With FeeAlert from Cardtronics, banks and credit unions can actively support their customers' efforts to avoid ATM fees by raising account holder awareness of their in-network ATM options, in a personalized way. Upon analyzing an individual's real-world ATM usage behavior, FeeAlert enables financial institutions to deliver a highly relevant list of nearby surcharge-free ATMs—including surcharge-free network ATMs. In effect, FeeAlert remembers to check for nearby in-network ATMs even when a customer forgets to use their financial institution's ATM locator, thereby positioning banks and credit unions as delivering helpful, potentially cost-saving reminders to their customers.

"Surcharge-free ATM accessibility is largely driven by awareness—a cardholder can't use an in-network, surcharge-free cash machine if they don't know it's there," said Rick Updyke, president, U.S. Business Group, Cardtronics. "With FeeAlert, when a cardholder uses an out-of-network ATM and pays the fee, their financial institution can send a personalized text or email alert to the cardholder's mobile phone—steering them to nearby in-network, surcharge-free options."

How it Works: Consumer perspective
After enrolling in the FeeAlert program, cardholders at participating banks and credit unions, upon using out-of-network, fee-charging ATMs, will receive a personalized text or email alert from their financial institution, pointing them to the nearest in-network, and therefore surcharge-free ATMs.

How it Works: Financial institution perspective
1. Financial institution deploys FeeAlert from Cardtronics
2. Cardholder enrolls (via online banking) in FeeAlert program, selects preferred method of push-notification, e.g., text message or email
3. Cardholder uses out-of-network/non-affiliated ATM
4. FeeAlert generates list (via geo-location technology) of nearby in-network, surcharge-free ATMs
5. Financial institution pushes results to cardholder by their preferred means of communication

Added Updyke: "For financial institutions, for their cardholders, for Cardtronics, for our merchant partners—FeeAlert delivers value across the board. Avoiding ATM fees is hardcoded into cardholder DNA, so if a financial institution puts itself in the position of using FeeAlert to actively help its cardholders save money, the loyalty-building opportunity is obvious. And for Cardtronics, because the nearby surcharge-free option will often be one of our bank-branded or surcharge-free Allpoint Network ATMs, hosted by a premier, daily destination retailer, the volume of both ATM transactions and cash-in-hand customers gets a boost."