LINK Cash Machine Withdrawals Up 11 Per Cent during December 2005

The number of cash machine transactions through the LINK network reached a record 211 million during December 2005, a rise of 5.3% on the previous year, while the amount of cash withdrawn was up 10 per cent at £9.1 billion.

On the 23 December alone, the network processed a record-breaking 10.8 million cash withdrawals, a rise of 15 per cent on the same day in 2004.

These figures do not include withdrawals where customers use their own banks' machines, which LINK estimates account for a further 157 million transactions and £6.8 billion in cash making December's total cash withdrawals £16 billion.

Withdrawals from surcharging ATMs during December 2005 accounted for 9.1 million or 3.8 per cent of the 223 million total transactions, down from 9.4 million in November 2005.

Graham Mott, a senior LINK spokesman said: "LINK is providing ever greater access to cash and these record figures demonstrate the value and reliability of the LINK network to UK consumers. They also show a dynamic and competitive ATM market with more cash and more withdrawals, both free and charging. This has been accomplished with the LINK switch being available 100 per cent of the time with no switch downtime whatsoever in 2005."

-ENDS-

Notes for Editors:

ADDITIONAL FACTS AND FIGURES

There was also a new record for the busiest hour 12.00- 13.00 on 23 December when 1 million transactions took place.

• In December LINK processed 9.1 million charging cash withdrawals, 6.9% of LINK withdrawals, and 3.8% of total cash withdrawals (LINK estimate). This was a reduction from November when there were 9.4m surcharge withdrawals.
• LINK is the UK 's national cash machine (ATM) interchange network and the busiest ATM transaction switch in the world.
• There are around 100 million LINK enabled cards in circulation from around 38 issuers
• The LINK network is a fundamental part of the UK 's payments infrastructure and cash machines are the most important method of cash withdrawal in the UK , used by millions of consumers every week.
• Growth in the number of ATMs, ATM transactions and the value of cash withdrawn from ATMs is expected to continue.

ATM NUMBERS

• There has been continued growth in ATM numbers and at end December 2005 there were 57,908 ATMs in the UK and connected to LINK.
• During 2005 ATMs numbers changed as follows:
• 6 more free remote machines,
• 16 less branch machines,
• 2,969 more charging machines,

• LINK estimate that around 500 machines converted from free to charging while 210 converted from charging to free.

TRANSACTION VOLUMES

• UK consumers continue to withdraw more cash from ATMs year on year with £95 billion withdrawn from LINK machines in 2005 an 11.6% increase on 2004.

SIGNAGE AND GOVERNANCE

• As part of LINK's on-going commitment to transparency of charges LINK has introduced, and polices, new signage rules which make it clearer for customers whether they will be charged
• The new Rules on signage were introduced on 1 July 2005 with an independent survey in December confirming that less than 1% of charging ATMs did not have the required warnings on either the screen or ATM casing.

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Information for Editors

LINK Interchange Network Ltd is the Company that provides electronic transaction management services on behalf of the UK 's largest financial institutions and other commercial organisations. The Company manages the Card Scheme and provides the technical and commercial services, including arranging settlement, which make ATM sharing possible on the significant scale now seen. The LINK ATM network is the world's busiest shared ATM network with over 55,000 cash machines deployed and over 101 million LINK-enabled cards in issue. The Company processed and settled over 2.5 billion shared transactions during 2004. It also manages transactions for the basic bank accounts that form part of the Post Office's universal banking services programme and has implemented an ATM prepay top up service on behalf of mobile phone operators. The Company is pursuing opportunities to use its proven, secure and reliable network infrastructure to support the development and implementation of wider transaction management services including the aforementioned services.