🇮🇱 This is the brand hub for Bank Leumi. For the bigger picture on the shekel, the bank ATMs, the pay-in-shekels-not-dollars rule, and the no-Bank-of-America-Alliance gap, see the Israel Money Guide. For exact ATM areas, see the Tel Aviv ATM Guide. For card-acceptance and the Rav-Kav transit detail, see the Tel Aviv Money Guide. For the other big bank, see the Bank Hapoalim guide. Flying in? Ben Gurion (TLV) airport guide.
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Order ILS → CEI Currency ExchangeWhat Bank Leumi is, in one paragraph
Bank Leumi (literally "National Bank") is one of Israel's two largest banks, in a near-permanent tie with Bank Hapoalim, and is headquartered in Tel Aviv. It is also one of the oldest institutions in the country: it was founded in 1902 as the Anglo-Palestine Bank, the banking arm of the Jewish Colonial Trust, decades before the modern state of Israel existed, and it helped finance much of the country's early development. Today Leumi runs one of the widest branch and ATM networks in Israel and has been a digital pioneer (it launched the Pepper mobile bank). For US travelers the practical points are simple: Leumi ATMs give shekels at the interbank rate and add no operator surcharge on foreign cards, so the only cost is whatever your home bank charges (zero on a Wise or Schwab card). As everywhere in Israel, pay in shekels rather than dollars.
What Bank Leumi charges foreign cards
| Fee component | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Leumi operator fee (foreign card) | ₪0 | Leumi adds no operator surcharge |
| Exchange rate | Mid-market (interbank) | Visa or Mastercard network |
| Visa / Mastercard network fee | ~1% | Card network, baked into total |
| Your home bank's foreign ATM fee | $2-5 | Your home bank, unless waived (Schwab, Wise) |
| Your home bank's FX conversion fee | 1-3% | Your home bank, unless 0% FX card |
| DCC markup / paying in USD | +5-12% | Always decline. Pick shekels, never dollars. |
Leumi machines add no operator surcharge; caps run ~₪1,000–3,000. Israel has no BoA Alliance partner, so BoA debit pays BoA's 3% anywhere. Avoid the private exchange counters and standalone non-bank machines.
Why a Leumi ATM beats the private exchange counters
Israel is a card-friendly country, so for a traveler Leumi is mostly a surcharge-free source of shekels for the cash holdouts: the Carmel Market and other shuk stalls, sheruts, and tips. A Leumi machine gives shekels at the interbank rate with no operator fee of its own, far better than the private exchange counters and the standalone non-bank ATMs that cluster in tourist areas and run poor rates with a DCC pitch. The simple rule on the ground is to look for a Leumi, Hapoalim, Discount, Mizrahi, or FIBI machine, and to pay in shekels: never accept a shop's dollar price or an ATM's offer to charge you in US dollars.
Bank of America customers should note there is no fee-free ATM in Israel at all: with no Israeli BoA Alliance partner, a BoA card pays its 3 percent non-network fee even at Leumi. A Wise or Schwab card is the better tool, and Schwab rebates any operator fee you do encounter.
Where to find Bank Leumi in Tel Aviv and beyond
Rothschild & the financial district
Leumi branches and ATMs around Rothschild Boulevard, Yehuda Halevi, and the central business area. The easy place to find a bank machine. Covered in the Tel Aviv ATM Guide.
Allenby & King George
Leumi ATMs on the streets around the Carmel Market, the right place to withdraw shekels before the cash-only stalls.
Ibn Gabirol & Dizengoff Center
Branches and machines along Ibn Gabirol and near the Dizengoff Center mall.
City centre & the German Colony
Leumi has wide coverage in Jerusalem as well, with the same interbank-rate withdrawals and no operator surcharge.
Haifa, Be'er Sheva, Eilat
One of the broadest networks in Israel, with branches and ATMs across the major cities and resort towns.
TLV Terminal 3 arrivals
Leumi ATMs in the Terminal 3 arrivals area, surcharge-free on foreign cards. Avoid the private exchange counters nearby. See the TLV airport guide.
Bank Leumi vs Bank Hapoalim: the actual decision
| Bank Leumi | Bank Hapoalim | |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange rate | Interbank | Interbank |
| Foreign-card operator fee | No operator surcharge | Usually ₪0 (a few machines post ~₪5-10) |
| BoA Global ATM Alliance partner | No (none in Israel) | No (none in Israel) |
| Network size | One of the two largest | One of the two largest |
| Heritage | Founded 1902 (Anglo-Palestine Bank) | Founded 1921 (Histadrut) |
| P2P / digital | Pepper / Paybox | Bit (co-owner) |
Decision tree: both are top-two banks with the interbank rate and wide networks, so use whichever is nearest. Leumi machines add no operator surcharge across the board, whereas a few Hapoalim machines now post a small fee, so if you happen to see that fee on a Hapoalim screen, a Leumi machine is the easy alternative. Either way, pay in shekels and decline DCC.
Best card pairing with Bank Leumi
Wise for the card, Leumi for the shuk cash
Israel is card-friendly, so a Wise debit card handles most of the trip: zero FX markup and the real interbank shekel rate at every terminal, the Light Rail and the airport train. For the markets, pull a modest shekel float from a Leumi ATM, paying in shekels and declining DCC. Israel has no BoA Alliance partner, so a no-FX-fee card is clearly the best tool.
Get the Wise Card →Charles Schwab Investor Checking
Schwab adds zero foreign-transaction fee and refunds ATM operator fees worldwide. Combined with Leumi's no-surcharge, interbank-rate withdrawals, Schwab + Leumi is an effectively free Israeli withdrawal. Still decline DCC and choose shekels.
Bank of America debit (no Alliance waiver in Israel)
Israel has no BoA Global ATM Alliance partner, so a BoA card pays its 3 percent non-network fee even at Leumi. There is no fee-free Israeli ATM for BoA cards; a no-FX-fee card is the better option.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Bank Leumi charge foreign cards at ATMs?
No operator surcharge, at the interbank rate. You pay only your home-bank fees, which are zero on a Wise or Schwab card. Caps run ~₪1,000-3,000.
Is Bank Leumi in the Global ATM Alliance?
No, and no Israeli bank is. A BoA card pays its 3% non-network fee at Leumi. A no-FX-fee card is the better tool.
What is Bank Leumi?
One of Israel's two largest banks and one of its oldest, founded 1902 as the Anglo-Palestine Bank, headquartered in Tel Aviv.
Should I pay in shekels or dollars?
Always shekels. Dollar prices and DCC both use a poor rate. Choose shekels at every ATM and terminal.
Will my US debit card work at Leumi ATMs?
Yes, with a Visa, Mastercard, Plus, or Cirrus logo. English option, 4-digit PINs. Decline DCC and choose shekels.
How does Leumi compare with Bank Hapoalim?
Both are top-two banks at the interbank rate. Leumi adds no operator surcharge; a few Hapoalim machines now post a small fee, so Leumi is the simpler default.
The Leumi + Wise Combo
Surcharge-free, interbank-rate Leumi ATMs for shuk cash plus Wise zero FX markup, in a card-friendly country where you will mostly just tap.
Get the Wise Card →