Taking cash out abroad can produce more than one charge on the same withdrawal. Each is levied by a different party for a different function, which is why they appear separately.
The machine's operator is paid for access
Whoever owns and stocks a cash machine bears the cost of the hardware, the cash inside it, the connectivity and the maintenance visits.
Where the operator is not the cardholder's bank, it recovers that cost through an interchange payment and, in many markets, through a surcharge shown on screen before confirmation.
Independent operators in tourist locations rely more heavily on the surcharge, which is why the amounts vary so widely within a single city.
The issuer charges for the foreign element
A cardholder's own bank applies its own terms to transactions abroad, typically a percentage of the amount and sometimes a fixed minimum per withdrawal.
That charge covers the issuer's own costs in the network and its treatment of foreign transactions, and it is set in the account terms rather than at the machine.
Because it is applied afterwards, it does not appear on the screen, which is why the amount debited can exceed the figure confirmed at the time.
Conversion is a third, separate layer
The exchange between currencies is performed either by the card network or, if terminal conversion is accepted, by a provider working for the machine's operator.
That conversion carries its own margin, distinct from both the access surcharge and the issuer's foreign transaction terms.
Three charges can therefore attach to one withdrawal, and they are frequently confused with one another when a statement is reviewed later.
Fixed charges make withdrawal size matter
Where a charge is a flat amount per transaction, its weight falls as the sum withdrawn rises, so several small withdrawals cost more than one larger one.
Where the charge is a percentage, the size makes no difference, and the balance shifts back towards carrying less cash at any one time.
Knowing which structure applies is what determines the sensible pattern, and that information sits in the account documentation.
Reading the statement rather than the screen
Charges appear in different places: some inside the converted amount, some as separate line items, some grouped at the end of a statement period.
Comparing the amount confirmed at the machine with the amount finally debited is the only way to see the full cost of a withdrawal.
This describes how the charges arise rather than recommending any particular account, since terms differ and change over time.