Irrational fear of cash machines

MoneySaverLog

agsnu wrote: »

Many people have a second "backup" account for situations just like this with a bit of emergency money in - if your primary card gets swallowed, you can just go and use the card for your backup account while you're waiting for the replacement.

But use another machine, incase the machine is at fault and it takes your second card. Or use the Natwest Emergency Cash Service if like me you don't carry your back up card with you.

sweetilemon

Has happend to me but i had another card with me. can always use cashback instead

Jammi

bobblebob wrote: »

i always have this fear that it will swallow my card and not return it.

As long as you use a bank's ATM it is very unlikely to happen. Back in the old days an ATM would retain your card if you entered the wrong pin 3 times. However these days your card will be locked and returned. At least that has been my experience.

I can see how a person with just one card would worry about being left cashless and stranded if an ATM retained their card. As for me, I have quite a number debit and credit cards on me at any one time and do not need to worry about one of them being retained (unlikely as it is) in a cash machine.

MoneySaverLog

Jammi wrote: »

I can see how a person with just one card would worry about being left cashless and stranded if an ATM retained their card. As for me, I have quite a number debit and credit cards on me at any one time and do not need to worry about one of them being retained (unlikely as it is) in a cash machine.

I would be more worried about having my wallet stolen, getting lost, or being mugged and having to cancel all the cards. Far, better and safer not to carry all your cards with you.

If you have a Natwest acccount, you should really leave that one at home, as in an emergency their Emergency Cash Service is there, and you wont need a card.

There is also the fear of the card being retained, being a hundred miles from home with no cash and it being late at night. Add to that being in a area which you feel unsafe and vulnerable in and you're just asking for trouble.

Andystriker

andrew-the-cat wrote: »

One of our ATM's at work swallowed a guys card late on a Sunday night once, he came back 30 minutes later with a hockey stick and smashed up all 3 machines (completely wrecked them).

A bit upset then, was he?

Gromitt

MoneySaverLog wrote: »

I would be more worried about having my wallet stolen, getting lost, or being mugged and having to cancel all the cards. Far, better and safer not to carry all your cards with you.

Or take two wallets. If you get mugged, they typically ask you for your wallet, then don't normally search you to see if you have other wallets on you. I've done this in the past, wallet contains 2xCC (in case one gets declined), jacket contains 1xDC.

Of course if they steal your jacket too, your screwed. Maybe sew a debit card into your underwear or something. I've also seen people putting them in their shoes before.

Stompa

Gromitt wrote: »

Or take two wallets. If you get mugged, they typically ask you for your wallet, then don't normally search you to see if you have other wallets on you. I've done this in the past, wallet contains 2xCC (in case one gets declined), jacket contains 1xDC.

And have you ever been mugged and handed over just one wallet? I guess if you were going down that route it might make sense to retain some old expired cards to give to the muggers - and hope they don't check the expiry dates!

MoneySaverLog

That is very good advice Stompa, the other option as well as carrying a wallet with expired credit cards is to carry foreign currency notes that are worthless when travelling. It's basically called a false wallet, which you hand over in the moment of being mugged, and it looks to the attacker that he's getting a wallet full of notes. But they're worthless :-)

pmduk

MoneySaverLog wrote: »

If you have a Natwest acccount, you should really leave that one at home, as in an emergency their Emergency Cash Service is there, and you wont need a card.

I don't believe you can use that service if your card is at home, only if it is lost/stolen.

MoneySaverLog

Never used it to be fair, but if I was in that position then I'd say I was just mugged and not sure if my card was in the wallet at the time to get my cash if that was the case.