Question of the Day - 28 March 2007

This question was originally received last May, which is proof that you never can tell when your submission's going to make it to the top of the pile. It's one of those that we figured was definitely worthwhile tackling, but knew would require a lot of legwork. At last, a window of opportunity finally opened and we've been compiling the answer over the last few weeks. (Hooray for visiting relatives dragging our ever-vigilant research department all over town: "Hold on, Mom. We can't eat until I've checked out the ATM fees here!")

We couldn't check every casino in town, of course, but we hope our survey covered a representative sample of Strip, off-Strip, and downtown casinos. Note that these are just the fees charged by the ATM company and don't include any additional charges that your own bank may impose.

And where you really get stung is if you take out a cash advance on your credit card at one of these machines. For the Rio and Palms, you'll be slapped with a whopping $11.99 fee on top of a $100 cash advance, or $52.99 for $1,000; at the Gold Coast, it's $9 and $49 respectively.

Bank ATM Charges

In addition to investigating casino ATM fees, we also did comparative studies with the major banks nearest to the Strip to see what it costs if you use your card at one of them other than the bank you have your account with. You'll find those results listed below, plus a handy map to show you exactly where they're located.

• 1. Bank of America Forum Shops at Caesars Palace 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Transaction charge: $2.00

• 2. Citibank One Stop Market, near MGM Grand 3755 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Transaction charge: $1.50

• 3. Nevada State Bank 4240 W. Flamingo Rd. (directly opposite the Palms) Transaction charge: $1.50

• 4. Washington Mutual 4055 Maryland Pkwy. (across from UNLV) Transaction charge: $2.00

• 5. Wells Fargo 3475 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Harrah's Carnaval Court) Transaction charge: $2.00

• 6. Wells Fargo 3800 Howard Hughes Pkwy. (inside Las Vegas Tower, across from the Tuscany) Transaction charge: $2.00

• "Regarding ATM's on the strip, Bank of America lists this address on their website, 3769 Las Vegas Blvd. S. I used this ATM in August of 2006. It is on the 3rd floor of the M&M store and is a stand alone ATM, not built into a wall, so it can be easy to miss."
• "Not a question, but a response to the ATM fees: If you are a member of most credit unions, you can use the ATMs at 7-11 for free."
• "ING Direct now has an online checking account which provides access to your money without charge from 32,000 ATMs throughout the country. They use Allpoint ATMs, which are located in many stores frequented by tourists. A quick check of their list of locations in LV shows 3 at Fashion Show Mall, 2 at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets, and others at Walgreens, CVS, and Target stores throughout the city. They give you a normal debit card with the MasterCard logo and promise that if you should be charged a fee at one of the Allpoint ATMs, they'll refund it. That makes it easy to get access to your own money without paying someone else a hefty fee for the privilege. Other online banks may offer accounts with similar features."
• "Not really a question but the Walgreens on the Strip and on Fremont street allow cashback with ANY purchse. At no charge. We each bought a pack of gum and some water and got $200 each back."
• "Regarding ATMs, I had the Luxor casino cash my cheque at NO CHARGE! They submit [to your bank], ask some questions, and receive a limit they can approve you for (usually close to your bank balance) that they allow you to cash a cheque for. Best of all, it was quick and there were no other charges."