Clark Howard's Tips

May 23, 2008

Several months ago, Clark made a lot of listeners unhappy when he failed to bash Bank of America for charging non-customers a $3 fee for use of their ATMs.

Clark defended BoA's right as a free-market enterprise to raise their rates, and he reasoned that non-customers would stop using their ATMs because of the added surcharge. But that's not what happened. In fact, Dow Jones now reports that other banks are following BoA's lead and raising their rates.

We are the ones who have to change our behavior -- not BoA or any of its competitors. They can only rip you off if you allow them to do so. Most every bank and credit union has a network of ATMs you can use for free. You can also shop around for the lowest surcharge before you do a non-customer ATM transaction. BoA and others are raising rates because we're willing to pay!

If this sounds like you, your assignment is to go to the website of your bank, credit union or brokerage house and find out where their free ATMs are located. Another option is to use your debit card during a point-of-sale purchase to get cash back for free. If you don't change your behavior, today's $3 rip-off may be $5 or $10 next year!

Consumer advice courtesy of