Best local credit card for backpackers?

[JohnK]

Commonwealth Bank has been charging $1.25 for any cash withdrawals, including transfers from credit cards and CBA ATMs, from Visa and Mastercard. I don't know what they charge for using other banks ATMs....

[Mal]

Commbank have announced that they will not double charge (ie charge a fee themselves as well as the other ATM charging a fee) for non-CBA ATM cash withdrawals when the ATM reforms start on 3 March.

Will be interesting to see how other banks are responding.

[oz_mark]

Commbank have announced that they will not double charge (ie charge a fee themselves as well as the other ATM charging a fee) for non-CBA ATM cash withdrawals when the ATM reforms start on 3 March.

Will be interesting to see how other banks are responding.

Given Westpac's complete silence on the matter, I am expecting they are going to just keep their existing fee. They haven't advised anything else

[Mal]

Given Westpac's complete silence on the matter, I am expecting they are going to just keep their existing fee. They haven't advised anything else

It's kind of misleading for them to keep up the guff they have now about the benefits of the Gold Card when it's all meaningless in a few days...

I believe Westpac are still planning on charging 50c.

[oz_mark]

It's kind of misleading for them to keep up the guff they have now about the benefits of the Gold Card when it's all meaningless in a few days...

I believe Westpac are still planning on charging 50c.

The Westpac fee chart this morning says 25c.

[JohnK]

Commbank have announced that they will not double charge (ie charge a fee themselves as well as the other ATM charging a fee) for non-CBA ATM cash withdrawals when the ATM reforms start on 3 March.

Will be interesting to see how other banks are responding.

Given Westpac's complete silence on the matter, I am expecting they are going to just keep their existing fee. They haven't advised anything else

Funny you should mention Commonwealth Bank. Here is a note on the latest Mastercard statement I received today. Note that cash advances were $1.25 from CBA ATMs and I think $4.00 from other ATMs although I have not used one for a while.

For transactions processed on and from 8 May 2009, the fees for cash advances through Commonwealth Bank ATMs, Non-Commonwealth Bank ATMs and any other Commonwealth Bank network will change to 1.25% of the cash advance amount.

So while they are not charging a direct ATM fee they have exponentially increased the cash advance fee. Rip-off merchants. I am seriously thinking about disabling the cash advance option on CBA credit cards.

[oz_mark]

So while they are not charging a direct ATM fee they have exponentially increased the cash advance fee. Rip-off merchants. I am seriously thinking about disabling the cash advance option on CBA credit cards.

Cash advances on Credit Cards have never really been a good deal.