Today, there are few times when you actually need cash while shopping in a store. It is possible to swipe a credit card or use a smartphone payment app for almost every single purchase. Regardless of how you pay, in all likelihood, you do it without ever having to pay cash at all.
However, at some point, you will need money for something. There will be necessary occasions when you don’t have your debit card or when you lose it. In such situations, finding cash without a debit card is tricky.
To begin with, we shall examine ways in which you can make a purchase without using your debit card. There are a lot more available options now, rather than in the past.
In most banking systems now, if you sign up for a bank account, your bank will provide you with a debit card.
Options for Withdrawing Money Without a Card
If you don’t have a debit card and don’t live near a place where you can check your balance, how can you access money? The options for getting cash aren’t as locked-in as pulling up to an ATM machine with your debit card… most require visiting a brick-and-mortar location.
Cash a Check
You can also withdraw cash from your checking account by writing yourself a check. You don’t have to swipe your debit card to cash that check! If you have an account with that bank or credit union, that will be no problem. Many banks and other locations will allow you to cash the check even if you don’t have a checking account there.
Banks are not obliged to cash cheques drawn on accounts at other banks for non-account-holders, and there are others that will refuse to do so.
However, many banks will cash checks for anyone in the following circumstances:
The check has been signed by an account holder; the amount written on the check is less than or equal to the money in the account.
The check is less than six months old
You can show identification that matches the payee’s name on the check
Alongside banks , some retail locations offer the service of cashing a check, for instance, a large retail business like Walmart does check cashing.
Most retail stores charge fees to cash checks, while almost no financial institutions do. Always attempt to cash your cheques at banks and credit unions to avoid transaction fees.
Withdrawal Slip at a Bank
Another way of getting cash is the old-fashioned way: you go into your bank, stand in the cash machine queue (the line for getting cash) and take out whatever you need. For this you fill in a simple slip of paper: name and number of the account; the amount your are withdrawing.
Furthermore, most banks debit your account when you use your debit card; alternatively, you can ID.
Cash Back at Certain Stores
If you have ever used your debit card to buy something, you might have been given the option to have cashback from your account. Say you buy something for $20. You can ask for $80 cashback, and then the vendor will process a transaction for $100, which will account for your purchase and cashback amount.
You don’t even need a plastic debit card to do this, as long as you have your debit card stored in your mobile wallet. An Apple or Google mobile wallet is an app you download onto your mobile phone that lets you save your payment information. When you go to buy something in store, you can open up a payment app on your phone, select the card you want to use, then complete the transaction just by holding your phone up to the payment terminal.
Even if you ordinarily do not use a mobile wallet for payments, adding your debit card to one is a good way to be sure you’ll always be able to buy something or get cash if you lose your debit or credit card.
Cardless ATMs
Did you know that you can get money from an ATM without your debit card? This type of ATM is called cardless, and while not all ATMs are cardless, you can find them with most major banks.
A cardless ATM interaction is much like paying at a store – or getting cash back from it – through your mobile wallet. Step 1: Make sure the ATM has a contactless payment symbol. This is the mark or decal common to every POS terminal that accepts payments from mobile wallets.
After verifying that the machine allows cardless ATM access, follow prompts to withdraw cash. Instead of inserting your debit card, tap your phone on to the machine; enter your PIN as usual.
Some cardless ATMs operate a little differently; instead of tapping your phone with your mobile wallet against the terminal as at SoFi’s ATM, you’ll use your bank’s mobile app. In this case, the ATM will have a QR code on it which you’ll scan with the app.
Get Help From Your Bank
If you can’t withdraw money from an ATM or your cash machine, call your bank or credit union. Maybe you misplaced (or lost) your debit card, or someone stole it off you. Either way, your financial institution will cancel it for you. No one will be able to swipe it while you’re waiting for the replacement.
While you are waiting for your new card to arrive, you are allowed to use your credit card for spending – although if you need cash, your local bank should be able to assist.
Once you report your debit card lost or stolen, you won’t be able to tap to pay for cash back at the register in retail stores, or you won’t be able to use cardless ATMs; but certainly, you’ll still be able to use the two other strategies.
Best Checking Accounts With No ATM Fees
| Bank | Account | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Axos Bank | Rewards Checking | No ATM fees and earn up to 3.30% APY |
| Ally Bank | Interest Checking Account | No ATM fees and reimburses fees charged by out-of-network ATMs (up to $10) |
| Paramount Bank | Interest Checking | No ATM fees and earn 3.00% interest on balances up to $100,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Use Your Debit Card Number Without the Card?
Just yes. You can still make transactions without having the card if you have a handwritten or digitally saved record of the debit card number, where you ironically entered it. You simply go through the check-out process online and provide the card number when prompted, and the money is withdrawn. You can go further with this digital type of debit card and use it at retailers who allow in-store payments using mobile wallets, provided you saved the card to your phone digitally.
What Is the Fastest Way to Withdraw Cash From Your Account Without the Card?
By far the best way to take cash out of your card-less account (aside from going to the bank or writing yourself a check to cash elsewhere) is to either use cash back at a store or a cardless ATM. But, you guessed it, you have to have your debit card saved in your mobile wallet to do either of those.
How Can You Access Your Money While Waiting for a New Card?
You can, however, use your mobile wallet to make payments with a debit card ordered from a bank even if it hasn’t yet arrived in the mail. If the only copy of a card has been reported lose or stolen, access may be disabled – until you can get cash directly from the bank.
Can I Withdraw Cash Using Apple Pay?
Absolutely – there are several ways that you can get cash from a store with your Apple digital wallet. You can get cash back when you use it to pay at a store. You can take cash from any ATM that allows for cardless withdrawals with your Apple wallet (with the debit card info stored in it).
