Banking app Chime expanded its relationship with self-service banking provider NCR Atleos.
The expanded collaboration will see Atleos begin branding ATMs at 4,000 Walgreens stores with the Chime brand to increase customer awareness, according to a Wednesday (Aug. 7) press release.
Atleos’ Allpoint Network has provided ATM access for Chime members since 2021 at more than 50,000 fee-free ATMs, the release said.
The expanded relationship will make it “easier than ever for Chime cardholders to identify and use fee-free ATMs to access cash,” Atleos Chief Operating Officer Stuart Mackinnon said in the release.
Chime Vice President of Marketing Nick Fairbairn added in the release: “Our members love the mobile-first convenience and ease of Chime, but they still expect convenient, fee-free access to cash. This partnership with Atleos has ensured our members have easy access to cash when they need it …”
The collaboration is happening at a time of change for consumers’ relationships with ATMs.
For millions of customers, “ATMs are changing to become more interactive and take on different tasks than simply producing paper currency. Most estimates put the number of ATMs still in use at around 450,000 after peaking at 470,000 pre-pandemic,” PYMNTS wrote earlier this year.
ATMs are cropping up more in nontraditional settings — boutique retail stores, restaurants and doctor’s offices — according to cash automation manufacturer and distributor Wittenbach. The company said it’s also witnessing demand for mobile ATM locations that can be transported easily to places with a variable amount of foot traffic.
“And they are performing different services in the connected economy,” PYMNTS wrote. “For example, NCR Atelos … is positioning its machines as a full-service location that can allow deposits, cash recycling and access to account information. By making cash more convenient, it says, branch employees can be more productive and customer-centric.”
According to Atleos, roughly half of the 66% of people who earn less than $100,000 per year still use cash regularly.
“And more than half of respondents across all demographics still like to have cash with them when they leave home,” a company report stated.
