The ATM will only pay you PLN 200. This is not a failure, but a strike
Do you use Euronet ATMs? Be prepared for major difficulties. The company has announced a protest that could seriously hamper your plans if you plan to withdraw more money today.
A well-known ATM network announced that is carrying out a one-day protest today, which is intended to draw the attention of consumers, decision-makers and business partners to the current situation of bank operators in Poland. A message on this subject appeared on the Euronet website, and relevant information is also displayed in ATMs. Alone the strike means difficulties for people who want to withdraw money today. The network has severely limited the one-time payout limit.
Reasons for the protest
200 PLN – that’s how much it is today limit for domestic cash withdrawal during one transaction in the Euronet network. Reason? Fees from VISA, Mastercard and the Polish Payment Standard, responsible for Blik, have not cover the full costs of cash withdrawals from ATMs incurred by operators these devices in our country. As Euronet points out in its statement, the rate for withdrawing cash with a domestic card has remained virtually unchanged for 14 years. In turn, there has been a similar problem with the BLIK code for 9 years. For this reason, domestic cash withdrawals are to be made by operators at more than twice the cost they incur in connection with this service.
The poor profitability of the industry is also indicated by the Analysis of the ATM Market in Poland, prepared by the Faculty of Management of the University of Warsaw in August 2023. This document was sent to Mastercard, VISA and the Polish Payment Standard, but According to Euronet, they have not taken any action to balance transaction rates.
Euronet is counting on changing the current transaction fee collection system domestic cash withdrawal by ATM operators from VISA, Mastercard and BLIK and adapting it to a level that takes into account real costs providing this service. According to the operator, the amount of fees should be determined on the basis of independent studies, e.g. prepared by academic universities. Today the protest is intended to emphasize the scale of the problem. It covers all devices in the operator’s network.
