My card keeps getting rejected when trying to withdraw cash at ATMs. I live very close to a Post Office and a Co-op both with ATMs and sometimes they accept my card, sometimes they don’t. Yesterday in my city centre I had to try four banks before I found a HSBC ATM that accepted my card. It seems to have gotten worse since Monzo’s recent ad campaigns and I’m wondering if it’s a concerted effort by the big banks to push back against the new players? If so, how can we counter this?
ATMs have to support Mastercard otherwise they won’t work. Monzo also doesn’t support the Post Office. If neither of these are applicable to you it sounds like you need a new card.
The reason you are getting declined may be tied to the reason that most High St Banks are connected to LINK (a UK ATM network) however Monzo isn’t connected to LINK and use Mastercard to process ATM transactions. A thing to remember is to look for a MasterCard logo (it’s the 2 rings on the front of your card at the bottom right) in front of an ATM, if said ATM has the logo then you can use it.
If it’s an intermittent issue as described, I can’t see it being the Link/Mastercard issue. A given machine should either always work or never work. And a bank ATM should always have Mastercard support. Definitely sounds like a card fault.
I had intermittent card problems a while ago. The solution for me was a replacement card.
Monzo are not part of LINK as described above. ATM’s from the Cooperative Bank (not from Coop Food) do not work with Monzo as they are LINK only and not linked to Mastercard. A few ATM’s in Manchester city centre (in and around the Arndale by the Coop Bank branch/HQ) refuse Monzo due to Coop Banks issue. Some private fee ATM’s are also LINK only like Coop Bank.
The vast majority of ATM’s overall do allow MasterCard. Best to check MasterCards ATM locator and then report it as a card issue if a MasterCard allowed ATM doesn’t work.
https://www.mastercard.co.uk/en-gb/consumers/get-support/locate-an-atm.html
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How strange as every Co-op ATM I have encountered in the North west has had a MasterCard symbol.
Thanks for your replies
The ones I see clearly only say LINK and Visa so if they are being updated I would be interested to see where they are. Are you sure you are not thinking of Coop Food whose ATM’s are not supplied by Coop Bank anymore but a private ATM provider?
I’m not sure it’s outside my local coop shop and says coop on it. I’ve ordered a new card anyway let’s see if that helps. thanks
As I said, shops owned by the Co-op Group (so Co-Op Food shops) do not use Co-op Bank for their ATM’s. They switched a few years ago to a private ATM provider when the Co-op Group lost control of the bank. Therefore MasterCard should work in Coop Food stores but not via the Coop bank ATMs. Let us know when you get your new card if it works!
Oh right great that’s good to know. Thanks for your help