Furious Brits have hit out at Santander after reportedly being charged almost £6 for taking out cash in Benidorm. One angry expat blasted the move and said it’s ‘daylight robbery’
British expats have slammed a UK bank provider after being charged nearly £6 to take out their own cash at a Spanish hotspot.
Santander has been accused of charging Brits in Benidorm a hefty amount at their cashpoints and banks. One man said he was left gobsmacked after he was forced to pay the fee to use the ATM at a Santander. The furious expat attempted to withdraw the lowest amount of €50 ( £41.75 ), but said an alert popped up on the machine.
According to the Brit, the message requested an additional €7 ( £5.74) for taking out money. It said: “The bank owner of this ATM will charge you a commission of 7. Your issuing entity may charge you for this transaction too. Would you like to continue?” The man slammed the “outrageous” move and branded it “daylight robbery”.
Speaking about his shock discovery, he said: “British expats and tourists in Benidorm are now being charged 7 Euros to take their own cash out at Santander cash points in the centre. It is outrageous. Most ATMs are free to use and those that do charge only used to cost an extra quid or so. But this is daylight robbery.”
However, this isn’t the only problem expats and tourists have endured in Benidorm, as a wave of crime has hit the sunny destination. A man, called benidorm_grumet on TikTok, recently warned people about suspected pickpockets. In the clip, he shared that “vulnerable” people are increasingly being targeted in the area, reports Express.
He urged everyone to be “very careful” when visiting certain parts of the area. He explained that some places are more “dodgy” than others. The holidaymaker further warned that phones are particularly being targeted. In response, one user said: “I don’t want to go now.”
Another wrote: “I’m coming out tomorrow and staying away from the strip. Old town and other side I’m staying.” A third person said: “I got chased by two muggers while walking back to my hotel on my own one night there.” However, someone else explained they still feel safe when visiting the Spanish hotspot.
They said: “I feel safer walking around Benidorm at night, when drunk, than I do when walking around Dublin city during the day when I’m sober. The hate comes from those who’ve never been to Benidorm.” Another person agreed the destination is still safe to visit and said: “Been a couple of weeks ago. Was absolutely no problem for us.” Lastly, a user commented: “I stayed opposite Tiki Beach. No issues at all.”
Santander has been contacted for comment.
