Weird email from the bank in the mediate of the night? This is simply a fresh fee that will hit millions of Poles

Many Poles on the night of 31 July for 1 August 2025 read emails from their banks with surprise and slight concern. The Communication, frequently with the enigmatic title "Update of the Charges and Commission Tables", appeared on the boxes at an different time, raising suspicions of attempted fraud. Unfortunately, the message is authentic and announces a change that will actually affect millions of clients' portfolios. As of 1 August, a new, so far uncommon fee for 1 of the most popular banking services in the country entered into force. This is the end of an era of free facilities that we have become accustomed to.

Talk about Fee for handling BLIC Instant Transactionswhich, depending on the bank and the kind of account, can scope from PLN 1 to even PLN 5 per single operation. Although the BLIK remains the foundation of the Polish mobile payment system, the banks, citing the expanding costs of maintaining infrastructure and inflationary pressures, decided to monetize any of its functions. In this article, we explain in item what the fresh fee is, who it concerns, and, most importantly, how it can be effectively avoided without giving up comfort.

What precisely is the fresh fee, and why do banks introduce it?

The fresh fee, which entered into force on 1 August 2025, does not apply to all BLIC transactions. The banks, in order to avoid a mass outflow of customers, followed a more sophisticated approach. The fee is most frequently charged in 2 circumstantial cases:

• Cash withdrawals from a abroad network ATM utilizing BLIC code. While the usage of the bank's own machines or partner networks (e.g. Planet Cash, Euronet, depending on the contract) remains free, the withdrawal from the "foreign" ATM can affect a commission of between PLN 2.50 and PLN 5.
• Overshooting the monthly limit of free BLIC telephone transfers. Most banks have introduced a limit of 5 to 10 free instant transfers per month. Each subsequent telephone transfer will be charged a fixed fee, usually within 1-2 zł.

Why the change? Representatives of the banking sector explain respective factors. First of all, increasing operating costs. Maintaining and developing safe immediate payment systems is simply a immense investment that, in times of advanced inflation and force on financial performance, banks want to partially shift to customers. Secondly, it's an effort to change habits. Banks want customers to usage their own infrastructure (banknotes) and advance non-cash payments alternatively of cash withdrawals. Finally, it is an component of a broader marketplace trend – the slow end of the "all for zero gold" era, which characterized digital banking for the last decade.

Who's the change? See if you can pay more

Although the decision to introduce charges is systemic, its scale and severity depend on the circumstantial bank and the kind of account we have. The most susceptible to fresh costs are holders standard, free individual accounts in the largest banks specified as PKO Bank Polski, Santander Bank Polska, mBank or ING Bank Śląski. They are the most many group of customers and are the focus of the fresh charging policy.

Check if you are in a hazard group:

• You frequently pay tiny amounts from random ATMs, based on convenience alternatively than being part of a banking network.
• You regularly settle with your friends utilizing BLIC telephone transfers, performing respective or respective twelve specified operations per month.
• You have a basic account that does not offer a free withdrawal package from all ATMs in Poland.

It is worth noting that section customers premium and private banking are most frequently excluded from fresh charges or have importantly higher free transaction limits. For the bank, this is an additional argument to encourage more wealthy customers to control to more costly but richer account packages.

How to avoid a fresh fee? applicable advice for each customer

The introduction of a fresh charge does not mean that we are doomed to pay it. Just a fewer simple changes in everyday financial habits, so that our portfolio does not feel it. These are the most crucial strategies that should be implemented immediately:

1. Plan cash withdrawals: alternatively of paying 50 PLN from the first ATM you encounter, find the device of your bank or affiliate network. Bank applications have maps of ATMs, which will indicate the nearest free point in seconds. It is besides worth paying a single larger amount alternatively of doing it repeatedly.

2. Monitor the number of transfers: If you usage telephone transfers intensively, control their number. Most banking applications let you to check the past of the operation. After exceeding the free limit, consider utilizing the standard Elixir transfer, which is free and the money reaches the recipient usually within a fewer hours of the same working day.

3. Consolidated accounts: alternatively of sending friends 5 separate transfers of 10 zł, send 1 to 50 zł. It is simply a simple method to reduce the number of transactions and to fit in a monthly limit.

4. Read the fresh Charges and Commission Table: It's a paper that most of us ignore. Take 15 minutes to read the terms of your account carefully. cognition of which operations are free and which are paid is an absolute basis for informed financial management.

5. Consider changing your account: If the fresh charges are highly severe for you, analyse the offer of your bank. Sometimes it can be more profitable to pay PLN 5-10 per period for a higher account package that guarantees unlimited free operations than to pay individual commissions.

Summary: Be a conscious consumer

The overnight email from the bank was a cold shower for many, but besides an crucial lesson. The era of completely free banking is slow coming to an end, and financial institutions are increasingly searching for fresh sources of income. The fresh BLIC charge for selected transactions is simply a clear signal that as customers we request to be more vigilant and aware. The key to avoiding unnecessary costs is not to quit convenient tools, but to usage them wisely. Analyzing your own needs, planning financial operations and regularly checking the toll table is present an absolute necessity for anyone who wants to effectively manage their money.