By: Money Navigator Research Team
Last Reviewed: 03/02/2026
FACT CHECKED
Quick Summary
Tide’s published pricing lists £1 per ATM cash withdrawal, and the “total cost” can change in a few predictable situations – notably foreign currency withdrawals, ATM-offered currency conversion, and ATMs that apply their own charges.
Tide also states that some ATMs may charge a separate fee, and that foreign currency fees vary by plan.
This article is educational and not financial advice.
What Tide’s published pricing says about ATM withdrawals
Tide’s publicly available plan pricing lists ATM withdrawals at £1 across its plans on the Tide plans and pricing page. That’s the baseline “issuer-side” fee for an ATM cash withdrawal in Tide’s pricing grid.
Separately, Tide’s help centre confirms that the £1 fee applies when withdrawing cash at an ATM abroad, and that Free plan members can also incur a percentage fee on foreign-currency withdrawals (explained below). This is stated in Can I use my card abroad?.
The three “layers” that can affect the total cost of an ATM withdrawal
ATM withdrawals can look simple (cash out, done), but charges typically come from three different places. Seeing them as separate layers makes it easier to understand why two withdrawals of the same amount can cost different totals.
1) Tide’s ATM withdrawal fee
Tide’s published plan pricing lists £1 per ATM withdrawal on the Tide plans and pricing page. This is the fee Tide indicates for the act of withdrawing cash at an ATM.
2) Foreign currency fees (plan-dependent)
Tide states that Free plan members are charged 2.75% for card payments and ATM withdrawals in other currencies, and also references GBP card payments outside the UK.
This appears in Can I use my card abroad? and in Will I be charged when I use my card abroad?. Tide also states that members on Smart, Pro or Max “will not receive currency exchange fees” in that same help-centre guidance.
In practice, that means two people can withdraw the same amount overseas and see different totals depending on whether a currency-exchange fee applies under their plan rules.
3) ATM operator charges and on-screen disclosures
Tide’s help-centre guidance notes that some ATMs may also charge an extra, separate fee for using the machine, in addition to Tide’s own cash withdrawal fee. That statement appears in Will I be charged when I use my card abroad?.
For UK LINK-network withdrawals, LINK explains the network’s transparency rules on charging machines and the prohibition on “double charging” for the same withdrawal in its Charges for cash withdrawals guidance.
Separately, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) describes ATM charge transparency requirements (including information provided before withdrawal and on receipt) in its PSD2/PSRs approach document: The PSR’s proposed approach to monitoring and enforcing PSD2.
The practical takeaway is that the ATM screen disclosures matter, because that’s where operator charges and certain currency conversion services are surfaced at the point of withdrawal.
Typical charging scenarios (and the common exceptions that change outcomes)
UK ATM withdrawal in GBP (no foreign currency)
Typical outcome: the baseline position is Tide’s published £1 ATM withdrawal fee as shown on the Tide plans and pricing page.
What can change it: the machine itself can be a charging ATM (operator fee). LINK sets out charging transparency requirements and restrictions around double charging within its network in Charges for cash withdrawals guidance.
Where the PSR’s transparency regime applies to independent ATM deployers, the PSR document describes information that must be provided to users before withdrawal and on receipt in The PSR’s proposed approach to monitoring and enforcing PSD2.
Overseas ATM withdrawal in local currency (foreign currency withdrawal)
Typical outcome: Tide confirms the £1 ATM cash withdrawal fee applies abroad in Can I use my card abroad?.
What can change it: foreign currency fees can apply based on plan. Tide states the Free plan has a 2.75% fee for ATM withdrawals in other currencies (and for certain other non-UK usage conditions), and that Smart/Pro/Max do not receive currency exchange fees, in Will I be charged when I use my card abroad?. In addition, Tide notes that some ATMs may charge a separate machine fee (same source).
Overseas ATM offers to convert and charge in GBP (dynamic currency conversion)
Some ATMs offer to convert the withdrawal into GBP at the ATM, rather than processing the transaction in local currency. That’s generally referred to as dynamic currency conversion (DCC).
Mastercard describes DCC as a service that lets a cardholder choose to complete a cross-border transaction in local currency or in the cardholder’s billing currency, and it addresses presentation and choice within its guidance: Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) Performance Guide – Merchant Version.
In the UK regulatory context, the PSR’s approach document discusses ATM transparency requirements and also references disclosure requirements where a currency conversion service is offered at an ATM (DCC): The PSR’s proposed approach to monitoring and enforcing PSD2.
The practical implication is that the exchange rate and charges can differ depending on which conversion route is used, and the ATM screen is where the conversion choice and associated information is typically surfaced.
Summary Table
| Scenario | Outcome | Practical impact |
|---|---|---|
| UK ATM withdrawal in GBP | Tide’s published £1 ATM fee applies | Predictable baseline cost per withdrawal under Tide’s pricing |
| UK charging ATM | Operator charging disclosures may appear | Total cost can include a machine fee depending on the ATM |
| Overseas withdrawal in local currency | £1 applies; FX fee may apply by plan | Free plan can add percentage FX cost on top of £1 |
| Overseas withdrawal with DCC (ATM converts to GBP) | Conversion route and rate depend on DCC offer | Total cost can change based on the disclosed conversion terms |
| ATM dispute (cash not received vs recorded) | Evidence is requested and assessed | Outcomes can depend on ATM logs/journal evidence and dispute process |
Scenario Table
| Scenario-level | Process-level | Outcome-level |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal is domestic, GBP | ATM request processed without currency conversion | Only Tide’s baseline ATM fee is expected from published pricing |
| Withdrawal is cross-border, local currency | Transaction is converted after the fact using the card network/issuer route | Plan rules determine whether an FX fee is added |
| ATM offers DCC | ATM presents a billing-currency conversion option with its own terms | Conversion terms shown on-screen can materially change the total |
| ATM is a charging machine | ATM displays the operator charge and requests acceptance | Operator charges can add a separate cost layer |
| Withdrawal is disputed | Issuer requests ATM-operator evidence (logs/journal roll) | Decision can turn on what the evidence indicates occurred |
Tide Business Bank Account
Tide is positioned as a business current account provider with multiple plan tiers and a published tariff for common account actions. Tide’s ATM withdrawal pricing is shown within the broader fee picture (transfers, card usage, cash deposits and other charge categories).
For a broader neutral overview of Tide’s business account positioning and features in our own site structure, see the Tide business bank account hub page. This article focuses only on ATM cash withdrawal charging scenarios and exceptions, rather than the wider account feature set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tide’s published plan pricing lists ATM withdrawals at £1 in its pricing comparison table on the Tide plans and pricing page. That makes £1 the baseline tariffed fee Tide presents for an ATM withdrawal.
However, the “all-in” cost can still differ by scenario. A withdrawal that involves currency conversion or an ATM-side charge can lead to additional costs beyond the £1 baseline.
Tide’s published pricing shows £1 ATM withdrawals across plan tiers on the Tide plans and pricing page, and Tide’s help-centre wording also refers to the £1 as a “standard fee” for ATM withdrawals abroad in Can I use my card abroad?.
The main plan-based “exception” that changes totals is not the £1 itself, but whether a foreign currency fee applies when the withdrawal is in another currency. Tide states the Free plan has a 2.75% fee for ATM withdrawals in other currencies, while Smart/Pro/Max do not receive currency exchange fees, in Will I be charged when I use my card abroad?.
Tide explicitly notes that some ATMs may charge an extra, separate fee for using the machine, in Will I be charged when I use my card abroad?. That describes an ATM-operator-side fee that is distinct from Tide’s own pricing tariff.
In the UK LINK network context, LINK explains transparency requirements for charging and the restriction on “double charging” for the same LINK cash withdrawal in Charges for cash withdrawals guidance.
The presence, timing, and presentation of any operator fee is typically surfaced on the ATM screen as part of those transparency rules.
Charging transparency is designed to make the cost visible before the withdrawal completes. LINK summarises requirements such as on-screen messages and cardholder acceptance in its Charges for cash withdrawals guidance.
Separately, the PSR describes information that must be provided to users before withdrawal and on receipt by independent ATM deployers in its approach document: The PSR’s proposed approach to monitoring and enforcing PSD2. In practice, that translates into screens that show fees and require confirmation.
Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) is where the ATM offers to convert the transaction and charge the card in the cardholder’s billing currency (for example GBP), rather than processing in local currency. Mastercard describes DCC and the currency-choice framing in its guidance: Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) Performance Guide – Merchant Version.
It matters because the conversion route can change the terms applied (including the exchange rate and any disclosed charges). The PSR’s approach document also discusses disclosure expectations where a currency conversion service is offered prior to initiation at an ATM (DCC), in The PSR’s proposed approach to monitoring and enforcing PSD2.
Tide states that Free plan members are charged 2.75% of the transaction amount for ATM withdrawals in other currencies, while Smart/Pro/Max plan members do not receive currency exchange fees, in Will I be charged when I use my card abroad?.
Tide also confirms the £1 standard fee applies for ATM withdrawals abroad in Can I use my card abroad?.
That means the same overseas cash withdrawal can produce different totals depending on whether a currency exchange fee applies under the plan, and whether the ATM itself adds a separate charge.
Tide states it does not support cashback at the till and that such a request would be declined, in Can I use my Tide card to get cash back at the till?.
As a result, where cash access is needed, Tide’s guidance points back to ATM withdrawals as the supported route (with Tide’s usual cash withdrawal fees applying).
In disputed cash withdrawal situations, providers generally rely on ATM-operator evidence (for example journals/logs and balancing information) and the card-scheme dispute mechanism to establish what occurred.
A published Financial Ombudsman decision involving a Tide-branded account describes how evidence was requested from the ATM operator via a chargeback-style process and then assessed: Financial Ombudsman Service decision DRN-5901942.
The key practical point is that these disputes can turn on what the machine’s records indicate happened (for example whether cash was recorded as dispensed) and on the quality and completeness of the evidence available.
Even where the cash amount is the same in local currency, the total can differ because the conversion route and charges can differ.
Mastercard’s DCC guidance explains that cardholders may be offered a choice to complete a cross-border transaction in local currency or billing currency, which changes how the conversion is performed: Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) Performance Guide – Merchant Version.
On top of that, Tide’s own plan rules can add a percentage foreign currency fee for Free plan members (as stated in Will I be charged when I use my card abroad?), and the ATM operator can apply a separate machine fee in some cases.
Mastercard provides a public tool describing exchange rates it uses for cross-border purchases and ATM transactions via its currency conversion calculator: Mastercard currency exchange rate converter.
This type of reference can be useful for understanding how scheme rates are presented in principle, but it does not remove the impact of plan-based fees (where applicable) or any separate ATM operator charges that may apply in a particular scenario.
ATM withdrawals are one of the clearest examples of “stacked pricing” in payments: a single action can involve issuer pricing (Tide’s tariff), scheme and conversion mechanics (including DCC choices), and terminal-side pricing (ATM operator charging).
The friction for businesses is not usually that any one layer is complex – it’s that the layers can combine, and the decision point is often a short on-screen prompt at the ATM.
For Tide specifically, the core mechanism is straightforward in published pricing (a per-withdrawal fee), but exceptions matter because foreign currency pricing is plan-dependent and some machines can add separate charges.
The practical impact is that finance teams often need to treat “ATM cash withdrawal” as a category with multiple cost drivers, rather than assuming a single flat fee always describes the final cost.
Sources & References
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