Traveling across the country because of a family emergency or across the oceans on vacation or business and being able to get money from your hometown bank account, perhaps several thousand miles away, is a remarkable and unique service that is now taken for granted. Indeed, that unique service is not even acknowledged by critics of ATM fees. They also don't mention that consumers are not locked into paying those fees. So customers won't have surprises about the availability of their bank's ATMs, consumers should research the extent of their bank's ATM network before opening an account. Customers at grocery stores and elsewhere can also usually get additional cash back from their purchases when using these payment methods.
Consumers ultimately have choices about where to bank.
If they are dissatisfied with their bank's services or fees, they can switch. Consumers have a broad range of options. Designed around greater use of ATMs than of human tellers, these services would be less attractive to offer and less available without the widespread deployment of ATMs. If access charges are restricted or prohibited, banks will have little incentive to invest in more ATMs for the convenience not only of their customers, but other consumers. Banks have said they need to charge user fees because it is expensive for them to set up and maintain ATMs, especially in areas distant from the bank where there is a high demand.