A question for my US friends...

[kellifer]

Do you guys have ATMs (Automatic Teller Machine) and PINs (Personal Identification number) for banking or is it called something else? I was just writing something and then thought... wait, am I doing that thing where I refer to a footpath when it's a sidewalk to you?

Comments

[amireal.livejournal.com]

Nope. I go to the ATM all the time and it always asks for my pin. Damnit.

[crownglass39.livejournal.com]

I use ATMs and PINs.
Sadly, I use them WAY too much...

[libitina]

We have them. And they are called that. In some areas, ATMs have other names - somewhere in the midwest they are TYME machines, and in the northeast they are often MAC machines - but ATM is true everywhere that I know.

[live-momma.livejournal.com]

Irrelevant factoid: in Germany, it's called "Geldautomat", literally, "Moneymachine."

[surreallis.livejournal.com]

Yup, just as everyone else said. And they usually ask you if you want spanish or english at the beginning of your transaction. At least around here they do. And they charge about 2 to 3 dollars as a fee for each transaction. (bleah!) Just in case you needed extra useless info. ;)

Also, as trivia, I'm so lazy that I'll actually drive out of my way to hit a drive-through ATM rather than get out of my car to hit a walk-up ATM.

My mother is so proud.

[moxie-brown.livejournal.com]

This came to mind: I'm not sure if it's true of people of later generations, but at least amongst the 20-something crowd, we tend to use credit cards more often than going to actual ATMs and withdrawing money. Everything's on credit or debit! In fact, going to the ATM is a chore for me that I only do once or twice a month.

[crayonbreakygal.livejournal.com]

ATMs and PINs it is. Thank goodness. You never know.

[hoshi-reed.livejournal.com]

US PINs are 4 digits (I only have to add that because here in Brazil they are 6)
Also the card doesn't come out until you finish the whole transaction. (Here the machine just scans it, spits it out, IF you are withdrawing you have to REINSERT the card AFTER your PIN and the amount you want to withdrawl.)