LINK ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR CHARITY GIVING AT ATMs

Today, LINK, the UK cash machine network, announced that UK banks, building societies and cash machine operators have unanimously agreed to work together to enable charity giving at UK cash machines (ATMs).

The agreement follows survey evidence of widespread support from cardholders. Core features of the programme, which is planned for 2012, are as follows.

• All 100 million LINK-enabled cards – almost every debit and ATM card issued by a major UK bank – will be able to donate through ATMs.
• Whether to offer charity donations at a particular ATM will be a decision for the individual ATM operator.
• The choice and number of charities involved will be down to each ATM operator so that a diverse range of charities, including local charities and disaster appeals, can be supported.
• Donations will be offered as a separate menu item on the ATM screen, or as a post-transaction option, so making a donation will be quick and easy and will not interfere with those who just want to withdraw cash.
• Customers are likely to be able to choose a value to donate from a range of pre set values, e.g. 10p up to £10, or enter a specific amount of their own choice.

LINK will continue to work with the government on this programme and is delighted to see that they will continue to support banks and ATM operators as they develop its design and implementation through a jointly convened round-table with the Cabinet Office Behavioural Insights team and leading voluntary research organisations.  

As noted in the Giving White Paper, LINK will continue to work with HM Treasury to develop the opportunities to apply the new Gift Aid small donations scheme to cash machine donations in the coming months.

This programme is being launched following the publication of the government’s Giving Green Paper in December 2010 which asked banks and ATM providers to let the government know “how we might make ATM giving happen in the UK and whether there are ways government can facilitate this”.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude commented, “I am delighted by the support of LINK’s member banks, building societies and ATM operators for enabling charity donations at cash machines.  This will make charity giving quicker and easier for so many people as they can incorporate giving into their regular routine.”

Graham Mott, senior LINK spokesman added, “The research LINK has already done with YouGov[1] shows that 43% of people who use a cash machine at least once a fortnight said they would sometimes use an ATM to make a donation; while regular ATM users and young people in particular seem really to like the idea and say they would use ATMs to make regular donations. With more than 10 million LINK ATM transactions a day, this is a real opportunity to raise significant sums of money for good causes”.