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Automated Teller Machines – many of us wonder how we ever did without them. The idea started small, usually with a machine on the outside of your branch bank so you could get cash if you arrived after the bank was closed for the day. Before long, the notion of “banking” on Sunday or in the evening didn’t seem strange at all.

Making the most of your ATM card
No matter what your schedule, you can always visit a convenient electronic teller where money is available – providing you have a plastic card, a PIN number and sufficient funds in your account. Thanks to technology, that little kiosk at the neighborhood bank has been multiplied by networks that stretch around the world.

ATMs may have become commonplace, but they shouldn’t be treated casually. Whether your ATM card is issued by a bank or card company, you have to fully understand the way fees are calculated and to know how to find out where machines that accept your card are situated. And, you have to observe security precautions.

Fees for ATM services vary
For instance, American Express offers two types of ATM services. Cardmembers may enroll fee-free in the Express Cash program, and pay only for the transactions they make. Membership B@nking^SM customers can make cash withdrawals fee-free from American Express-owned machines in the U.S. ATMs not owned by American Express may assess surcharges. However, withdrawals made from an Interest Checking account are automatically rebated up to four times per month, up to $1.50 per transaction.

How to locate an ATM you can use
Whether you move to a new neighborhood or are simply passing through, you will probably need to find out where you can use your ATM card.

To request a map that pinpoints available ATM locations, American Express Cardmembers enrolled in the Express Cash program can click here.

Safety first
Observe security precautions about every aspect of your ATM relationship. Here are some of the basics, to which you should add your own intuition and plain common sense.

• Guard your ATM card as you would your money.

• Report its loss or theft immediately to law enforcement and the bank.

• Choose an unusual PIN, then don’t tell anyone or write it down anywhere.

• When you want to use an ATM, prepare your card and any paperwork beforehand so you don’t have to display them on the street.

• If you must go to the ATM after dark, take along another person.

• Once there, make sure you stand so that the people behind you in line cannot view the screen or see you punch in your PIN number.

• Know ahead of time how to cancel your transaction in an emergency. Look carefully at the surroundings and people and take action if you must.

• Avoid large cash withdrawals.

• Before leaving the machine, put the ATM receipt, the cash and your card in an inside pocket or purse. Don’t count your money in view of others.

March 23, 2000

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