NatWest and RBS to launch talking cash machines

Savings and ISAs

Updated on 12 April 2013 | 3 Comments

NatWest and RBS will upgrade cash machines to help blind and partially sighted customers with transactions.

NatWest and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) have announced plans to roll out “talking” ATMs across the UK, to help blind and partially-sighted people carry out transactions.

Around 3,800 ATMs and in-branch cash and deposit machines belonging to NatWest and RBS will become speech-enabled starting from next year. The overhaul of 80% of the network should be completed by 2015.

Anyone that struggles to read the display on a NatWest or RBS cashpoint will be able to plug earphones into the machines and get a verbal guide to complete their transaction.

The move comes two years after the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) launched its Make Money Talk campaign, calling on banks to provide ATMs with audio facilities.

Talking ATMs

Barclays was one of the first to commit to upgrade its network and completed the overhaul of 75% of its machines in November last year.

Nationwide, the Co-operative Bank and Lloyds Banking Group have also made commitments to upgrade most of their networks this year.

RNIB said HSBC and Santander are the last of the major banks to commit to upgrading to help those with sight difficulties.

There are two million people that suffer from some form of sight difficulty according to the RNIB that could benefit from audio upgrades.

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