Bank allows customers to withdraw cash from ATMs without card

Thousands of bank customers who have their ATM cards lost or stolen will no longer be left stranded without cash thanks to a new texting service from permanent tsb.

‘Emergency Cash’, the first scheme of its kind in Ireland, allows a customer to withdraw €100 from any permanent tsb ATM without a bank card.

The service also allows the customer to authorise a friend or family member to withdraw the emergency fund on their behalf or come to the rescue of a son or daughter or friend who finds themselves in a vulnerable situation without access to cash.

To avail of Emergency Cash customers must be registered with Open24, permanent tsb’s online banking service and have signed up for text banking.

Niall O’Grady, business strategy, manager, permanent tsb said: "Losing your card & being stranded without cash is a major worry for customers and this service gives people piece of mind to know they can get access to cash in an emergency.

"We are delighted to be the first bank in Ireland to introduce this to our customers and expect it to be very popular as unfortunately we all find ourselves inconvenienced or at a loss for cash at one stage or another."

A maximum amount of €500 per month or €100 each day for five days can be withdrawn through Emergency Cash. A customer must have a minimum balance of €102 in their account for a transaction to proceed. The cost per transaction is €2.

Texts to activate the service are charged at the standard operator’s rate.