Abbey National is to roll out a new ATM service enabling customers to top-up their Orange Pay As You Go mobile phones at the cash machine.
Under a partnership with Orange and Euronet, the new service will allow any Abbey National customer with an Orange Pay As You Go phone to transfer funds to their mobile account at the bank's more than 3000 ATMs across the UK. The service is the first of its kind in the UK, claims the bank.
Roll out of the mobile top-up service will begin with a pilot scheme in May this year, with full coverage across the UK completed by autumn 2002.
Top-ups will be available in values of £10, £20, £30, £40 and £50. Customers simply enter their PIN, choose the relevant service option, select their operator and top-up value, and type in their mobile phone number. The transaction will be completed within seconds.
Gary Brown, director of proposition development at Abbey National, says: "We are fully committed to improving the convenience of our financial services, and this new service will give customers yet another opportunity to manage their finances in a way that suits them."
Gordon Webber, head of global distribution at Orange, comments: "Orange Belgium, where customers have had access to cash machine top-ups for three years, now sees 30% of its Pay As You Go customers top up their talk time in this way, so the growth potential in the UK is huge."