A recent New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) survey found that New Yorkers got clipped by as much as $4.75 to get money from another bank’s machine. (Nationwide, the average is roughly $3.) Worse, you don’t see the surcharge until you receive your bank statement in the mail. “Customers aren’t warned about those fees,” says Ed Mierzwinski, consumer-program director of the National Association of State PIRGs. Some tips: look for banks, like Washington Mutual, that don’t charge noncustomers; use your debit card at stores that give you cash back (usually there’s no fee). And when you do go to your bank, take out more cash. That way you won’t get caught short.
