Withdrawing Cash from the BAC, 5B and Bi ATMs in Guatemala
June 24 2021 | Tagged under: Guatemala
My experience of withdrawing cash from the ATMs in Guatemala
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One of the many tasks faced by the traveller is finding an ATM which offers free withdrawals.
There are no free ATM withdrawals in Guatemala either. In fact, withdrawing money in Guatemala is a pain in the ass. Period! Read more to find out how to avoid ATM fees in Guatemala.
Before crossing the border from Mexico into Guatemala I had sourced some Quetzales from travellers in Oaxaca and San Cristobal.
It wasn't much. But enough for the first few days.
Once in Guatemala: Immediate observation: It seems that banks in Guatemala do not have ATMs inside, nor on the wall outside.
One of my rules is to only use an ATM inside a bank. So here in Guatemala, I am basically fucked.
Why? Because if the ATM eats your card, you will have an easier time getting it back if the ATM is in the bank.
Update: The bad news is that ATMs destroy your card when it swallows it. But it is still worth using an ATM inside the bank if you can.
They have these little kiosks all over the place, many of which are only open from 8 am until 5 pm. Well, I understand the last bit. Makes sense here, really.
In Xela, a Mexican girl searched online for me and said that the Bi ATM would dole out up to 3,000 GTQ. 300€ +/-, whereas the 5B ATM had a limit of only 2,000 GTQ.
It makes sense for me to take out as near as I can to my maximum each time as I am charged a fixed fee, no matter how little or how much I take out.
So I head off to find a little kiosk with a Bi ATM.
It gives me a few options. 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000 or OTHER AMOUNT.
I hit OTHER AMOUNT and typed in 3,000. It tells me that the ATM withdrawal fee is 31.28 GTQ.
It rejects my request saying that the max is 2,000. I try again, this time for the fixed amount of 2,000 as FAST CASH. My request is once again rejected.
I go to the 5B ATM. It informed me that the maximum amount I could withdraw was 2,000 GTQ and the fee would be 4 USD.
I hit the 2,000 button. The machine whirls. The sound of money being counted. Music to my ears.
The 5B ATM pumps out my 2,000 GTQ
In Panajachel, I cash some dollars. 5 places said 7 Q to 1 USD. Thieving bastards. The 6th one said 7.15 GTQ.
200 USD here does not last so long. Guatemala is freaking expensive! Period. No idea where people get the idea that it's cheap here.
So needing some more cash, off I go to find an ATM in Panajachel.
I go to the BI ATM.
I hit the 2,000 button. As in Xela, my request is rejected.
Here in Panajachel (and everywhere else I presume), other than the ATM kiosks, there are ATMs in the supermarket and also in pharmacies. Life is a learning process.
Why don't they put them inside the fucking bank? Answers on a postcard, please.
OK, the ATMs in the supermarkets are probably the safest place to withdraw money from. Lots of people around. CCTV and security guards. Less chance that a card reader has been fitted to the ATM. Less chance of being knobbled.
I go to the LA TORRE supermarket. The upmarket one with lots of NICE things on the shelves at nice prices.
I use the 5B ATM. It gives me the choice of a few fixed amounts or select 'OTHER AMOUNT'. I hit the 'OTHER AMOUNT button. I type in 2000. It informs me that the charge is 4 US fucking Dollars but I am happy, as it gives me my money.
On all 4 attempts, I was using a UK-issued Mastercard debit card. All of the ATMs had both Visa and Mastercard symbols.
Does the BI bank even accept foreign-issued cards?
Update from Guatemala 2024:
My buddy Paul is in Guatemala. He is having trouble getting cash. The Bi ATMs are either ALL empty or they don't work with foreign cards, as I experienced. The 5B withdrawal fee seems to depend on what card or where the card was issued. Some tourists from France paid 60Q whilst some Americans paid 50Q.
The BAC ATM in Antigua has a lower withdrawal fee and other tourists have reported various fees. The ATMs seem to be all empty.
There are no free ATM withdrawals in Guatemala either. In fact, withdrawing money in Guatemala is a pain in the ass. Period! Read more to find out how to avoid ATM fees in Guatemala.
Before crossing the border from Mexico into Guatemala I had sourced some Quetzales from travellers in Oaxaca and San Cristobal.
It wasn't much. But enough for the first few days.
Once in Guatemala: Immediate observation: It seems that banks in Guatemala do not have ATMs inside, nor on the wall outside.
One of my rules is to only use an ATM inside a bank. So here in Guatemala, I am basically fucked.
Why? Because if the ATM eats your card, you will have an easier time getting it back if the ATM is in the bank.
Update: The bad news is that ATMs destroy your card when it swallows it. But it is still worth using an ATM inside the bank if you can.
They have these little kiosks all over the place, many of which are only open from 8 am until 5 pm. Well, I understand the last bit. Makes sense here, really.
In Xela, a Mexican girl searched online for me and said that the Bi ATM would dole out up to 3,000 GTQ. 300€ +/-, whereas the 5B ATM had a limit of only 2,000 GTQ.
It makes sense for me to take out as near as I can to my maximum each time as I am charged a fixed fee, no matter how little or how much I take out.
So I head off to find a little kiosk with a Bi ATM.
It gives me a few options. 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000 or OTHER AMOUNT.
I hit OTHER AMOUNT and typed in 3,000. It tells me that the ATM withdrawal fee is 31.28 GTQ.
It rejects my request saying that the max is 2,000. I try again, this time for the fixed amount of 2,000 as FAST CASH. My request is once again rejected.
I go to the 5B ATM. It informed me that the maximum amount I could withdraw was 2,000 GTQ and the fee would be 4 USD.
I hit the 2,000 button. The machine whirls. The sound of money being counted. Music to my ears.
The 5B ATM pumps out my 2,000 GTQ
In Panajachel, I cash some dollars. 5 places said 7 Q to 1 USD. Thieving bastards. The 6th one said 7.15 GTQ.
200 USD here does not last so long. Guatemala is freaking expensive! Period. No idea where people get the idea that it's cheap here.
So needing some more cash, off I go to find an ATM in Panajachel.
I go to the BI ATM.
I hit the 2,000 button. As in Xela, my request is rejected.
Here in Panajachel (and everywhere else I presume), other than the ATM kiosks, there are ATMs in the supermarket and also in pharmacies. Life is a learning process.
Why don't they put them inside the fucking bank? Answers on a postcard, please.
OK, the ATMs in the supermarkets are probably the safest place to withdraw money from. Lots of people around. CCTV and security guards. Less chance that a card reader has been fitted to the ATM. Less chance of being knobbled.
I go to the LA TORRE supermarket. The upmarket one with lots of NICE things on the shelves at nice prices.
I use the 5B ATM. It gives me the choice of a few fixed amounts or select 'OTHER AMOUNT'. I hit the 'OTHER AMOUNT button. I type in 2000. It informs me that the charge is 4 US fucking Dollars but I am happy, as it gives me my money.
On all 4 attempts, I was using a UK-issued Mastercard debit card. All of the ATMs had both Visa and Mastercard symbols.
Does the BI bank even accept foreign-issued cards?
Update from Guatemala 2024:
My buddy Paul is in Guatemala. He is having trouble getting cash. The Bi ATMs are either ALL empty or they don't work with foreign cards, as I experienced. The 5B withdrawal fee seems to depend on what card or where the card was issued. Some tourists from France paid 60Q whilst some Americans paid 50Q.
The BAC ATM in Antigua has a lower withdrawal fee and other tourists have reported various fees. The ATMs seem to be all empty.
Tips for withdrawing money from the ATM in Guatemala:
- Use the 5B ATM
- Assume the maximum amount is 2,000 GTQ
- There are no free ATM withdrawals in Guatemala
- ATM withdrawal fee in 2022 at the 5B ATM is 45Q
