Yes, you can use a credit card at an ATM to withdraw cash, but the transaction is treated as a cash advance rather than a purchase. That means an upfront fee of roughly 3% to 5% of the amount, an interest rate typically between 25% and 30%, and interest that starts accruing the day the cash comes out of the machine. It is one of the most expensive ways to get your hands on money, and understanding the full price tag before you tap the keypad can save you real money.
What a Cash Advance Actually Costs
A single ATM withdrawal on a credit card can trigger three separate charges.
The first is the cash advance fee your issuer charges the moment the money is dispensed. It is usually the greater of a flat amount, often $10, or a percentage of the withdrawal in the 3% to 5% range. A $500 withdrawal at 5% costs $25 in fees before you have accrued a cent of interest. Federal disclosure rules require issuers to spell this fee out in the pricing table attached to every credit card application.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1026.60 – Credit and Charge Card Applications and Solicitations
The second is the ATM operator’s surcharge. If the machine belongs to a bank or network other than your issuer, the operator adds its own fee, averaging about $3 nationally.
The third only applies abroad. Using your credit card at an ATM outside the United States can add a foreign transaction fee of 1% to 3% on top of the cash advance fee. Not every card charges this, so check your cardholder agreement before you travel.
The Interest Rate and the Missing Grace Period
Cash advance APRs commonly land between 25% and 30%, well above the purchase APR on the same card. Under the Truth in Lending Act, your issuer must disclose both rates clearly.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1601 – Congressional Findings and Declaration of Purpose
The rate itself isn’t the worst of it. Regular purchases come with a grace period of at least 21 days after the billing cycle closes, during which no interest accrues if you pay the balance in full. Cash advances get no grace period at all. Interest starts the day the money leaves the ATM.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Grace Period for a Credit Card?
Take a $500 cash advance at 29.99% APR with a 5% fee. The fee alone is $25. Pay it off in 30 days and you’ll add roughly $12 in interest, for about $37 in total borrowing cost. Stretch repayment to six months, and interest alone can outrun the original fee.
What You Need Before You Go
A Cash Advance PIN
An ATM withdrawal requires a Personal Identification Number tied to your credit card, separate from any debit card PIN. If you don’t have one, request it through your issuer’s app, website, or the customer service number on the back of the card. Most issuers mail the PIN to your address on file and delivery can take up to two weeks, though some banks let you set one instantly online.
Your Cash Advance Limit
Your cash advance limit is not your credit limit. Issuers typically cap cash access at 20% to 30% of your total credit line, so a $5,000 card might only allow $1,000 to $1,500 in cash. You’ll find the figure on your monthly statement, in your online account, or by calling the issuer. Check it before you go, because a declined transaction at the ATM won’t tell you why.
ATMs also set their own per-transaction limits, which can be lower than your cash advance limit. Splitting a larger amount across multiple withdrawals means paying the operator surcharge each time.
Your account also has to be in good standing. Issuers can suspend cash advance access if payments are past due or the card is over the limit.
How the Withdrawal Works
The mechanics are close to a debit withdrawal, with a few key differences.
- Insert the card and enter your cash advance PIN when prompted.
- When the ATM asks you to choose an account, select “Credit.” Picking checking or savings will cause the transaction to fail.
- Enter an amount within both your cash advance limit and the ATM’s per-transaction cap.
- Accept the ATM operator surcharge, usually $3 to $5, if the machine is out-of-network. You have to accept it to continue.
- Take your cash and the receipt. The transaction typically posts to your account within one to two business days.
How Payments Get Split Between Balances
If you’re carrying both a purchase balance and a cash advance balance on the same card, the way payments are allocated can quietly cost you. Federal rules require that any amount you pay above the minimum go toward the highest-rate balance first, then to lower-rate balances in order.4eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.53 – Allocation of Payments Because cash advances usually carry the highest rate on the card, extra payments chip away at that balance first.
The minimum payment itself is a different story. Issuers have discretion over how to apply it, and many direct it to the lowest-rate balance. Pay only the minimum and your cash advance can sit almost untouched while interest compounds against it. If you carry a cash advance balance, pay more than the minimum.
The Effect on Your Credit Score
A cash advance doesn’t show up on your credit report as its own kind of transaction. It simply increases the balance reported on your card. But that balance moves faster than a purchase balance would, because interest is accruing from day one at an elevated rate.
Credit utilization, your balance as a share of your credit limit, accounts for roughly 30% of a typical FICO score, and the widely cited benchmark is to keep it under about 30%. A cash advance on a card that already carries a balance can push utilization well past that line before your next statement arrives. Payment allocation makes the problem stickier: if minimum payments keep landing on a lower-rate purchase balance, the cash advance balance and its interest can sit there for months, keeping utilization elevated longer than you’d expect.
If Your Card Is Lost or Stolen
If someone steals your card and uses it at an ATM, federal law caps your liability at $50, and only when specific conditions are met, including the issuer having given you notice of that potential liability and a way to report the card missing.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1643 – Liability of Holder of Credit Card Once you report the card lost or stolen, you owe nothing for unauthorized transactions that happen after your notice.6eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.12 – Special Credit Card Provisions Many major issuers voluntarily waive even the $50 through zero-liability policies, but those are issuer promises, not federal requirements. Report the card as soon as you notice it missing.
Cheaper Ways to Get Cash
Given the price of a cash advance, other options usually win on cost.
- A personal loan. The average personal loan rate was roughly 12% as of early 2026, well below the 25% to 30% typical of cash advance APRs. If you need several hundred dollars or more and can wait a few days for funding, a bank, credit union, or online lender will almost always be cheaper.
- A debit card withdrawal from your own checking account. Beyond a possible ATM surcharge, this costs nothing and doesn’t create a balance to pay off.
- A peer-to-peer payment app. Standard transfers from a linked bank account are usually free and can stand in for cash when you’re paying a person rather than a business.
- An employer payroll advance or earned-wage access program. Where offered, fees are typically a small flat amount rather than a percentage of the withdrawal.
One option that looks like an alternative but isn’t: the blank convenience checks some issuers mail to cardholders. Those checks are treated as cash advances, with the same elevated interest rate, immediate interest accrual, and a transaction fee that is usually a percentage of the check amount.7FDIC. Credit Card Checks and Cash Advances