That $38 ATM fee taught me more than any savings account ever did

Last month I was in Chicago for a wedding and needed cash for the valet, only had my card from the local credit union. Hit a random ATM in the hotel lobby, didn't even look at the screen, and got hit with a $12 surcharge plus my bank charged me $26 for being out of network. So $38 just to grab $60 out of my own account. It made me actually sit down and compare what my credit union charges versus what the big brokerages offer for cash management accounts. The brokerage account I opened has zero ATM fees worldwide and even refunds the other bank's fee. I never would've looked at that if I hadn't burned that $38 on a stupid impulse. Anyone else get stung by an ATM fee from a bank vacation and switch their daily spending setup over to a broker account instead? What's your monthly fee difference looking like now?

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fox.skyler7d ago

Tbh that $38 is brutal, but was the valet cash really worth jumping banks over?