John Shepherd-Barron, the man credited with inventing the world’s first cash machine, has died at the age of 84. Mr Shepherd-Barron’s invention has transformed the way that we get hold of our cash, not just for us in the UK but for people across the world. From humble beginnings, the cash machine has grown to the extent that last year UK cardholders withdrew £193 billion from cash machines.
The world’s first cash machine was installed at a branch of Barclays bank in Enfield, Middlesex. On 27 June 1967 actor Reg Varney, later to star in the TV series On the Buses, made the first ever cash machine withdrawal. The first cash machines were very basic: they were only ever located at bank branches and relied on a token being inserted, which was obtained from counter staff, rather than a plastic card that we use today. Today’s machines are much more sophisticated - enabling customers not only to obtain cash, but top up their mobile, check their balance, request a statement and change their PIN. While cash machines were once a novelty, they have become part of daily life for most of us. LINK, operator of the UK cash machine network, last month recorded 20,000 cash machine transactions in a single minute.
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Notes to Editors
Media Enquiries
For more information please contact Mark Bowerman at the LINK Press Office.
Email: press@ukpayments.org.uk
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About LINK
LINK is the UK's cash machine network. Virtually every cash machine in the UK (free-to-use and pay-to-use) is connected to LINK, and LINK provides the only route through which card issuers can offer their customers reliable nationwide access to cash. All the UK's significant debit and ATM card issuers are LINK members.
Cash machine operators who want to deploy ATMs in the UK must join LINK in order to be able to offer cash to all 100 million LINK-enabled cards in circulation.
The number of free-to-use ATMs in the UK is at an all-time high of 40,000.
Almost 97% of all ATM cash withdrawals by UK cardholders in the UK are made free-of-charge.
LINK, the UK's cash machine network, works in partnership with independent charity, Crimestoppers to offer rewards of up to £25,000 for information relating to cash machine crime. Anyone with details about those responsible for cash machine crime - such as card skimming or even physical attacks on the machine itself - can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, where they can leave their information completely anonymously.