Picture this – you’re on vacation, enjoying the sun and sand, or maybe the snow, in some foreign land. You brought some cash with you but you need more so you go to the ATM and withdraw some spending money. Everything seems to be in good order. Then you get home and realize your bank charged you $5.00 for the privilege of withdrawing that money! And since you were gone for a while, and had to make multiple withdrawals, these transactions really added up. I know I’ve been hurt by this before. When I went backpacking for three months in 2010, I spent over $100 on foreign ATM fees to withdraw money throughout my trip. The kicker – had I done some research, this could have been entirely avoidable! In today’s post, I’m going to compare the foreign ATM fees charged by all the big five Canadian banks, and highlight a few alternative options as well. With a little insight and planning, you can go abroad and spend your money the right way – enjoying your trip!

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