Chase Bank and PNC have rolled out ATMs that will dispense $1 and $5 bills. So if your account balance is getting perilously low, but you still want exactly $19 in cash, you can take it out at the ATM.
I can’t say I’ve ever felt the need to withdraw an amount that was not some multiple of 5 or 10. I’ve seen ATMs that dispense $10 bills, but usually those machines dispense only $10 bills and don’t give you a choice in the matter. The ATMs discussed in this story apparently do.
I also got to wondering why exactly ATMs usually only spit out $20s. My best guess is that it’s more cost-efficient to manufacture machines that deal in only one denomination, and denominations of $20 are probably the most popular, but I’d like to hear from a slightly more reputable source than Yahoo! Answers.
In semi-related news, a San Diego-based firm is rolling an ATM – err, ATM-like device, actually – that will turn your old electronics into cash.