PSR consultation on Free to Use ATMs - Which? response

Which? welcomes the opportunity to respond to the PSR’s consultation CP21/9: Draft Specific Direction on maintaining free-to-use ATMs.

In our view, Specific Direction 8 (SD8) serves an important purpose in maintaining access to cash, by ensuring that LINK has policies and practices in place to maintain abroad geographic spread of Free-to-Use (FTU) ATMs. This is particularly important for the 5.4 million adults who rely on cash for all or most of their daily purchases. SD8 also provides helpful transparency of the measures that LINK has implemented to protect FTU ATMs, enabling the PSR and external stakeholders to monitor the actions that LINK has taken. 

We therefore strongly support the PSR’s proposal to issue a new Specific Direction to replace SD8, which is due to expire on 2 January 2022. The new Specific Direction should help to ensure that LINK continues to maintain broad geographic coverage of the FTU ATM Network in the UK and to meet the needs of the large numbers of consumers who continue to rely on cash.