ATM network operator Link is planning to increase the fees it offers operators in order to keep free rural cash machines available, according to the website TalkingRetail.com.

From April 1 2019, Link will offer £2.75 per withdrawal for a ‘super premium’ to 3,500 ATMs that are more than one kilometre away from the next nearest machine.

The Association of Convenience Stores welcomed the move, but blamed cuts in Link’s fees for the recent drop in cash machines and the ‘disastrous impact’ this has had on rural communities.

The chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, Mike Cherry, said that the need for Link’s ‘super premiums’ demonstrated the failure of the ATM market.

He called for the Payment Systems Regulator to intervene and formulate a long-term strategy to maintain access to free cash across the UK.

Full article:

→ TalkingRetail.com - Link increases ATM fee in a bid to save rural machines