Tuesday, January 10th, 2006:
Cash Machines (ATM's) in Sweden
What I think:
The cash machines in Sweden are a little bit different from what I was used to in Canada and the UK. Here, your card goes in face down, with the strip on the left-hand side. Maybe it's just my imagination, but it feels as though it takes a bit longer for your money to come out, as well.
The minimum amount you can withdraw is 100 Kronor (about $15 CAN / $13 US / £7.30 UK / €10.70). From a few of the machines in Helsingborg's city centre, you can also withdraw funds in Danish Kronor or Euros.
What I dislike is that you can't check your balance and withdraw funds in the same transaction. Your balance never appears on-screen; you have to remove your card and wait for the little slip of paper (with your balance) to pop out. I'm told that this is a "security feature" - people can't look over your shoulder to see your balance on the screen. This doesn't make much sense to me; if someone wanted to rob you, wouldn't they just wait for your money to appear, then grab it and take off? That's what I do. I mean, I'd do.
And I'm convinced that all people over the age of sixty are issued with a minimum of seven different debit or credit cards (nine cards for those sufferening from athritis), and that it's mandatory for them to check the balance for each cards' accounts before proceeding to withdraw a maximum of 200 Kronor from a minimum of three accounts.
It can take over 15 minutes to get to the machine (even if you're the next in the queue), and It's time that the Swedish government did something about it. That's what I think.
The news today (oh, boy)
From the world outside:
Australia: Not Such Good Clean Fun: An Australian man has had to be rescued after becoming wedged in a washing machine. Robin Toom reportedly got stuck while playing hide-and-seek with his children.
From Sky News
Sweden: Women arrested for security vehicle robbery: Three people have been arrested on suspicion of robbing a security vehicle in Stora Höga, north of Gothenburg, on November 3rd last year. The three have been charged in their absence and are currently in police custody in Stockholm. Two of those arrested are women, one aged 36 and the other in her 20s, according to a police press release. A 36 year old man has also been arrested.
From The Local - Sweden's news in English
The cash machines in Sweden are a little bit different from what I was used to in Canada and the UK. Here, your card goes in face down, with the strip on the left-hand side. Maybe it's just my imagination, but it feels as though it takes a bit longer for your money to come out, as well.
The minimum amount you can withdraw is 100 Kronor (about $15 CAN / $13 US / £7.30 UK / €10.70). From a few of the machines in Helsingborg's city centre, you can also withdraw funds in Danish Kronor or Euros.
What I dislike is that you can't check your balance and withdraw funds in the same transaction. Your balance never appears on-screen; you have to remove your card and wait for the little slip of paper (with your balance) to pop out. I'm told that this is a "security feature" - people can't look over your shoulder to see your balance on the screen. This doesn't make much sense to me; if someone wanted to rob you, wouldn't they just wait for your money to appear, then grab it and take off? That's what I do. I mean, I'd do.
And I'm convinced that all people over the age of sixty are issued with a minimum of seven different debit or credit cards (nine cards for those sufferening from athritis), and that it's mandatory for them to check the balance for each cards' accounts before proceeding to withdraw a maximum of 200 Kronor from a minimum of three accounts.
It can take over 15 minutes to get to the machine (even if you're the next in the queue), and It's time that the Swedish government did something about it. That's what I think.
The news today (oh, boy)
From the world outside:
Australia: Not Such Good Clean Fun: An Australian man has had to be rescued after becoming wedged in a washing machine. Robin Toom reportedly got stuck while playing hide-and-seek with his children.
From Sky News
Sweden: Women arrested for security vehicle robbery: Three people have been arrested on suspicion of robbing a security vehicle in Stora Höga, north of Gothenburg, on November 3rd last year. The three have been charged in their absence and are currently in police custody in Stockholm. Two of those arrested are women, one aged 36 and the other in her 20s, according to a police press release. A 36 year old man has also been arrested.
From The Local - Sweden's news in English
posted by Mark Base at 8:22 pm
3 Comments:
I had one of those old fossils in front of me at the ATM yesterday. I watched entranced as she fed in each of her three cards at the speed of an advancing glacier, then laboriously punched in the PIN-code and waited for her little slip of paper. As the old bat didn't take out a single ore - I wondered if she was sent out just to piss me off during my lunch break.
Nice news story from Australia. It makes a change from the ones about being eaten by sharks and crocodiles :)
OMG, I almost wet myself reading about the arthritic oldies being issued extra bank cards.....TOO FUNNY and TOO TRUE!!
Do you guys have self-checkout at the grocery stores in Sweden? I swear if I worked in a store and had to oversee people using those machines all day, I'd have to wear Depends to save the floor. Talk about hours of comedic relief! LOL
Kimberly: We haven't got self-checkout here in Helsingborg yet. I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to it or not.
I hope you didn't end up wetting yourself in the end.
Mark
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