Cash Limits at ATMs

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Cash for Convenience

Cash Limits at ATMs

It’s a matter of convenience when you want to withdraw cash from an ATM machine. You may find yourself in a cash crunch and need access to cash right away. Whether it’s to pay a bill or for some cash for last-minute spending, the convenience of the cash machine can be a glorious, welcoming site!

However, cash machines can also bring a bit of angst with their conveniences. Meaning that sometimes when you have to or find that you need to withdraw particularly large amounts of cash, you may find that there are imposed limits on just how much cash you can retrieve. Why is that? Is it fair? After all, since it is your money, how can the ATM machine or the banking facility impose a limit on your money and block you from getting what’s yours?

Locating Cash Machines

There are some cash machines that will tell you or show you the daily limit that you can retrieve from that particular machine. What some customers will attempt to try is to go to several different ATMs and try to withdraw their cash requirements and try to skirt around the imposed limit. They are usually not always successful because the cash restrictions are not tied to the cash machine itself, but rather to the account for which the transaction is tied to. That means that no matter how many machines are visited, the limit will follow the account and not the transaction.

Why Cash Limits Are Imposed

So why is it then that there are limits imposed? Simply put, for security reasons. By implementing a cash withdrawal threshold for each account, this guarantees that a someone who has wrongfully gained access to the person’s account will not empty the account out.

This is especially good news for the person who has either lost their ATM card or find that it has been stolen. If this were to ever happen, the person of course would notify the bank immediately when they discover this. However, at that point it is theoretically possible that the thief can essentially withdraw all of the money from the account, whether that amount is $100 or $100,000. But with limits, there is a cutoff, and the person’s account would essentially be affected by that amount.

Customers and ATM Protection

Stolen cards would become void and deactivated, and then eventually replaced by the bank for the customers. So the person who stole the card would not be able to use it to access the individual’s account, and there are no worries about the account being completely emptied. In the case where there may have been money stolen, the ATM and banking institution will usually have insurance to cover against these losses, and the banking customer would be reimbursed for any losses.

Free-standing ATM machines very often don’t have human security systems, such as guards or uniformed policemen. They have security cameras that record traffic activity and that also monitor any activity from the machine. Therefore, if there is any suspicious activity milling around the machine, the camera will record it and aid in any investigative attempts at fraudulent behavior.

ATM machines will also sometimes display a notice stating the amount of money that the cash machine holds, or, what the daily withdrawal amounts are per customer. They do this for two reasons; 1.) to deter any criminal activity with anyone thinking that the ATM machine contains a substantial amount of money, and 2) to keep customers aware of limits so that they can guard against any ATM suspicious activities like skimming or stalking. Also, ATM machines will sometimes post notices stating that the machines are stocked every 24 hours, also in an effort to discourage suspicious activity in thinking that the machines are full of monies.

 

 

Advertisements Vs. ATM Fees

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Advertisements Vs. ATM Fees

ATM fees are just one of those touchy subjects that can make even the meekest of personalities take a turn and show a wild side. That could be mainly because ATM fees vary so widely from one ATM owner to the next and from one financial institution to the next. This can make it virtually impossible sometimes to get a reasonable grip on what’s fair to outrageous to pay. Of course, for the customer, fees are about paying the lowest amount as possible. But for the ATM owner, fees are an integral part of doing business, so while there is a desire to be reasonable, they must also stay competitive in the market just to stay on level with other ATM institutions.

Creative Advertising

While assessing ATM fees are certainly an important part of doing business, they’re not always welcomed or embraced by customers. There can be a lot of complaining about the rates, and even requests for refunds from customers who may decide to challenge the fee amounts based on several criteria. At any rate, the ATM owner has to become creative at ways to keep his customers happy enough to continue doing business with his establishment. And, at the same time, the owner must try to develop a workable solution that will keep a crucial and much-needed revenue stream coming into his financial business.

ATM advertising is a possible solution that owners can implement that may help to solve some of the customers concerns. It’s an on-screen video message where the customer agrees to watch a pre-recorded advertising message in return for reduced or an elimination of ATM surcharges. The customer is given this option when they begin making their transaction, so there are no worries that the commercial will just simply “play” for them, without their permission. Infringement on a customer’s time in that way can be annoying, so ATM owners want to be sure be aware of that possibility and offer the customers options.

With this type of marketing and advertising, both the customer and the ATM owner are appeased on different levels; the advertiser for agreeing to play the advertising video compensates the ATM owner, and the customer (possibly) pays a significantly reduced bank fee in exchange for watching the advertiser’s sales pitch. The sales pitch usually won’t take any longer to view than it would to make an ATM transaction, so there is no lengthy, inordinate amount of time spent watching video commercials while standing at the ATM machine. Usually, the ads will be anywhere from 10-30 seconds, just enough time to capture the customer’s attention and make a lasting sales impression.

The ATM owner and the advertiser will work out and negotiate the terms of the advertising contract. They will determine how long, how frequently and what style of commercial is best suited for the machines. Varying factors can determine ad costs, which is why negotiation is crucial. Since this type of advertising is vastly different from print or even television advertising, it’s important to look at the overall marketing package in terms of quality, relevance and style and not just length. For instance, in some cases, the advertiser will need to negotiate the rate based on the length of the commercial, whether it’s 10 seconds or 60 seconds, especially if it’s for a well-known product or brand.

Coupons and More Savings

Another feature that gets the customers attention is the tear-off coupon that’s at the bottom of their banking receipt. These receipts are good for other services or products that are with local businesses in the area, encouraging customers to keep their business with local establishments. This also incentivizes the business owners to place ads with the ATM machines, especially if they’re trying to target a certain demographic or entice the foot traffic that surrounds the area where the ATM is located.

What makes these types of transactions so worthwhile is because the advertisements are targeted specifically to ATM-style audiences, so it’s something (a product or a service) that would interest the customer. The customer does however have the option to “opt-out” of the feature and choose to not watch the videos. If the customer does go this route, they usually will have to agree to pay the ATM fees.