All commercial banks in the country have increased the fee for withdrawing money from non-host ATMs (i.e., ATMs that do not belong to the customer’s own bank). This fee has been raised from Rs. 23.44 to Rs. 35 per transaction.
Under this new system, Rs. 28 will go to the bank operating the ATM, while Rs. 7 will go to the interbank ATM network 1LINK. According to the banks, this increase was implemented due to rising operational and servicing costs; however, a large number of consumers consider it an additional financial burden for ordinary citizens.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan, previously customers were charged Rs. 23.44 for withdrawing money from a non-host ATM. This fee had been in place for years and was adopted by most banks. The sudden increase to Rs. 35 is a significant hike that will particularly affect low-income customers.
On the other hand, some banks are offering concessions to users of specific accounts. Habib Bank Limited, in its latest Schedule of Bank Charges (SOBC), clarified that if customers have an HBL Freedom Account or HBL Work Account and maintain an average monthly balance of at least Rs. 40,000, non-host ATM transactions will be completely free for them. This facility is provided for the period from July to December 2025.
Mohammad Ashfaq, who works at a private company with a salary of Rs. 45,000, says that sometimes your bank’s ATM is not nearby or is a bit far away. In such cases, the increased charges are an extra burden on people like him.
He added that our salaries are already limited, and on top of that, charges are being increased for every small or large transaction. Rs. 35 per transaction is a significant burden for low-income groups. People will now be forced either to find their own bank’s ATM or reduce the frequency of withdrawals. Although emergencies can happen, what can we do?
