'You can use all banks’ cash machines for free. Why queue?' Blog discuss

MarkyMarkD

Always happens at supermarkets, where there are normally machines from a couple or three different banks next to each other. One's always more popular than the others for no obvious reason.

Pound

There was two cash machines next to each other, one had a queue of about 15 people. The other one wasn't being used. I walked up to the one that wasn't being used, drew £50 out and went on my way.

The one that wasn't being used had some kind of error message across the front of the screen. The cash machine ran on windows and it was simply some program in the background but the machine worked just fine.

wowzetov

If it's not your bank, you won't be able to get a mini-statement and check your recent transactions.

bazster

fatgit wrote: »

A bit of an aside, but I find Llyods TSB machines to be MUCH MUCH quicker than most other banks.

Really don't understand why, on most machines, it takes the same length of time it did years and years ago - technology has come leaps and bounds in the past 10 years!

Nationwide machines are spectacularly slow. They seem to have put all their efforts into fripperies like full-colour screens and printing out pictures of your deposited cheques instead of getting the basics right.

iansp

Also - even if using a bank that isn't your own - if there's a queue at some or all of the external cash machines during opening hours, you can wander into the branch and use the ones inside.

More often than not there is little or no queue at these, and you get to feel smug about all the idiots queueing outside.

Zimmy_2

In the Almondvale shopping centre in Livingston, there is a hole-in-the-wall machine that is NOT free, even though there is a free Clydesdale one opposite it. The charging one even has the same colours as the RBS machines but no logos.

Better advice, would be to look for the banks' logos on the machines, rather than whether it is in a wall.

SCADAman

Our local W H Smiths has a new stand alone cash machine - it's free to use so maybe this rule of thumb is going to be outdated?

Tony

tekarma

Hiya all

I unfortunately went bankrupt in feb, so had to find another bank. After searching high & low a bank finally offered me a Basic Bank Account.

With this sort of account i can only use my banks cash machines.

Dont ask me why as i think its mad. I got knocked down by a car last year & have to walk with crutches. Only being able to use my bank means walking or getting a taxi....just to get some money out.

So perhaps Martin lives in an area full of peeps that are Bankrupt lol...only j'kin Martin xxx

daveo138

There are a number of 'through the wall' ATMs which charge, and not just at petrol stations.

Some of the better known ones are Alliance and Leicester (unless you're a customer), Travelex and Moneybox.

I also found one in Princes St, Edinburgh, when I was there last year, which had no logo.

Stompa

Zimmy wrote: »

Better advice, would be to look for the banks' logos on the machines, rather than whether it is in a wall.

Agreed. I tend to look for the Link logo, but having just checked here:

http://www.link.co.uk/atm/mn_charges.html

that's no guarantee that it's free. Mind you I've not yet come across an ATM that wasn't free.