How to Use a Cardless ATM: NFC Tap or One-Time Code

You can use a cardless ATM in one of two ways: hold your phone up to the ATM’s contactless reader using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay, or request a one-time access code in your bank’s mobile app and type it into the ATM. Either way, you still enter your regular debit card PIN, and the withdrawal screens look the same as any other ATM visit.1Chase. How To Use The ATM Without Your Card

Which method you use depends on your bank and the machine in front of you. Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank, U.S. Bank, and PNC all support the tap method at their own ATMs.1Chase. How To Use The ATM Without Your Card PNC and several smaller banks also offer the code method. Standalone ATMs in gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants usually support neither, so plan on finding a bank-operated machine.

What To Have Ready Before You Go

Three things need to be in place before you walk up to the ATM:

  • Your bank’s mobile app installed and logged in on your phone.
  • Your debit card added to a digital wallet (for the tap method) or the cardless feature turned on inside the app (for the code method). Setup usually involves a verification code from the bank and a biometric check like fingerprint or face unlock.
  • A charged phone with a working cellular or Wi-Fi connection. A dead battery or dead signal stops the transaction cold.

You’ll also need the same four-digit PIN you use with your physical debit card. Cardless access does not replace the PIN.

Using the Tap Method

Look for the contactless symbol on the ATM — four curved lines that resemble a sideways Wi-Fi icon. If it’s there, the tap method will work.1Chase. How To Use The ATM Without Your Card

  1. Open Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay and select your debit card.
  2. Hold the phone within an inch or two of the contactless symbol. Your phone vibrates or chimes when it connects.
  3. Enter your debit card PIN on the ATM keypad.
  4. Choose withdrawal, pick the account, enter the amount, and take your cash.

Wells Fargo and Bank of America follow the same tap-and-PIN sequence at their own ATMs.2Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo ATM Banking Your actual card number is not transmitted during the tap; the wallet sends a one-time token instead.3Bank of America. Digital Wallets

Using a One-Time Access Code

If the ATM doesn’t have a contactless reader, or your bank doesn’t support tap, use the code method:

  1. Open your banking app and go to the cardless, mobile cash, or card-free option.
  2. Pick the account and enter the amount you want to withdraw.
  3. Confirm with your fingerprint, face scan, or passcode.
  4. The app shows a one-time code. Keep the app open or write the code down.
  5. At the ATM, choose the cardless or mobile cash option on screen, enter the code, enter your PIN, and take your cash.

Generate the code only when you’re close to the ATM. Most codes expire in about 30 minutes and work only once.4Bankrate. Cardless ATMs: How They Work, Top Pros And Cons – Section: Verification codes If it expires or the transaction fails, request a new one.

Limits and Fees Still Apply

Going cardless does not raise or lower your daily withdrawal cap. Whatever limit your bank sets on card withdrawals, typically somewhere between $300 and $1,000 per day depending on your account, applies to cardless withdrawals too.

Out-of-network fees also follow you. Bankrate’s most recent checking account survey put the average total cost of an out-of-network ATM withdrawal at $4.86, made up of a $3.22 surcharge from the ATM operator and a $1.64 fee from your own bank.5Bankrate. Survey: ATM Fees Hit Record High For Third Straight Year While Average Overdraft Fee Dips – Section: ATM fees hit record high for third straight year Sticking to your own bank’s machines avoids both charges.

If Your Phone Is Lost or Stolen

The main security trade-off is that your phone now holds the key to your cash. Turn on biometric authentication for both the phone’s lock screen and your banking app. If the phone goes missing, call your bank the same day to disable mobile access, and use Find My iPhone or Find My Device to lock or wipe it remotely.

Federal law caps your liability for unauthorized electronic transfers at $50 if you report the loss within two business days of discovering it. Wait longer than two business days but report within 60 days, and your exposure rises to $500. After 60 days, you could be on the hook for the full amount.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1005.6 Liability of Consumer for Unauthorized Transfers Report fast.

When the ATM Won’t Cooperate

Cardless transactions fail more often than card-based ones, almost always for a reason you can fix on the spot:

  • Low battery or no signal. Charge up before you leave, and check that you have data or Wi-Fi at the ATM.
  • An expired access code. Go back into the app and generate a fresh one.
  • An ATM that doesn’t support contactless. If you don’t see the symbol, the tap won’t register. Try a branch ATM instead.
  • NFC turned off on Android. Check your phone’s connection or wireless settings and switch it on. On iPhone, NFC activates automatically when the Wallet app opens.
  • Wrong card selected in your wallet. Credit cards won’t pull cash from an ATM through a digital wallet tap. Make sure you’ve selected the debit card tied to the account you want to use.

If nothing works, call the number on the back of your debit card. The problem may be on the bank’s end, such as a hold on your account or a mobile system outage.