I've spent quite a few hours of my vacation in the Philippines looking for fee-free ATMs. I've tried perhaps 20 different ATMs across the Philippines. Unfortunately, they all charged a 200 peso fee for foreign cards. Including even Citibank, Maybank, and HSBC (note though that I don't have a card for any of those banks).
Is it perhaps the case that there is now a uniform 200 peso fee for all ATMs? I believe I read a message flashing on some ATM screens that from Oct 1, 2015 onwards, all Bancnet ATMs will charge P200 for foreign cards. I don't know what exactly Bancnet is, but it seems like everything is Bancnet.
Follow-up question: Most ATMs I tried seemed to have a P10,000 withdrawal limit, although I think Citibank's may have been P15,000. If indeed all ATMs now charge that ridiculous P200 fee, then which ATM allows the max withdrawal (so I can minimize my losses)? I read somewhere that HSBC perhaps does P40,000 (and if so the P200 fee would just be a 0.5% loss). Can someone confirm this? And if so, also point out where the HSBC ATMs are?
If indeed all ATMs now charge a P200 fee for foreign cards, then travellers might wish to seek other alternatives (to avoid paying what amounts to a 2% tax), such as bringing more cash (USD or Euros) to change locally or using remittance services, etc.