By the end of this year, easybank customers will be able to withdraw cash at Shell service stations in Austria using their current account or credit card. The companies involved in the launch of this system are Shell Austria, easybank as the banking partner and Wincor Nixdorf as the technology partner.
Following a pilot phase in the summer, a total of 125 Shell stations in Austria will be equipped with special POS terminals featuring an ATM function by the end of the year. These systems will allow service station customers to withdraw cash using their current account or credit card. In addition, cash handling will become easier and more secure for cashiers in the service stations, since they will no longer have direct access to the cash in the POS system.
Latest technology unites cash withdrawal, POS functions and security
The ICM (Integrated Cash Management) system developed by Wincor Nixdorf enables automated deposits and dispensing as well as banknote and coin recycling. Bank customers can thus use their current account or credit card in conjunction with their personal identification numbers to withdraw cash.
The integrated payment function at the POS system is based on software and modules from Wincor Nixdorf that count the cash, validate its authenticity and deposit and store it securely. The money is credited to the service station operator's account in real time. The modules also dispense change automatically, allowing the cashier to concentrate entirely on the customer. What's more, the software authorizes cash withdrawals and provides all the necessary information on current cash levels. This ensures that enough cash is available at all times.
Nationwide offer - greater security at service stations
"With this service, easybank and its cooperation partners Shell and Wincor Nixdorf are acting as pioneers, since it is unique in Austria," says Sonja Sarközi, managing director at easybank.
"Nowadays, service stations fulfill a local supply function that goes far beyond food products. Refueling stops are necessary regularly, and our customers expect to be able to get other necessities of everyday life done the same time. We looked for a suitable partner for financial services at length and have found the best we could wish for in easybank. No other bank is able to combine such attractive products with perfect customer service," says N. Iwan, head of Shell's service station network in Austria, confirming the decision.
"The new system delivers maximum protection for our service station operators and their employees against robberies," Iwan points out. In the future, cash will no longer be readily accessible at Shell stations but be stored in locked safes.
In this exemplary project in Austria, Wincor Nixdorf combined technologies from its two main fields of expertise to form a tailored solution for a retail bank and a service station operator. "Together with our renowned partners Shell and easybank, we have developed a cost-efficient process. We see great potential for cash automation solutions at banks and retail companies worldwide," says Christian Weißer, general manager at Wincor Nixdorf in Austria.