This is normally the typical US ATM fee which UK banks don't bother to try and return to you, AIUI. The credit card spread by itself isn't that bad; it's better than almost all alternatives except for pre-pay currency cards (not as secure or convenient as a credit card especially if you get saddled with a big pre-auth somewhere) or shopping around for the cheapest cash conversion (in which case you end up with a wad of high-value notes you can't spend if you're not careful).