I have 21 tips for you to obtain cash from ATMs safely and securely while you’re traveling.
During almost any trip, we generally need cash from time to time. While my preference is to use a credit card whenever possible for safety and security, there are times when cash may be required and other times when it’s more convenient than using a credit or debit card. According to where you are, you might need it for a public restroom, a taxi or even just for tipping, etc.
While traveling, it’s safer to periodically get cash from ATMs rather than carry a large amount of cash from home.
Of course, it’s not a good idea to carry around a wad of cash, even if it’s secreted in a neck wallet or money belt. I recommend going to an ATM periodically to have enough cash, but not too much. The amount depends on the circumstances and your destination.
There are challenges to using ATMs safely and securely while traveling. I’ve got 21 tips for you when you use an ATM, whether you’re traveling domestically or internationally.
Any time you want cash from an ATM, follow these precautions:
• It’s better to use ATMs that have some built-in security when using them, such as ones in banks or hotels.
• Avoid using ATMs in malls and stores in locations at which your line of sight is insufficient to see potential criminals or in areas with people that are so close that they can easily grab your cash.
• Never use an ATM outside, whether on a sidewalk, in a parking lot, or elsewhere.
An ATM location and how well you can see your surroundings from it are critical to use it safely.
• Avoid ATMs in rooms off the street at the corner of a building, as the location creates blind spots. You can’t see who may come around a corner. Use ATMs located near the center of buildings, well away from corners. That maximizes your potential field of vision of your surroundings.
• Don’t use ATMs that have blocked sight lines. Choose an ATM with maximum visibility for surveillance of the surrounding area.
• Avoid drive-up ATMs. They’re too dangerous to use safely, even if all your car doors are locked.
Don’t use an ATM at night that’s not in your hotel unless you have to obtain cash at the moment.
- Avoid using an ATM at night unless it’s inside your hotel, in spots that are well-lighted and not isolated. It’s too easy for criminals to lurk unseen in the dark.
- When you’re forced to use an ATM at night, make sure the room is brightly lit inside and outside so no one can come near the room without easily being seen.
- If you’re forced to use an ATM at night, never use it alone. Always go with at least one other person. They should keep an eye on the surrounding area for you.
- When a person is outside, hanging around and near the ATM you want to use, don’t go in. Walk away and go to another ATM. The same is true if you’re inside going to a hotel ATM. If someone is hanging around it, use an ATM elsewhere.
Don’t fumble around looking for your ATM card after you get to the ATM. Have it ready before you get to it so you’re not caught off-guard.
- Have your ATM card ready to go. Avoid having to fish around for your wallet or bag. Don’t give criminals a chance to catch you off-guard when looking down and concentrating on finding your ATM card.
- If anyone waiting to use the ATM behind you gets too close, ask them politely to move back. If they don’t give you sufficient room, leave the ATM area completely.
Protect your ATM card PIN!
- Protect your PIN when you’re entering it into the ATM. Protect it from others and from any cameras that can see it. My practice is to use my body to block any sight of entering the number from behind and my hand over the keyboard so it can’t be seen from above. If criminals can install skimmers or shimmers, they can install cameras that wouldn’t be noticed or hack into the existing cameras at the ATMs to steal PINs from unsuspecting ATM users.
Extra Tip: Never write down your ATM PIN. Never input your pin number into your smartphone. If it’s not there, even if you’re pickpocketed or smartphone, wallet or bag are stolen, including your ATM card, they won’t gain access to your money. Always report a lost or stolen ATM card as quickly as possible.
- Avoid large withdrawals. If you leave the ATM with your cash, the worst happens. By not making a large withdrawal, you’ve protected yourself.
Once you have cash from the ATM, stash it immediately and grab your receipt. Count it later, when you’re safe.
- After getting your money from the ATM, put it in your pocket immediately. (I usually put it in my neck wallet and block the cameras from seeing me put it there.) Count your money later. You don’t want anyone in the ATM room or outside it to see what you have. Once you have money, you don’t want to waste time getting to a safer location.
- As you depart from the ATM, take your receipt and transaction record. You don’t want to leave any information about you there, including how much is in your account.
- Throughout your journey, monitor your bank accounts online to ensure your account hasn’t been compromised.
Be on the lookout for ATM skimmers and shimmers.
ATM skimmers are small card readers, hidden within legitimate ATM card readers, that harvest user card data when swiped. Criminals use the card data to sell to other criminals or use it themselves to clone ATM cards, break into user accounts, and steal their money. Most skimmers are installed over the ATMs’ actual card reader.
ATM shimmers are installed inside ATM card readers. They are very thin circuit boards that can read card EMV chips, but to date, there is no real-world example that they have broken the cards’ EMV chip protocol, so they can’t be used to clone a chipped card, unlike what skimmers can do with a mag-stripe card.
To prevent yourself from having your card compromised at an ATM by skimmers or shimmers:
Don’t use ATMs that are damaged, don’t look right, have strange keyboards or loose parts.
- Don’t use an ATM that appears damaged, particularly if the damage is at or near the card insert area. There is no point in taking a chance that a skimmer or shimmer is installed.
- If the ATM you’re about to use appears different from other ATMs in the room, don’t use it. Banks and ATM companies are usually particular about ATM appearance. The difference indicates a likelihood that the ATM has been compromised.
- Another indication that an ATM is compromised is a keyboard that feels “different” to the touch. If the keyboard doesn’t feel right, don’t use the ATM.
- ATMs are normally solidly built to protect the cash inside them. If there are loose parts, particularly around the card slot, don’t use the ATM, as it’s likely compromised.
Using these 21 tips won’t guarantee your use of ATMs while traveling will be 100 percent safe and secure, but they will prevent many problems when you need to use them to obtain cash for your journey.
READ ALSO:
COVID-19 trip cancellations continue — but sickness waivers are ending
Trip insurance is an important part of your travel planning
After many years working in corporate America as a chemical engineer, executive and eventually CFO of a multinational manufacturer, Ned founded a tech consulting company and later restarted NSL Photography, his photography business. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. As a well known corporate, travel and wildlife photographer, Ned travels the world writing about travel and photography, as well as running photography workshops, seminars and photowalks. Visit Ned’s Photography Blog and Galleries.
