ATMs could be extinct in Australia within 30 years

ATMs could soon be a thing of the past. Photo / 123RF

Just like fidget spinners, rose gold accessories and Don Burke's TV career, ATMs could soon be a thing of the past.

In fact, according to new research, the humble ATM could be extinct in Australia in less than 30 years.

A projection of data from the Reserve Bank of Australia by finder.com.au has found ATMs could be a distant memory in Australia by 2036.

According to finder.com.au, the number of ATM withdrawals per month has fallen from a high of 73 million in 2010 to just 47 million this year.

If the trend continues at the same rate, ATM use will reach zero in three decades.

However, as tap-to-pay technology gets more and more popular, it is believed the decline of ATM use will accelerate even faster — meaning they'll probably disappear even sooner.

Finder spokeswoman Bessie Hassan said within a few years, she expected technology such as Apple and Android Pay to be on everyone's phone, with almost all new credit and debit cards allowing Aussies to pay with a single tap.

"As we move closer to being a cashless society, and with the advancement of contactless tap-and-go payments, the demise of ATMs is a sign of the times. With the emergence of new payment infrastructures, the need for ATM machines is questionable - they're costly to run and it could be better for banks to invest in other areas like customer rewards or loyalty. As with anything, there are pros and cons," she said.

Hassan said tap-and-go payments were more convenient than cash, but that "the demise of ATMs, coupled with dwindling physical branches, could be unsettling for older generations who are unwilling to come on board the digital banking bandwagon".

Money expert and YouTube star Canna Campbell from Sugar Mamma TV said we needed to prepare for a cashless society.

"There's a flinch moment when you use cash to pay for things — it physically hurts, so you use less. So going cashless can be a bit of a landmine," she said.

"The trick around it is to be really mindful and conscious of your spending. There's got to be a change in attitude and actions as we move into a cashless world.

"Heaps of studies have shown when we use credit cards we spend more than when we use cash. With ATMs going extinct and more people using tap-and-go, Paywave and Apple Pay, we really need to make sure we stay in control.

"People should check their account on a daily basis to track spending but also look out for any fraudulent activity. People should have financial goals so when they look at their account they can see their savings going up, and they should always check their credit card balance and know when their credit card payment is due."

The good news is recent government regulations have clamped down on businesses charging excessive fees for accepting credit and debit cards, and the ATO has announced it will crack down on cash-only businesses using a lack of digital transaction records to avoid tax.

But while ATMs get less and less relevant, they're also getting cheaper to use — the big four banks recently stopped charging clients of other banks to use their ATMs, which is now saving us A$30 million ($33m) per month.