Bank rolls out card-free ATMs

Bank rolls out card-free ATMs

A woman uses an ATM inside a branch. Courtesy Fifth Third Bank

A bank with a large West Michigan presence has rolled out technology that lets customers withdraw cash from its ATMs without a debit card.

Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank said today it made changes to its Fifth Third mobile banking app and ATMs to allow users to make withdrawals via the app instead of their bank cards.

“(The) cardless ATM is one more example of our taking time to understand our customers’ needs and working to improve their experience,” said Tom Welch, West Michigan region president, Fifth Third Bank. “This means banking when, where and how they want.”

To use the ATMs without a debit card, customers can sign into the Fifth Third Banking app, choose the account they want to withdraw money from and tap on the “cardless ATM” icon on their phone screen.

Then they can touch anywhere on the ATM screen and use the camera on their phone to scan the code that appears. After entering their PIN, they can begin a withdrawal.

Melissa Stevens, Fifth Third’s chief digital officer and head of innovation, design and omni-channel experiences, said the move is in keeping with the bank’s commitment to innovation.

“I’m excited that this new feature connects two channels our customers use frequently — our mobile app and Fifth Third ATMs,” Stevens said.

According to Fifth Third, mobile banking is growing among its customers, with a 40-percent increase in logins to the mobile banking app from December 2016 to December 2017, driven by biometric login possibilities, such as touch ID and face ID.

Fifth Third operates nearly 2,500 ATMs in its 10-state retail footprint, all of which will offer card-free access. The service is not available at the bank’s partner ATMs.

Fifth Third

Fifth Third Bancorp’s principal subsidiary Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858.

As of Dec. 31, 2017, the company (Nasdaq: FITB) had $142 billion in assets and operated 1,154 full-service banking centers and 2,469 ATMs in 10 states: Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina.

Fifth Third Bank has more than 200 Michigan branches, with more than 100 branches in West Michigan.

The bank employs more than 2,600 people in Michigan, including 1,900 in West Michigan.