• ATM Withdrawal Fees in Cologne, Germany

most of the ATMs in Cologne, Germany belong to Banks such as Sparkasse, KoelnBank etc. and they all charge additional costs for withdrawal .. some up to 6,95€ which is not affordable on the long term. Which Banks cooperate with BUNQ so I get to minimize these costs as far as possible?

    Hi Kiyan,

    The fee that you are referring to is from the other party, so it is rather dependent on what the individual bank charges to withdraw from their own ATM.

    Since these foreign transaction charges are possible, maybe some other bunqers can share their experiences with ATMs in Cologne? Did anyone find some ATMs in that area with lower transaction fees? 🕵️

      I don’t think this is true, at least this is different than my experiences in the past. You have to use your MasterCard debit card for cash withdrawals. Most banks charge additional fees for withdrawals with a Maestro card.

        The „Reise Bank“ offers withdrawal without charging anything and the universal ATMs which are rarely found since Local Banks have taken over almost all of them..

          Thanks! Didn’t know that, used the Maestro Card

            Same experience here - Sparkasse is a big supplier of ATMs there (also in Bonn and Düsseldorf) and they take about 5€ for cash withdrawals, even with the MasterCard.

              Was in Cologne a few days before. Just use Postbank, Deutsche Bank or another big bank from Germany. 👍 Sparkasse sucks! 👀

                Wow. So many shops in Germany only take cash, and you have to pay to make a cash withdrawal from an ATM?

                  Yes, there are some situations where you would have to pay. Of course you can always try a different ATM.

                    Wait, there is a fee withdrawing with bunq Mastercard?

                      Can you please verify this is not Bunq decision?


                      I can confirm with ABN Amro, Maestro ATM cash withdrawal at Sparkasse is free. They also advertise intra EU cash withdrawal is free in the website


                      Do you think it's because ABN has some sort of agreement with other EU Bank/ATM Network, while Bunq does not?

                        Yep, this is a fee of the bank that provides the ATM. It is displayed before accepting the withdrawal and you can cancel if you are not willing to pay it.

                          Hey 👋,

                          as far as I know withdrawing at Ing-Diba ATM’s is also free. But they are very rare. Maybe a integration with barzahlen would be great for the German market so you can withdraw and deposit cash at a local store that supports barzahlen.

                            Not sure if I've read this idea before on together, but others fintechs have overviews of (free) ATMs. Maybe we could set up something community-driven? :-)

                              Tried one of Ing Diba‘s ATMs.. they also charge, but less than Sparkasse at least. The Local Banks took over most of the Universal ATMs for charging people or making them their customers.

                                Hi Arya 👋

                                I can verify that this isn't a bunq decision.

                                The fees that are being referred to aren't from our end. They are rather entirely from the companies offering the ATMs.

                                Let me know if you have any other questions for me 👍

                                Cheers!

                                  To the best of my knowledge withdrawal charges depend on the card issuers tariffs ('price list'). Ex.: For cash withdrawals with my Belgian MAESTRO card in Germany or elsewhere in EUR area I don't pay any ATM fees (except for few private ATM operators). This is because of the chosen account package (bunq: free or Premium). To the contrary with my German bank card I would pay fees, though withdrawals with their Visa card are free. All explained in their respective price lists and t&c's.

                                    Als je naar de Canarische eilanden gaat dan brengt elke ATM je extra kosten in rekening. Staat simpelweg op de geldautomaat.

                                    Dit is echt een ontwikkeling van de laatste jaren en “gratis” geldautomaten worden steeds schaarser.

                                    Begint zo langzamerhand te lijken op de Eurocheque tijd. Als je dan in bijvoorbeeld Frankrijke Franse Francs wilde ophalen bij de bank moest je er goed op bedacht zijn om vooral niet naar Credit Agricole te gaan, want die gooide zo extra kosten erbij op.

                                      Afgelopen jaar nog in Tenerife overal gratis geld op kunnen nemen bij verschillende ATM's, met de Maestro kaart.

                                      Had je toevallig niet gebruik gemaakt van de MasterCard? Daar krijg je altijd extra kosten.