Avoid ATM Fees (and Scams) in Italy

Before you start withdrawing money from any old ATM, please read this first

If it gives off this vibe, it should be a hard pass.

For whatever reason, a large amount of ATMs in Italy are like those dodgy ATMs you might find at a dive bar, or the back of a bingo hall. They're covered in graffiti, charge some insane withdraw fee, and are located exclusively in places that seem to be down dark alleys or where the security cameras don't work.

So what can you do?

Be smart

This goes without saying, but you would be surprised the amount of times we've seen people withdrawing money from those Euronet ATMs placed between a florists and a tabaccheria on some side street in Rome. There's nothing inherently wrong with the Euronet ATMs (apart from the ridiculous fees) but they're not checked.

If someone were to place a card skimmer on one, there's a pretty high chance it will never be caught, unless someone using it were to spot it. But there's no one who comes by and checks on the them.

Banks are your friend (in this case)

Banks have security cameras, doors, and multiple ATMs that are used by hundreds of people a day. It's one of those "Do as Romans do" situations where if the only people you see using an ATM look like tourists, it's probably not a good ATM.

Post Offices are even better

Just like the States used to have, Italy's Post Office is the largest bank in Italy. Each Post Office also has an ATM (it usually says "PostePay" over it) and while it looks like your card won't work, it actually will.

I find these to be the most trustworthy since TONS of people use the ATM at the Post Office and they're frequently checked by the Post Office staff for skimmers.

Likewise, as of writing this, no Post Office ATMs charge a use fee, unlike some banks in Italy. So if you're on a tight budget and those ATM fees on your Italy trip are starting to rack up, start looking for Post Offices.

Get the right card

Some cards (like Bank of America) will charge you when you use an ATM that's out of their network, sort of like how some health insurance companies won't cover your fees if the hospital is out of network.

Thankfully, you can avoid those fees by changing banks!

Some banks, like Charles Schwab, don't charge an ATM fee to use an ATM that's out of network, but what's even better is that they will refund you for any ATM fees you accrue by using those private ATMs that charge a fee for every withdrawal.