The Royal Bank of Scotland is launching an "emergency cash" ATM service in the run up to Christmas which will provide funds to customers who have had their debit card lost or stolen.
The banking group says the new service provides a "simple and cardless" method of accessing up to £300 in "emergency cash" from any ATM operated by the banks within the RBS Group, including Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Ulster Bank and Tesco Personal Finance.
When customers call the bank's helpline to report the loss or theft of their debit card, they will automatically be asked by the agent if they need access to 'emergency cash'.
If they are able to answer three security questions the customer will be issued with a unique single-use PIN number. They then have a "three hour window" in which to visit an ATM. The customer can access the funds by pressing any of the six blank keys on the machine's key pad. The 'emergency cash' screen will then be displayed requesting the single use PIN number.
RBS says the service will be free over the holiday period up until Friday 11 January, after which there will be a fixed fee of £5.
Paul Geddes, chief executive, consumer banking at RBS Group, says: "We all know what an inconvenience it is to be stranded without our debit card, especially over the holiday period. With this in mind, we introduced the new Emergency Cash service to provide customers with a lifeline when they have lost their debit card or had it stolen and need urgent access to the funds in their bank account."