Fee-less ATMs? Yes, After These Brief Messages

Death to ATM fees! (sandrus10009's flickr).

If you want to save money in the city here are two really solid pieces of advice worth following: Don't take cabs if in any way possible and do everything you can to avoid paying ATM fees. Thanks to the MTA, a bike and a good pair of shoes the first is easy. The second? Really depends on your bank. But one clever startup, Free ATM NYC, would like to make it a smidge easier. They just ask that you watch a quick ad while you wait for your cash.

Free ATM NYC is exactly what it sounds like. Currently testing its product at the Knitting Factory, it sells ATMs that asks you to watch ads before, during and after your transaction in exchange for not charging you the usual $1.50—$3 fee. Of course, your bank could (and probably does) still charge you an additional "out-of-network" fee of at least $1.25 for taking your own money out somewhere else...but let's deal with one thing at a time.

Free ATM NYC's founder, 25-year-old Clinton Townsend, tells CNN that he hopes to roll the ATMs out nationwide. Not only will some of his planned ATMs include video screens with nonstop ads running, but others will theoretically let users bypass ads and just pay a fee. Our gut reaction is that this is a great idea...except what happens in a few years when it does well and all sorts of banks decide to start putting ads on their ATMs and charging fees? Cause that would suck—and seems entirely plausible.

[via Animal]