ATMs

I rarely use ATMs but there is one in the shop below me which was handy this morning to find out how much money was in my account.

But I rarely have cash so don't use them outside. I think there are fewer (someone might know) as banks realise more and more people are using their debit/credit cards for purchases, some quite small.

I was in a taxi yesterday and I was incredibly lucky I had a £20 note with me as I found out that the driver didn't have a card reader. He complained that getting one would take 5% off his earnings.

Do you still use ATMs? There is always cashback from supermarkets too.

Re: ATMs

They are getting very scarce. On Saturday I was out with my pals on a bit of a crawl and two of these machines were out of cash. I had to borrow £20 from a mate.
Thing is, you do need cash for that sort of thing. Buying a pint with a card just isn't right to me, I like to have a few notes in a wallet. Same as popping in a shop for a quick pork pie, it's only a pound and you don't want to keep paying by card.

There's also the effort of checking your balance all the time if you're constantly paying with a card. If you have cash it doesn't matter. Once your pocket is empty, you know how much you've spent.

Re: ATMs

That's a good point. When I sold my Apple Watch I just used cash for a while until that money ran out.

Re: ATMs

I do use them sometimes but only the free ones or my own banks, when I can get to a branch, they are very few & far between now & I hate that they are closing them.

Re: ATMs

I use my debit card virtually all the time. I do like to carry cash notes with me just in case but never usually go to a cash machine to get this, and instead go to the bank to withdraw cash notes and £1 coins for supermarket trolleys and parking meters.
Our parking ticket machines in town have been converted now to accept card payment though.

Re: ATMs

Then there are the ATMs that are a bit dodgy.
I would never use those attached to Polish supermarkets and we all know about the money laundering that those shops are used for.

And also small convenience shops who charge you an arm and a leg for withdrawing your cash.

Also, I try to find one inside a building not outside on the street as those could have been tampered with. The most secure ATMs are those inside your bank branch.

Re: ATMs

I mainly use the Tesco ATM at my local branch, I use it at least once a week and never had a problem. I would never use any other one except while on holiday, because I think a few quid in my wallet is essential.
I agree with Floydy, every time I use my card I have to log it down when I get home to make sure the bank and me are singing from the same song sheet....

Trouble is, if all the computers break down or get hacked and you can no longer access your money it would be advantageous to have a wedge at home....Realist is always warning us about that happening and I think he's right...Everything electronic breaks down eventually....

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I normally use the ATMs at the local Morrisons. They have a machine in the village shop but it charges you 95p for the privilege (up from ten bob).

Failing that, there's always cash back at some of the larger supermarkets.

Re: ATMs

I like to carry a couple of hundred bucks in my wallet just for "emergencies" so that is the only time I use an ATM, even then most of the time I get the money as cash out from the supermarket.

Personally I rarely use cash even when the vender charges for credit/debit card use, it is so much easier to use these paywave cards.

My brother complained that the UK limits the amount without a PIN to £30 ($60) whereas here it is $100 - personally I think the latter is about right, balancing convenience with security.

There has been a marked decline in the use of ATMs but the number of them hasn't decreased noticeably here (so far).

Re: ATMs

They are trying to phase out cash. We had a thread about this recently. It's a big conspiracy and people are very complacent about it because they are so used to using cards. But they plan to phase out cards too eventually. It's just not profitable to use cash and cheques. This sort of change affects the most vulnerable in society. But most don't think about the implications or reasons. Because those affected have the least voice in society.