Bank / Credit Union

US ATMs celebrate 57th birthday

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September 3, 2026

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The first ATM was installed in the U.S. 57 years ago on Sept. 2, 1969 in the town of Rockville Center of Long Island, New York. It was deployed for Chemical Bank by the company Docutel, according to an article by History.com

This was not the first ATM to be deployed, as that honor is held by a Barclays Bank location in 1967 in London. This initial ATM relied on carbon-14 impregnated vouchers that customers had to purchase from a teller.

The ATM in 1969 used a magstripe card, but only allowed customers of Chemical Bank to withdraw cash. It had no other features such as balance check. Within eight years, New York City had a large number of ATMs, with Citibank investing more than $100 million to deploy them throughout the city. The ATMs were crucial for cash access during a blizzard that struck the city in winter 1977.

To learn more about the evolution of the ATM, click here to read 48 little known ATM facts.