Cash from bank counter

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

I can use any of my bank cards in an ATM, irrespective of the bank which owns it, but can I go to the counter and use any other banks card to also withdraw some cash?

[Martin Brown]

I suspect not. I have found most banks will only let you take cash out or pay in over the counter if you actually bank with them.

There may be exceptions. ISTR the Post Office is slightly more forgiving if you can be bothered to queue for an hour or two.

Cash machines are becoming increasingly rare in our North Yorkshire towns and villages these days - replaced with empty former banks and crude OSB boarding over the now quite literally hole in the wall.

[NY]

There really needs to be a policy of relaxing that rule when a branch of one bank is the only bank in the town. I'm with Natwest and they have closed a lot of branches over the years. When I was living near Leyburn, the nearest one was in Richmond - not a problem if I was over that way to do the shopping at Catterick. Then one day I went in to pay in a cheque and they said "today's our last day". From then on, it meant a 40-mile round trip to Northallerton if I needed to do anything in a branch where they needed to have sight of signed documents etc which couldn't be done by phone or internet.

Does the Post Office actually act as a "virtual branch" of all the various banks, or do you have to create and account with them and transfer money into it from your bank account? When I went to pay in a cheque to my NatWest account via the advertised Post Office service, all they did was give me a NatWest paying-in envelope which they would send to NatWest, rather than actually crediting the money to my account. So there was no advantage in doing it that way.

[spuorgelgoog]

only up to a point:

Except saving you the cost of posting the cheque yourself.

Owain

[Brian Gaff]

Well I've seen it done at Lloyds but I suspect it very much depends on terms and conditions and what type of card it is whether they charge for doing it or not. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Yes and they first tell us blindies that come the new machines they will have head phone sockets so we can use them then the time comes and they remove them. It seems that all the banks now use a company called Link for their machines and nobody knows where the accessible ones actually are any more. A communication break down if ever there was one. I heard a conversation inside the branch of a well known bank which hails from Spain , it went something like. OK I'll be in x place all next week where is the nearest ATM. Sorry sire we do not keep that information Download the Link amp on your mobile and it will probably telll you. I don't have a smart phone. Oh, everyone has one, sorry. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Yes it depends and I was told they can no longer handily chip and signature cards or give any more than 300 quid out in cash and then you have to take whatever notes they have. Bah humbug. Brian

[charles]

I believe you can at a Post Office. Never tried it.

[charles]

Some people tried to get away with the cash machine at the only (remaining) bank in our village last autumn. There's still a boarded up hole. It's plywood though.

[Mike Clarke]

You also get a printed receipt as evidence that you've sent it to the bank. Although there's no indication of the actual amount it's a bit more evidence than you get if you just pop an envelope in the post box.

And I assume, and hope, it provides the Post Office branch with a small commission from the bank for providing the service. I also assume the branch gets a commission from the bank when I use my bank card to obtain cash over the counter.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Brian Gaff has brought this to us :

I think I remember Link being used since I first got a card, decades ago.

We only have one bank left in the village Halifax Bank, but three or four ATM's. I don't really use cash much, but like to have a fiver in my wallet, but can't get just a £5 note out of the ATM's - so I thought I wonder if I could use a card in the Halifax. I do have an account with the Halifax, but its a credit card and there is a surcharge on CC withdrawals, rest are debit cards with other banks.

When I used to always carry a lot of cash with me, I was constantly asked to you want cash back with that, when I paid by card - but I don't seem to hear that now.

[NY]

"Harry Bloomfield"; "Esq." [e-mail]> wrote in message news:qj39qi$vj6$ [e-mail]...

I've not been asked for years, but then I tend to use my credit card rather than debit card mostly (as long as there's no surcharge or minimum spend). But even when I have used my debit card, I don't remember being asked. Maybe by chance I only used by debit card in self-service tills rather than those with a person on the checkout.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

NY explained :

I used to hear it often, mostly in supermarkets. I actually asked in a pound type shop the other day, but they said they didn't offer it.

I think the charge by card companies once might have been a 'per transaction one, but now they must just pay a fixed charge, because everywhere I go they will happily accept card/ Applepay for the very smallest of payments. I have paid as little as 10p. Last week I bought an icecream 25p in a mini-market paying with Applepay.

Local butchers had a minimum of £5 for a card purchase, but their limit has gone now.

[Graeme]

In message <qj34fk$5c8$ [e-mail], NY [e-mail] writes

I may be a little out of date, as I retired as local postmaster 6 years ago, but then, almost any debit card, including some foreign ones, could be used to withdraw cash at any PO counter, without fee. Cash could also be paid in.

Regarding cheques, yes, they go in an envelope to the bank overnight, usually quicker than ordinary post, no cost (stamp) to the user and a receipt as 'proof of posting' or proof that a cheque has been deposited, although amount not shown, and the receipt just shows an envelope, not how many cheques were inside. The system worked well, with very few going missing, but when an envelope did go missing, it could take a while to get sorted.

[NY]

Yes I think it's a case of managing expectations. I'd expected the PO to do the same as a branch: log each cheque and batch them as a transaction that shows up on the statement as of that instant, with the transfer of the paper cheque being a slower process which is why you still have the problem of cheques taking a few days to clear irrevocably and irreversibly. But the PO just act as a forwarding service - though this may be quicker and cheaper than simply posting the cheques and paying-in slip to your bank.

Eventually banks will all implement paying in by photographing the cheque, to avoid having to visit a branch or the PO, or post the cheques to the branch. But then cheques are used less and less: only for birthdays and for paying small traders who don't want the expense of accepting credit/debit cards. I run a small business doing PC support for local people, and I only accept cheques or cash, so I just need to visit a branch every so often to pay these in.

[Graeme]

In message <qj3hkt$8fb$ [e-mail], NY [e-mail] writes

Agreed. When I had the PO I sold stationary as a sideline, and wrote and received quite a lot of cheques. Since retiring, I have written 2 this year, and received none. I'm still behind the times though - I tend to use plastic cards, but my son just waves his phone.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Walking past a Post Office, so I went in to enquire - Yes they can do that, but they do not accept contactless for cash, it has to be card put in and use the PIN.

[Marland]

Though if I am there I will often draw some cash anyway. Small village counter in the village shop operation so rarely have to queue for too long except Christmas lead up when some old dear is usually trying to send a parcel of socks to a nephew who is doing voluntary work in some third world country but she can only remember what it used to called in the days of empire.

For a small businesses and others that still accumulate it they also offer a way of paying in cash that could save a considerable round trip to a bank branch. Not having done it I don?t know if there is the same delay in funds reaching the destination account.

GH

[Jonathan]

You can pay cheques into the Post Office for most major banks.

Jonathan

[Jonathan]

and having your cheque stolen in the post which has happened twice to me,

Jonathan