The average ATM fee is a record-high $4.52

ATM
(Image credit: iStock)

Next time you accidentally frequent a cash-only bar, you better think twice about settling for the nearest ATM. The average fee for using an out-of-network ATM is now a record-high $4.52, according to a Bankrate survey released Monday. If you live in a city like New York or Atlanta, average fees top $5, and you might wind up forking over as much as $8 in some cases.

The new average is a 21 percent spike from five years ago, The Wall Street Journal reports, chalking it up to a combination of pressure on banks to lower other fees and a sizable decrease in ATM withdrawal popularity.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.