News

Townspeople — 5,000. Tourists — tons. Cashpoints — 0.

February 24, 2017

Blaenau Ffestiniog had a problem. HSBC, the only bank in town, shuttered its branch and pulled its ATM in September, leaving the former Welsh mining town and fast-growing tourist spot without a single cashpoint.

Operative word, "had." Thanks to the efforts of a local MP, a determined town council and a willing co-op food store, Blaenau Ffestiniog now has a free-to-use Cardtronics ATM, according to a Cambrian News report.

The hole-in-the-wall machine is available 24/7, providing what MP Saville Roberts describes as a "vital" service to the town and its tourism industry.

The U.K.'s Link ATM network is currently working to devise a solution that will deter member banks from imposing ATM surcharges for off-us transactions.

Industry members in the United Kingdom have expressed concern that large numbers of ATMs will disappear from out-of-the-way towns, as new fees drive down traffic and make these ATMs unsustainable.