Banks across Pakistan have increased the per-transaction fee for cash withdrawals at automated teller machines (ATMs) when customers use machines belonging to banks other than their own. The fee has been raised from Rs. 23.44 to Rs. 35.00 per transaction.

Banks have already begun charging customers the new rate of Rs. 35 for each withdrawal at non-host ATMs. All commercial banks have updated their schedules of charges to reflect this hike, impacting customers who use ATMs outside their own bank’s network.

Industry sources note that the bulk of these charges go to the 1-Link switch, which facilitates interbank transactions, while a smaller portion is retained by the bank that owns the ATM used for the transaction.