You go to the ATM and there are coins. This is the first such machine in Poland

"Isn't there any finer stuff?" - asks the resigned, slightly irritated cashier. You can understand his frustration, but what can you do? Cash is rarely used anymore, the ATM dispensed a banknote and there was no opportunity to change a hundred.

Situations like this made me happy to switch to cashless payments. It's not just me - we reach for banknotes less and less often, and more often for the phone. And this can be seen, for example, in the decreasing number of ATMs.

Meanwhile, a new ATM has just been installed at the mBank headquarters in Łódź. And not the usual one. The device enables "comprehensive cash handling - both banknotes and coins - as part of self-service transactions," explains ITCard on linkedin.com.

This pioneering implementation on the Polish market, carried out in the PlanetCash network, is an important step in the development of modern cash services - we read.

All because the ATM allows you to deposit and withdraw not only banknotes, but also coins. Right away in one device. "This is a response to market needs and another example of the use of innovative technologies in everyday banking," says the company that is the project's technological partner.

As described on the Cashless.pl website, the ATM supports cash deposits and withdrawals of up to "30 coins for mBank customers using payment cards, as well as mixed transactions including banknotes and coins".

Three such machines will be installed as part of the pilot project. If the idea proves successful, ATMs will also appear in other mBank branches.

I can imagine a situation where such an ATM could save your skin. I really rarely feel like I need cash, banknotes or coins. At the local market you can pay by card. Tips can be left by clicking the option in the terminal. I sometimes travel by PKS and there cashless payments are not yet possible, although some signals have appeared. Before leaving, just use such a machine and have your change ready right away, without changing it in the store.

Where to get cash?

The number of ATMs is apparently decreasing, but store cash registers are increasingly becoming an alternative. Recently, Lidl launched a service that allows you to withdraw money while shopping. Previously, a similar option was introduced in stores such as Biedronka and Żabka. The autumn survey of the Polska Bezgotówkowa Foundation showed that 49 percent Poles used the service at least once. According to statistics, the option of withdrawing cash when paying for purchases by card is available in nearly 265,000 stores. commercial and service points throughout Poland.

Although we have come to love cashless payments and are spreading this passion throughout Europe, there are countries that realize that banknotes are sometimes necessary. We can observe quite a rapid change in approach in Sweden.

Main photo: FotoDax / Shutterstock.com