• Using your phone to make an ATM withdrawal is faster than using a debit card
  • Mobile ATM transactions are more secure than traditional debit card withdrawal
  • Soon you will be able to use your phone to pay at restaurants and other participating establishments

Banks are revolutionizing the way you withdraw money. Instead of using a traditional debit or credit card at an ATM, you will be able to log into a banking app on your cell phone and order cash up to 24 hours before a transaction.

Financial Services giant FIS announced the innovative mobile banking technology at the Money2020 conference in Las Vegas this week. Three banks have already begun testing the app and hope to launch the services in their ATMs by the end of 2014.

The three participating banks thus far are Wintrust in Illinois, BMO Harris in Chicago, and City National in Los Angeles. FIS announced this week that they have been gaining attention from a number of other large banks as well as smaller institutions about the mobile banking app.
Mary Monahan, of Javelin Strategy & Research, believes that using a cell phone to make cash withdrawals is much safer than using a debit card.

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A receipt will be automatically saved on your phone making it easier to keep track of your transactions

Not only is it safer, it's faster. The FIS mobile technology only takes approximately nine seconds to make a transaction. Using a traditional bank card can take up to 40 seconds.

To use the app, simply open it on your cell phone when you are at a participating ATM. Your phone will display a code which you then scan on the ATM screen. The machine then immediately dispenses the money.

According to Monahan, cell phone transactions are safer than debit card ones because they protect card holders from fraudsters seeking to catch images of a card and pin number on camera.
The quick transaction time and the privacy of the phone code make it more difficult for others to steal your identity.
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In order to use the ATM you will need to scan a personalized code on to the screen
Even if your phone is stolen, hackers would need to know your security code, banking information, and pin number in order to proceed with a withdrawal.

The mobile technology is expanding beyond ATMs. Some restaurants plan to create apps that allow patrons to pay the bill with a cell phone.

'The phone is becoming a security blanket,' said Monahan. 'The more you can do with it, the better.'
One possible issue with the mobile app is phone connectivity. No cell phone service means no ATM cash withdrawal. No ATM withdrawal means no customers.

To overcome the service issue, FIS said it is working on an 'offline mode' that would allow for transactions even without cell reception.

Not only is technology becoming more advanced, it's becoming more human. Bank of America, Chase, and other financial institutions have been experimenting with virtual tellers, ATMs that provide almost all the same services as a human teller would -- including exact change, video conferencing and loan and credit card payment capabilities.