Some of the top banks have found a way to make accessing your cash even easier. With secure apps installed on your mobile phone, you can access your digital wallet to withdraw the money from an ATM. At the moment only a handful of banks in the UK offer this option, including Barclays, NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland. We have a separate guide on withdrawing cash if you have forgotten your debit card.
If you have a Barclays account and the Barclays app, you can use it to take out cash when you don’t have your card but need money. Note that only Android users can take advantage of this feature at the moment.
You can take out up to £300 a day from an ATM, or up to £800 a day if you’re a Premier customer. Barclays has 1,200 ATMs across the UK that enable cardless cash withdrawals. Customers can also use the cardless withdrawal service in-branch at 500 UK locations.
NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland customers with an app can use the Get Cash function to withdraw up to £130 every 24 hours. This feature works at both banks’ ATMs as well as those operated by Tesco. Royal Bank of Scotland customers in Scotland can do the same.
Cardless cash usually works by providing you with a unique code that you enter into an ATM to withdraw money when you don’t have your card.
This is beneficial if you don’t want to carry a card when you’re out, for instance if you’re on a run or at the beach – or if you’ve forgotten to take your card out with you. You can even share your code with friends or family members so they can withdraw money when you’re not there.
There’s no evidence suggesting you can catch COVID-19 from handling cash, though of course it’s a good idea to wash your hands after you’ve dealt with money to keep up hygiene that can slow the spread of this disease. If you’re concerned about withdrawing cash from an ATM, consider a cardless ATM to minimise contact with the machine.
There are two ways your phone may connect with a cardless ATM through app-generated codes or near-field communication (NFC).
App-generated codes are typically QR codes, although they can be a series of numbers. If your ATM uses this type of technology, you request a withdrawal in your mobile app and then scan or enter the code once you get to the ATM. Then, the ATM verifies your identity and authenticates your transaction.
Some ATMs use NFC to conduct cardless transactions. With this type of cardless ATM, you tap your phone against the machine’s contactless symbol and your phone’s digital wallet pulls up. From there, you select which card you want to use from your wallet and enter your PIN. Then, the ATM authenticates your transaction.
With any product or device that provides access to your money, either on or offline, you need to be careful about its security. To best protect your money when using cardless cash, avoid the following:
Never share the password to your online bank account. With the password, people could gain access to your cardless cash details and make withdrawals without your consent.
Although banks take precautions to protect your information, there is always the possibility of a hack. If you notice unauthorised withdrawals from your account using cardless cash, notify the bank immediately.
If you’re a customer with one of the handful of banks that offer the option to withdraw cash from ATMs without a credit or debit card, it can be a nifty way to get your hands on cash quickly in emergencies.
Right now only Barclays, NatWest and RBS customers are able to use this feature, so if you don’t bank with any of these three providers, then you won’t be able to take advantage.
As long as nobody else can get hold of your bank’s login details and PIN, cardless ATM withdrawal can be a very convenient way to get hold of money in emergencies.
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