Give a little back next time you withdraw cash

22 June 2012 10:28:15

ATMs now give the option to donate to charity.

The aim when you visit a cash machine is usually to take out money - but it's now possible to give something back at the same time. Thousands of ATMs now offer you the chance to donate money to charity, meaning there's no longer the excuse that you don't have any loose change.

Charity donation service goes live
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is the first bank to participate in the scheme, which allows cardholders with LINK cards to make donations to a number of charities while using a cash machine. When you put your card into the machine, it will now give you an on-screen option to make a donation. If you choose to do so, you will be able to donate to the following charities: Cancer Research UK; Barnardo's; Oxfam's Emergency Work; Scottish Television Appeal; RNIB; Age UK; Children in Need; and Disaster Emergency Committee Appeal.

Although RBS is currently the only ATM operator to support the scheme, others will be joining later in the year. Importantly, neither the ATM provider nor LINK, the UK cash machine network, will charge any commission for donations. This means that the full amount you choose to donate - which ranges from £1 to between £150 and £500, depending on the limit your bank sets - will go straight to charity.

Scheme aims to increase charitable giving
It is hoped that the new scheme will encourage Brits to dig deep into their pockets - or rather, directly into their bank accounts - for charity. Steve Lampshire, RBS senior community affairs manager, said: "Over 2bn ATM transactions were made in the UK last year; so it's pretty obvious it is a regular part of most people's daily lives. We know that finances are tight for many people, but if our customers do want to make a donation, we want to make the process as easy as possible for them."

UK already a charitable nation
The chances are that many Brits will take the opportunity to give a little of their spare cash to those in need, with recent figures showing that charity donations have risen dramatically over the past 10 years. According to Halifax's first ever Giving Monitor, donations in the UK rose from £2bn in 2000-01 to £3.8bn in 2010-11. Admittedly, growth has slowed significantly over the past couple of years, no doubt due to the economic situation, but there was still a 2.1% increase in donations over the past 12 months, indicating that Brits are keen to help those in need, even when money is tight.

With Halifax's research showing that the average donor gave £223 to charity last year, perhaps you should think about sparing a few pounds next time you visit the ATM.

‹ Back

All news articles

All Home Page News
All News Stories

Product Offers
Please ensure that you fully read the terms & conditions of any product or policy before you decide to proceed and are fully aware of the total costs and the benefits and any exclusions or limitations applicable to the product or plan.

Please note that the product links will take you direct to the Issuer or Insurer's site direct and we cannot be held responsible for the information which they provide within their own sites. On some comparison tables we use a star rating which rates products by visitor popularity.