Never pay exorbant Strip club ATM fees

22 comments

• aleccorbett

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  4 years ago

  FWIW, it isn't just Sofi. A lot of other checking accounts do this, mostly the online ones like Betterment and Aspiration
• Eve

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  4 years ago

  I remember one club I visited out of town charged a $20 fee to withdraw. That is pretty painful, knowing that $20 could go to drinks or a few floor dances depending on your area.
• doctorevil

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  4 years ago

  My bank reimburses these fees also, but there is a cap, of I think $15 a month, on the reimbursement.
• Muddy

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  4 years ago

  That ain't even that bad. The worst are the ones that do it by percentage, 20% I've seen.
• sinclair

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  4 years ago

  Some Deja Vu clubs take a percentage. For example: if you want $200, they charge 10%, which is a $20 fee.
  
  If you are worried about ATM fees, see if the club will give you a stamp or wristband so you can step out and come back without repaying the entrance fee. Run out to a gas station to use an ATM, which is usually a $2-4 fee. Also grab a few nips to sneak back into the club!
• aleccorbett

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  4 years ago

  Oh yeah! I mean I almost always carry cash to the clubs I go to. But I thought you guys should know!
  
  Also , Sofi doesn't have a cap as do many others. I've gotten over 100$ in reimbursements one month. I don't know how long this will be offered, however.
• TFP

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  4 years ago

  $10 isn't too bad. Like Muddy said, it's the percentage places that really get you. I'll never forget my rookie days of SCing and making all the mistakes we warn about here. The ATM was memorable. Had a VIP with a girl at Sapphire in Vegas and attempted to use my credit card to pay at the end. Kept getting declined. Was forced to use my debit card to withdraw $300. 10% fee so it was an extra $30. $30 to get your my own damn money. Learned a lot of things the hard way.
• shadowcat

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  4 years ago

  I had a friend drive down from Ohio to visit me and Follies. Before we left for Follies he tried to use his debit card at 4 different ATM's and they were all rejected. I wound up loaning him the money he needed. When he got back home he called his bank to see WTF and was advised that he needed to notify them first if he planned to use it out of state.
• TFP

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  4 years ago

  @Shadowcat same experience here. As a matter of fact, the bank will send an immediate text to my phone saying they detected a withdrawal attempt from a different state. If it's me, text back 1. After that, my card will be unlocked again for use. After that experience I made sure to update the banks on my travel plans via the app so nothing like that happens again.
• Papi_Chulo

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  4 years ago

  Anyone that clubs with any regularity learns the SC ATM lesson pretty-quickly - in the end it's probably counterproductive for the club bc I can see a good # of custies deciding to call it a visit rather than take the fee hit and then they're not spending extra-$$$ in the club.
  
  I have used the club ATM on occassion to keep the party going but just as many times I've left bc of the ATM fee instead of partying a little longer.
  
  I usually walk in with a decent amount which is around what I usually spend on a good visit - I'm not a fan of walking around with a lot of $$$ on me SC or not; I don't even take a wallet into the SC, a bit easy to lose while getting lap-dances not to mention there are some girls that will steal from a custy - if I'm in a binge-mood I rather leave extra-cash hidden in the car vs taking it all with me into the club although there's a danger to that also.
• Papi_Chulo

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  4 years ago

  w.r.t. @shadowcat's comment, my card seems to usually let me do 1 or 2 out-of-state transactions b/f it locks me out and I have to call - with most cards these days one can set travel-plans via their online account w/o having to call them.
• whodey

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  4 years ago

  Strip clubs and casinos are the only (legal) places that I know of that will charge you 10% vig to give you the ability to get your money out to give it to them. I guess when we think with the other head we don't care about the fee, at least until the next morning when we start to think more clearly.
  
  Like others have said I always bring more cash than I plan to spend and I usually keep a reserve amount in the car just in case I find a special girl.
• Jascoi

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  4 years ago

  man.
  wish i listened to you guys on so many topics 9 years ago.
  my money flew away. (at least it was fun...)
• Icey

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  4 years ago

  Never use them. Just bring cash that you're willing to spend
• SanchoRG

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  4 years ago

  95% of the time my debit card is in the car. That other 5% usually fucks me, not in a good way. the worst I got was in San Antonio at I think it was Perfect Ten? Was like a $12 fee with a $200 max withdrawal
• Cashman1234

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  4 years ago

  Did the OP miss the Strip Club 101 lesson of never using plastic in a club?
  
  You simply don’t use club ATM’s. It isn’t smart even if your bank reimburses you. Hopefully there wasn’t a skimming device installed on that ATM.
  
  I can see the discussion with the bank operator: “I used the ATM inside the Pussy Galore club, and I’m getting some odd withdrawals on my account. Can you help me? It was a 2 fer 1 lap dance special and Katrina with the double d’s got me really worked up!”
• crosscheck

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  4 years ago

  My bank reimburses me up to twice a month for out of network ATM fees. Plan ahead though, I refuse to allow strip clubs, casinos etc. to gouge me even if my bank is going to reimburse it.
• chessmaster

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  4 years ago

  If they were smart they would charge a regular ATM fee as most people going to an ATM at the strip club are almost certainly going to spend that at the club. Wonder how much money these strip clubs lose by having outrageous atm fees vs how many pl's are thirsty enough to eat the fee for a little extra fun.
• nicespice

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  4 years ago

  The reason most transaction fees are exorbitant as far as anything in the sex industry is just because of the high rate of charge backs. This is for ATMs and it’s also for clubs that offer its own funny money. Many financial institutions refuse to even deal with strip clubs or online content sites because of that.
  
  I know at Palazio, anytime a customer gets a cabana and uses his credit card, the club staff is on top of making sure his signature on the receipt matches the signature of his credit card. Too many dudes will try to back out after the fact. Probably once the wife finds the four figure line item on the credit card statement.
• TFP

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  4 years ago

  I highly doubt that there are as many charge back claims on ATM withdrawals at a strip club as there are disputes on credit card transactions at strip clubs.
  
  I would think it would be WAY harder to dispute an ATM withdrawal vs a credit card transaction.
• Cashman1234

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  4 years ago

  Credit card charges can be disputed, and you can claim fraud. This is a transaction involving extended credit - so the issuer will always use fraud detection algorithms to keep themselves safe.
  
  When using an ATM card, it’s basically a withdrawal from your checking (or saving) account. There is no bank extending credit - to be repaid. I’m sure they still use fraud algorithms, but it’s more the cardholders responsibility.
  
  That being said, the ATM providers tack on fees because of the location. This is a place where customers will be more likely to pay the fee.
  
  If a customer stopped at an ATM in their town to withdraw $200 - and there was a 10% service fee - it’s highly likely the customer would drive to the bank on the next corner and use the ATM with a $3 fee instead. In a strip club - they know guys will pay.
• twentyfive

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  4 years ago

  Point being anyone using plastic in a strip club is a Sucker just looking to be fleeced.