee experiences. And then there’s Turkey. The world’s three most expensive ATMs are there – 11.99%, 12.09%, 13.98%. But five major banks charge nothing. A tourist walking through Istanbul choosing the wrong ATM over the right one can lose more money on fees in a single trip than they’d spend on a day’s meals. No other country in our study demonstrates the cost of not knowing more dramatically.”
Laura Frey, Co-Founder & CMO, ATM Fee Saver: “The European data tells two stories. The first is Spain. It’s one of the three most visited countries in Europe, it receives over 85 million tourists a year, and it charges almost all of them ATM fees. Three fee-free options exist among 18+ ATM networks, but with limited presence. Meanwhile Portugal, right next door, charges nothing at every major bank. An estimated tens of millions of tourists cross between Spain and Portugal every year. One side of the border is fee-free. The other is not. And to our knowledge, nobody has pointed this out at this scale before. The second is the Nordics. Five countries that most travellers think of as a single region – and three of them have no fee-free ATM option while two do. Denmark charges $7.87 per withdrawal. Sweden charges nothing. These are neighbouring countries with deeply integrated economies. Yet the ATM fee experience is the exact opposite depending on which side of the Øresund Bridge you’re on. What we’d say to any traveller visiting Europe: if your itinerary includes any of the 14 countries that are completely fee-free – the UK, Switzerland, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, and others, you have nothing to think about. But if Spain, Iceland, Denmark, Turkey, or the Netherlands is on your list, five minutes of research before your trip can genuinely save you the cost of a nice dinner for two.”
Access the full report
The Travel ATM Fee Index 2026 is a 15-page report with complete country-by-country rankings across all 12 continental regions, detailed regional analysis, and full methodology. It ranks the ATM Access Fee – the fee charged by an ATM in a foreign country to a foreign cardholder when withdrawing cash. All dollar values are in USD.
→ Travel ATM Fee Index 2026 – Full Findings and Report (atmfeesaver.com).
All data and findings may be referenced in publications with attribution synonymous to the Travel ATM Fee Index 2026 by ATM Fee Saver (atmfeesaver.com).
About ATM Fee Saver
ATM Fee Saver is a global travel fintech company helping international travellers navigate the costs and complexities of accessing cash abroad. The mobile app enables travellers to find fee-free and low-fee ATMs across 180+ countries by providing information on ATM fees and withdrawal limits, along with fee calculators, currency converters, currency exchange places, and other essential travel resources. Website: atmfeesaver.com | App: App Store or Play Store.
Media contact
For press enquiries, write to our Media Team on connect@atmfeesaver.com or via: atmfeesaver.com/contact-us.
