Protecting your access to cash

We know many people and businesses rely on cash to get things done. And the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has now introduced rules to help protect your access to it.

What access to cash means for you

Having access to cash means it’s reasonably easy for you to deposit or withdraw cash when you need it. The regulation means banks have a duty to protect your access to cash, including after we make changes to local services, such as closing bank branches or ATMs.

Concerned about access to cash in your area?

We work with LINK to make sure access to cash is good enough wherever we have customers. LINK sets clear rules about which places need to have better access to cash, and reviews all proposals to close bank branches.

Cash services which could be introduced to fill gaps include a new free cash machine or a banking hub (where you can do your banking with different banks all in one place).

How to check access to cash in your area

You can use LINK’s cash locator tool to check for places to withdraw and deposit cash. You can use filters to show which accept coins and which accept notes, and which are free to use.

LINK's cash locator

Co-operative Bank customers have the option to deposit or withdraw cash in any of our 50 branches or in any of roughly 11,500 Post Office branches (daily cash limits apply), and may also be able to withdraw cash from ATMs.

Co-operative Bank branch finder

Post Office branch finder

Personal banking at a Post Office

Business banking at a Post Office

How to request a review of cash services in your area

  1. First, you can check whether LINK has already looked at your area and made a recommendation to make things better.
  2. Then, you can go to LINK’s website to submit a cash access request. You can do this yourself, as part of a community group or via a representative group. There are options to complete a form online, or to post a request to LINK.

What happens after you request a review of cash services?

LINK will run a cash access assessment to check whether access is sufficient. If they decide it’s not, they’ll make recommendations on what needs to happen next to make things better.

How to find cash access assessment outcomes

You can check LINK’s list of outcomes. You can filter by local area, country or bank.

LINK’s assessment outcomes

What cash access assessments tell you

The assessments list the existing cash access services, including the address and distance of:

  • The nearest bank branch which serves personal and business customers
  • The three nearest banks (including those which only serve personal customers)
  • The three nearest free to use ATMs and Post Offices.

They also explain what facilities LINK recommends.

Recent assessment recommendations

Assessments have recommended the need for the following services.

1. Cash deposits and withdrawals for personal and/or business customers, with support from a trained individual when needed

The recommended services include the launch of new Post Office counter services, or enhancements to existing Post Office branches, or a new or replacement ATM. Once open, these should provide the option for personal and/or business customers to make cash deposits and withdrawals, with assistance from trained colleagues.

2. Automated cash deposit services for business customers

The recommended service is an automated cash deposit service (to accept notes and coin, or notes only).

This service will not be available for our customers so if your business is affected in an area listed in the assessment recommendations (PDF), just get in touch. We can discuss other options, such as us collecting cash from your business premises.

Call 03457 213 213. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm and Saturday, 9am to 12pm (call charges).

Assessment recommendation details

You can read a summary of the assessment recommendations so far. This includes the locations and which new services are recommended.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

A cash access assessment is when LINK checks what cash-related services are available in an area, including:

  • Whether the services are free to use for personal account holders
  • Whether a reasonable mix of coins and banknotes can be deposited or withdrawn
  • Whether an appropriately trained person is available to help with the services.

A cash access assessment will usually happen whenever:

  • A person or group sends a cash access request
  • A bank branch or ATM is due to close.

If an assessment has already been done in the last 12 months for the same area and same reasons, a new assessment may not be done. But you can let LINK know if you think their decision was wrong.

If you think LINK got it wrong, you can appeal their decision and they’ll review it.

All cash access assessments will be done by LINK. They’re regulated by the Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority and Payment Systems Regulator. Read more about LINK.

The regulation means that we, along with 13 other banks, must:

  • Monitor whether cash can be accessed reasonably easily in the areas we have customers
  • Identify when more cash services are needed whenever we plan to change local services
  • Respond to local residents, community organisations and representative groups who request an assessment of whether there are gaps in local cash access
  • Provide reasonable additional cash services wherever there are significant gaps found in cash access assessments
  • Keep existing facilities, including bank branches and ATMs, open until alternative ways of accessing cash are available.

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