News

U.K. cash machines collect for charity

May 8, 2012

An initiative being rolled out by U.K.'s Link network will allow ATM users in the U.K. to make a charitable donation while using the ATM.

According to a report by the U.K. Press Association, ATMs owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland and independent operator Bank Machine will be first to implement the plan this summer.

The rollout will begin with 12,000 machines and will continue over time. According to the UKPA story, Link will eventually make the service available to 100 million cardholders across the U.K.

Donation amounts can run anywhere from £1 ($1.62) to £250 ($403.95). The option to donate will be presented on a separate screen from transactions and will not interfere with the transaction process. Organizations to be included among the list of charities will be determined by the ATM operator.

"This is the single biggest development both for charity and ATM services this millennium," Ron Delnevo, managing director of Bank Machine told the UKPA. "It demonstrates the ability of ATMs to do more than simply deliver cash and gives the UK public the easiest method ever created to allow them to donate money to charity."

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