The Lower Haight has a lot going for it: it’s stocked with record stores, drinking holes, and enough hair salons to shake a stick at.
But with no banks in sight, the neighborhood comes up woefully short on paper money for the cash-strapped consumer.
Sure, we’ve got plenty of non-bank ATMs to choose from. But how much do we know about these slightly shady entities -- and, more importantly, how much are they going to rip us off?
We canvassed the neighborhood in search of the lowest and highest
ATM fees in town, with some surprising results!
Like anywhere else, Lower Haight ATMs can be found on the sidewalk, inside corner stores, and in bars. Street- and store-level ATMs showed a consistent fee spread between $2.00 and $2.50 per withdrawal (New Santa Clara Market topped out at $2.50, while Sunrise Grocery and the ATM outside Kate’s Kitchen held it down at $2.00 flat). Ever stood outside Haight Fillmore Whole Foods and deliberated between the machines directly to the left and right of the entrance? Go to the right, or inside: you’ll end up spending $2.00 instead of $2.25. (Hey, it adds up!) And now, for the bad news: ATMs in both Danny Coyle’s and Mad Dog in the Fog tipped the scale at $3.00 per withdrawal, which makes a certain kind of sense given that bar patrons can be less than discerning about dollars and cents. But the same logic does not hold true for Toronado, which claims the prize for lowest ATM fee in the ‘hood. At $1.95, Toronado’s ATM is a relative bargain, whether you’re boozing it up or just there for the ambiance. Still think ATM fees are out of control? There’s one more option. Yes folks, the cheapest money that money can buy is still a pack of gum and cash back at Walgreens.
Like anywhere else, Lower Haight ATMs can be found on the sidewalk, inside corner stores, and in bars. Street- and store-level ATMs showed a consistent fee spread between $2.00 and $2.50 per withdrawal (New Santa Clara Market topped out at $2.50, while Sunrise Grocery and the ATM outside Kate’s Kitchen held it down at $2.00 flat). Ever stood outside Haight Fillmore Whole Foods and deliberated between the machines directly to the left and right of the entrance? Go to the right, or inside: you’ll end up spending $2.00 instead of $2.25. (Hey, it adds up!) And now, for the bad news: ATMs in both Danny Coyle’s and Mad Dog in the Fog tipped the scale at $3.00 per withdrawal, which makes a certain kind of sense given that bar patrons can be less than discerning about dollars and cents. But the same logic does not hold true for Toronado, which claims the prize for lowest ATM fee in the ‘hood. At $1.95, Toronado’s ATM is a relative bargain, whether you’re boozing it up or just there for the ambiance. Still think ATM fees are out of control? There’s one more option. Yes folks, the cheapest money that money can buy is still a pack of gum and cash back at Walgreens.
