People in Cornwall and the Scilly Isles are the hardest hit by cash machine charges to get access to their cash, says research from Nationwide Building Society.
The region is one of six mainly rural areas where charging cash machines outnumber free ones, with 370 charging and 250 non-charging ATMs.
The ratio means that six out of every ten machines charge customers an average £1.50 for access to their account, regardless of how much they wish to withdraw.
The number of charging machines has gradually crept up in recent years, now making up 25,500 of the total 59,000 ATMs in the British Isles.
The low-waged who withdraw less per visit are the hardest hit, with 27 per cent of paid for transactions being levied on withdrawals of £20 or less.
“Across the UK people will this year pay £250 million to access their money from cash machines, but those charges can be avoided if you seek out a machine that is free,” said Stuart Bernau, executive director of Nationwide.
“People living in Cornwall, as well as holidaymakers visiting the region, need to be particularly alert when they are withdrawing cash as this is one of the areas in the UK where charging cash machines outnumber those that are free.”
Other areas with predominantly charging machines are Devon, the West Midlands, Wales, Lancashire, and Northumberland and Tyne & Wear.
At least some of the costs of charging can be offset by finding the best current account rates.
This article: © Moneyexpert Ltd.