Mobile payment services like Android Pay are handy because they mean that you don’t need your physical credit or debit card to make a purchase. But what if you leave your card at home because you’re an mobile payment user, but you wind up somewhere that’s cash-only? Android Pay will soon be able to help you there, too.
Bank of America announced today that its cardless ATM technology now supports Android Pay and that that feature will be rolled out to 2,400 ATMs across the country starting this month. The feature is already available at select ATMs in Boston, Charlotte, New York City, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley, and this month’s rollout will cover the majority of BoA ATMs in the San Francisco Bay and Silicon Valley areas.
Bank of America won’t be stopping at 2,400 ATMs this month, either. The bank says that it will expand its cardless ATM tech to 5,000 ATMs by the end of 2016.
With cardless ATM tech, users simply select their Bank of America card on their device, hold it over the ATM’s contactless card reader, and then enter their PIN like normal. They can then make a withdrawal, check their balance, or make a transfer.
The goal of mobile payment services and digital wallets is to help lighten, and eventually totally eliminate, your physical wallet. And while it could be a while before physical wallets are no longer necessary, features like cardless ATM tech help to get us closer to that goal by eliminating the need to carry a debit card just in case you need cash.