ATMs are a huge convenience. They also come with fees that can be hidden or are often difficult to understand and compare. Most people just accept them.
There are about 16 million ATM cards in Hong Kong - used 136.4 million times in 2010. Those fees add up to substantial sums.
There are three ATM networks in Hong Kong, each supporting its own set of banks and charging different fees depending on whether a machine is used locally or abroad.
The Hong Kong Association of Banks, along with the DTC association (Hong Kong Association of Restricted Licence Banks and Deposit Taking Companies) issued a revised Code of Banking Practice in 2009, endorsed by the Monetary Authority. It recommends all banks make fee details readily available to customers. Despite that, most banks show only the minimum fees applying to ATM use in their service charges leaflet.
Money Post chose eight big Hong Kong banks and asked employees, both in person and over the phone, to explain the main ATM fees in Hong Kong and abroad, at any branch and also at other banks.
Jetco (Joint Electronic Teller Services) is the most popular ATM network, with 30 member banks in Hong Kong and Macau and 2,600 ATMs in the region, including in 20 major mainland cities. Banks such as Citibank, Bank of China, DBS and Standard Chartered are members, and their ATMs sport the Jetco logo. Withdrawing money from any of their ATMs attracts no fee in Hong Kong.
Hang Seng and HSBC use the ETC network's approximately 1,000 ATMs in Hong Kong.