ABN Amro first bank to allow card-less ATM withdrawals

ABN Amro clients are now able to withdraw money from an ATM using their mobile phone instead of their bank card, Cynthia Tulp, payments director at the bank, confirmed to NU.nl. ABN Amro is the first bank to offer card-less ATM withdrawals, according to the newspaper.

"People use their mobile phone for everything. They also pay with it in store and online. You only had to take your card with you to withdraw money. Now that is no longer necessary and your phone is enough," Tulp said to the newspaper.

The card-less withdrawal happens with a QR code and the ABN Amro app. "The app has the option to scan it," Tulp said. "At the ATMs, people can choose the option to 'withdraw without a debit card'. Then they'll see a QR code that can be scanned." The identification process is the same as when you pay with your phone in store or online. "By a code or facial recognition." ABN Amro account holders will be able to withdraw up to 500 euros per day with their phone.

According to Tulp, the end of plastic bank cards is in sight. "The card is being used less and less and the use is only decreasing further. It will also increasingly be the case that people will emphatically no longer want to have a plastic card."

Geldmaat, the joint ATM of the major Dutch banks, also plans to offer the possibility to withdraw money with your mobile phone in the near future. It hopes to roll out this technology next year. The ABN Amro option is already available on Geldmaat machines.