OK, maybe I’m an idiot, but I’ve honestly never had to deal with this before. I lost my ATM card, and am still waiting for the replacement. In the meantime, my cash supplies are dwindling at a rather alarming rate. I imagine there’s some way to go to the bank and get money directly, but I’m a little fuzzy on the details.
Any old fogeys have the inside scoop?
Here you can get cash one of two ways :
go to your own branch of the bank where your signature is recorded and they’ll give you cash over the counter;
go to another branch of your bank with ID and they’ll allow you to withdraw a limited amount of cash;
hi Opal
Got checks?
Aaah, the bad old days.
You can also write a check to “Cash” using a check from your own account and take it most anywhere to get cash, provided you have the proper ID.
If you have a debit or charge card you can go in any bank and get cash.
I don’t have an ATM or debit card by choice. The only way money comes out of my account is through checks. Just go to your bank and write a check for cash. Another thing I do pretty often (if it’s $25 or less I need) is go to the local Kroger and write a check for $25 over the amount of my purchase - there’s always something we need from the grocery store and it’s only a few blocks away.
Use credit cards for anything you need to get- that will save you cash. Also sometimes some stores (Pathmark around here) will allow you to charge $30 more then your order on discover card and get the cash. O
Don’t you guys have withdrawal slips in American banks? That’s the way we do it here. We write in the bank account number in the little form, and say “$50 cash” and they say “Yes sir, this signature matches our records, here’s your $50” and they yank $2.50 out of your account as a fee for using a real person instead of a machine.
Yep, this is how to get cash out of a savings account. For a checking account, you would write a check to “Cash” or your own name and get cash for it.
“Yep, this is how to get cash out of a savings account. For a checking account, you would write a
check to “Cash” or your own name and get cash for it.”
Nope. Recently, I was not wanting to pay $2 to get some cash from checking so the clerk used one of the checking account withdrawal slips for me, right here in the USA.
[[Nope. Recently, I was not wanting to pay $2 to get some cash from checking so the clerk used one of the checking account withdrawal slips for me, right here in the USA.]]
I was surprised - to say the least (you gotta be an “old fogie” to know how to get money out of a bank??) - by the OP question but I was also surprised by this. I’ve never paid a fee to withdraw cash from my checking account in a bank. - Jill
Some good advice has been given, but some I’d like to clarify.
To get cash from your checking account the “old fashioned” way (y’all understand that ATM cards have only been around for a generation, don’t you?) you have several options:
These “checking withdrawal slips” are known as counter checks. The MICR line(the magnetic ink printed line at the very bottom of the check) is generally pre-printed with the bank routing and transit number. You have to hand write your account number. I recommend that you avoid using counter checks if at all possible. Since an entry level proof operator has to manually encode more data on a counter check (account number and amount vs. amount only on a pre-printed check), this is where most encoding errors occur. Use your own checks whenever possible.
Some banks have accounts which charge a fee for using a live teller as opposed to an ATM, telephone, or PC. Some banks charge a fee to supply counter checks. The $2 handy mentioned could be either (or both).
You should be able to withdraw any amount from your account(s) at any branch of your bank. If they have a policy that you must go to a branch where your signature is on file, I’d fire 'em and go elsewhere. As computerized and centralized as banking has become there is no excuse for that anymore.
A local merchant may cash a small check for you, or let you write a check for more than the purchase price, especially if they know you. There may be a fee.
A local check cashing business will do it, but there will be a fee and it will be stiff. Also, make sure the check is good. You don’t want those guys after you. They generally aren’t kind to those they consider deadbeats.
A friend may let you write a check to them and give you cash.
A cash advance on a credit card is an option, but not a good one. There is enerally a fee of ~2.5% of the advance amount AND interest begins accruing immediately, possibly at a higher rate than purchases. There is no grace period on a cash advance.
Jeez, I feel old.
I guess playing poker with a couple a fish is outta the question?
“These “checking withdrawal slips” are known as counter checks.”
Again, No. It was not a check, it’s a slip of paper, just like the one used for a Savings Withdrawal. No numbers, no magnetic stripes, etc. Go see them they are at Bank of America.
I have to pay $2 when I use a clerk to cash my checks but not checks someone gave me. grrrrrr! This is their free ATM acct.
[[I have to pay $2 when I use a clerk to cash my checks but not checks someone gave me. grrrrrr!]]
I say change banks. I go in and show the teller my license, ask him or her for money from my account and don’t have to write a check, fill out a form… nothing. And no fee.
handy - I know whereof I speak. I have designed these forms for several banks. Any bank supplied, non-encoded deposit/withdrawal slips are known as ‘counter items’. Checking withdrawal slips are known as counter checks, savings withdrawal slips are known as counter withdrawals, deposit slips are known as counter deposits for both checking and savings. This is to distinguish these items from a pre-printed check or withdrawal. The less encoding on an item, the larger the risk that a human error will occur.
Jill - Paying that fee is handy’s choice. There are other account types and fee structures to choose from, apparently this one fits handy’s lifestyle. It is quite possible that he pays less in fees with his current account type than any other.
“It is quite possible that he pays less in
fees with his current account type than any other.”
I don’t have to pay any fees! (As long as I don’t use a clerk to get my own money.)
I have seen a blank check ($2) to use for checking withdrawals but I didn’t use one of those, I used a checking withdrawal slip & it was free of fees or so the guy said.
Good Lord A’mighty… what a load of feelings of antiquity has descended around my head. I think I’ll retire to my quarters and put an LP on the turntable 
But even in my case, my first personal bank acct, when I left home for college in 79, already made it possible for me to do everything I needed through the ATM – I did not require interacting regularly with live tellers until circa 1990. Still, I run up no fees of any kind for any in-person or off-site transactions done at my own bank, as long as I keep a total balance above $5K.
jrd
And yes, I do have a slight Luddite tendency to insist on using CURRENCY for everyday transactions at the convenience store, bookstore, etc.