Yes, you can take a cash advance at an ATM using most credit cards, and the process looks a lot like a debit withdrawal with one big difference: you’re borrowing against your credit line, not spending your own money. That single fact shapes every cost attached to the transaction. Bank-issued cards currently charge an average cash advance APR around 30%, fees typically run 5% of the amount withdrawn, and interest begins the moment the cash leaves the machine.
What You Need Before You Go
Two things have to be in place: a PIN tied to your credit card, and an ATM on a network your card supports.
Your credit card PIN is not the same as your debit card PIN. If you don’t already have one set up, you can usually create it through your issuer’s app or online account, or by calling the number on the back of the card. Some issuers let you pick a PIN immediately after a text or email verification. Others mail it, which can take seven to ten business days. This is the single most common reason people get stuck at the ATM, so handle it before you need the cash.
The ATM itself needs to accept your card’s network. Look for a matching logo — Visa, Mastercard, Cirrus, or Plus — on both your card and the machine. One match is enough.
How Much You Can Withdraw
Your cash advance limit is a smaller slice of your overall credit line, not the full amount. A card with a $7,000 credit limit might cap cash advances at $400 to $500. You can find your specific number on your latest billing statement, in the issuer’s app, or by calling customer service. Any advance you take also reduces your available credit for purchases by the same amount.
The ATM adds a second ceiling. Most machines limit individual withdrawals to somewhere between $300 and $1,000 per day, no matter what your card allows. If you need more than the machine will dispense, a bank branch can process a larger over-the-counter advance.
Step by Step at the Machine
Once you have the PIN, the transaction takes about a minute.
- Insert or tap your card when the screen prompts you.
- Enter your credit card PIN.
- Choose “withdrawal” or “cash advance,” then select the credit card account rather than checking or savings.
- Enter an amount at or below both your cash advance limit and the ATM’s daily cap.
- Take your cash, card, and receipt before walking away.
If the machine declines, the usual causes are a wrong PIN, an amount above your available cash advance limit, or a network mismatch between your card and the ATM.
What It Actually Costs
Cash advances are one of the most expensive ways to borrow on a credit card. Three costs stack up, and none are avoidable.
The Upfront Fee
Your issuer charges a one-time fee on every advance. A review of major issuer agreements by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found most cards charge the greater of $10 or 5% of the amount withdrawn.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Data Spotlight: Credit Card Cash Advance Fees On a $500 withdrawal, that’s $25 before any interest posts. The ATM operator often adds its own surcharge of $2 to $5 on top.
A Higher APR With No Grace Period
The APR on a cash advance runs well above your purchase rate. As of early 2026, the average cash advance APR on bank-issued personal credit cards is about 30.24%, compared to roughly 22% for purchases.2Experian. Current Credit Card Interest Rates
Timing hurts more than the rate. Regular purchases usually come with a grace period of at least 21 days before interest starts. Cash advances don’t. Interest accrues from the day you take the money until you pay every dollar back.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Can I Withdraw Money From My Credit Card at an ATM? A $500 advance at 30% APR with a 5% fee runs about $55 in fees and interest after one month. After three months of carrying it, you’re past $80.
No Rewards
If you have a rewards card, don’t expect points, miles, or cash back on the withdrawal. Most issuers exclude cash advances from rewards programs entirely.
Foreign ATMs Cost More
Using an ATM abroad piles on a foreign transaction fee, typically 1% to 3% of the amount, on top of the standard cash advance fee and interest. The machine’s operator may add its own international surcharge or apply a poor exchange rate.
How Your Payments Get Applied
Here’s where the cost gets quietly worse. If you already carry a purchase balance when you take the advance, your minimum payment is split across the balances, and the issuer can direct the minimum-payment portion to whichever balance it prefers — usually the lower-rate purchase balance.
Federal law requires that anything you pay above the minimum goes to the highest-rate balance first, which is normally the cash advance.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S.C. 1666c – Prompt and Fair Crediting of Payments If you only make the minimum, the high-rate advance balance barely moves while interest compounds. The practical rule: if you take an advance, pay well above the minimum, and pay it fast.
What It Does to Your Credit Score
A cash advance doesn’t appear as its own line on your credit report. It rolls into your regular card balance. But it can still pull your score down, and faster than an ordinary purchase would.
Credit utilization — your balance as a share of your credit limit — accounts for roughly 30% of your FICO score, and the best scores keep utilization in the single digits.5Experian. Does a Cash Advance Hurt Your Credit? An advance inflates your balance by the withdrawal amount, the upfront fee, and daily interest all at once. Because there’s no grace period and the rate is higher, that balance climbs faster than a same-size purchase would. Push utilization past 30% and your score is likely to drop.
Paying the advance down quickly reverses the effect once a lower balance reports to the bureaus.
Other Ways to Take the Same Advance
The ATM isn’t the only route. Both of these use the same cash advance feature and carry the same fees and APR.
Over the Counter at a Branch
You can walk into a participating bank or credit union with your credit card and a photo ID and ask a teller for a cash advance. This gets around the ATM’s daily cap, though your card’s cash advance limit still applies. Not every branch handles them, so call ahead.
Convenience Checks
Some issuers mail blank checks linked to your card account. Writing one counts as a cash advance: the higher APR applies, interest starts immediately, and a transaction fee — usually a percentage of the check — comes off the top.6FDIC. Credit Card Checks and Cash Advances Useful when a payee won’t take a credit card, but no cheaper than the ATM.
Cheaper Ways to Get Cash
A cash advance is best treated as a last resort. Before you go to the machine, consider whether any of these fit your situation:
- A debit card withdrawal costs nothing beyond a possible out-of-network ATM fee if you have money in checking.
- Even a high-rate personal loan usually charges less than 30% APR and comes with a fixed payoff schedule.
- Some employers and payroll apps offer early access to wages you’ve already earned, sometimes with no fee.
- If you need to pay a person, a peer-to-peer app linked to your bank avoids cash advance territory.
- Redeeming existing cash-back rewards as a statement credit or deposit is money you’ve already earned.
The right choice depends on how fast you need the money and what other credit you have available. A short round of comparison can easily save $50 on a $500 cash need.