Skip to main content

N.Y. businessman trades ads for ATM fees

By WTOP Staff

WASHINGTON – Your next $20 bill could come with a sponsor.

A Brooklyn entrepreneur is pushing fee-free ATMs that play advertisements while a transaction is processed, instead of charging fees for users who aren’t bank customers.

Clinton Townsend tells The New York Times he wants to install the machines in areas of New York City not served by big banks, and where users are hit with large transaction fees. He says the ads typically last less than 15 seconds.

Towsend’s FREE ATMs NYC operates its first machine at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood.

What about you? Would you rather watch an ad or pay $2 to take out some cash? Let us know in the comments below.

WTOP’s Malini Wilkes contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Emergency guide: What you should do to prepare for emergencies

By WTOP Staff
WASHINGTON — Do you know what you'd do if an emergency hits? What if you're at work, your spouse is stuck in traffic and your children are in school? There's no way to plan for every emergency, but you can make sure you're prepared for different scenarios, including making a plan for your family and building a kit of emergency supplies.
Read Next Story

Related Stories

Cards, gifts cross religious lines

Mind your mouth: How oral health affects overall health

5 questions to ask before buying a winter home