Here’s a sample letter to either a City Councilperson/State Rep/or US Senator or Representative. You can urge an elected official to co-sponsor a bill that has already been introduced (See the Ban Status page) or you can urge them to introduce a new bill.

Your name

Your full address/street/city/state/zip

Your phone (optional)

Dear Councilperson/Representative,

I am writing to urge you to sponsor legislation to ban double ATM surcharges. I understand that several cities, including San Francisco and Santa Monica and Woodbridge, NJ, have already banned ATM surcharges. I am writing to urge you to introduce legislation to ban ATM surcharges in the City Council/State Legislature/Congress. Even though the banks have overturned those rules in the lower courts, the cities in California are appealing. In addition, the state of Iowa bans surcharges.

As a consumer, I try to keep my bank fees low. Unfortunately, while ATMs save banks money, they’ve been costing me money. It is particularly unfair that banks receive two fees when you use their ATM. A new study (April 2001) shows that the cost of using ATMs has tripled in the last five years.

That’s because five years ago, on April 1, 1996, the biggest ATM networks, Plus and Cirrus, began allowing ATM owners to charge a second $1-2 fee, called a surcharge, whenever a non-customer used one of their machines. That’s on top of their piece of the $1-2 you have always paid your own bank when you use a “foreign” ATM. That’s right, they’ve always been paid once. Now they’re being paid twice.

Please let me know whether you will introduce legislation to ban ATM surcharges.I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely yours,

YOURNAME