Getting cash out is no longer as simple as it used to be – particularly in recent years since the major Australian banks started removing many of their ATMs.
But one Aussie woman has now revealed her ultra-convenient hack for getting cash out.
Phoning into 2Day FM’s Jimmy & Nath show, the caller revealed that her favourite place to withdraw money – without being stung by the pesky fees of privately run ATMs – was to head to McDonald’s.
‘To get money out, don’t go to an ATM. Just go through Maccas drive thru,’ she revealed in a clip shared to the Jimmy & Nath TikTok account.
‘There’s no fees. You don’t need to get out of your pyjamas, and you can get a snack, if you like.’
Daily Mail reached out to a McDonald’s Australia spokesperson, who confirmed that they do indeed offer this fee-free service.
And perhaps most surprisingly, no product purchase is required in order to use it.
‘Macca’s does offer customers the convenience of limited cash withdrawals at our restaurants, available at front counter or Drive Thru,’ a McDonald’s Australia spokesperson said.
An Aussie woman revealed an ultra-convenient yet little-known way to get cash out – by going to the Macca’s drive thru
A McDonald’s Australia spokesperson confirmed: ‘Macca’s does offer customers the convenience of limited cash withdrawals at our restaurants, available at front counter or Drive Thru’
However, there are a few limitations to the withdrawals.
Usually, the maximum amount that you can withdraw in one transaction is around $100-$200.
The maximum amount varies from restaurant to restaurant and depends how much cash is physically available in the tills.
Cash can also be withdrawn at Macca’s as a standalone transaction. Alternatively, it can be done in the same transaction as a food or beverage purchase.
The radio caller explained that she regularly popped by the drive thru when her kids needed money to take to school for cash-only events or to use at the canteen.
Her money hack impressed the show’s hosts, who had no idea the fast food giant offered a cash out service.
The hosts also noted that Macca’s stores were conveniently located in many places – as opposed to ATM’s, which are increasingly difficult to find.
Video of the recorded segment was shared to Jimmy & Nath’s TikTok page and has since been viewed over 24,000 times.
A video of the segment where the caller shared her Macca’s ATM hack was shared to Jimmy & Nath’s TikTok page. It lit up with replies from Aussies who thanked the caller for not gatekeeping the secret
It sparked discussion among online commenters, some from people who were already fans of the little-known money withdrawal feature.
‘[T]his has definitely saved the tooth fairy a dozen times in our house getting coins cash out late at night,’ one admitted.
Another thanked the caller for not gatekeeping the secret, particularly since no-fee bank ATM’s are increasingly ‘hard to find’.
However, some commenters argued that although you don’t technically pay a fee to withdraw cash at Maccas, many might feel enticed to additionally purchase something they otherwise wouldn’t have.
‘If you’re buying a snack, [it] kinda defeats the purpose of not paying fees,’ one person questioned.
However many responded that they’d much rather ‘rather pay for a snack then an ATM fee’.
‘A fee is money for nothing. Paying for food, is money for food,’ read one reply.
The radio hosts observed that the money trick was handy because McDonald’s stores are often conveniently located, whereas bank-operated ATMs are increasingly difficult to find
‘Better than paying fees at most ATMs nowadays and not getting anything to eat,’ agreed another.
However, a former McDonald’s manager cautioned against relying solely on Maccas for cash withdrawals.
They explained that the stores sometimes simply weren’t able to facilitate a customer’s cash out transaction because there wasn’t enough money left in the tills.
Replies in the comments section also noted that many other major stores and supermarkets also offer cash withdrawals without any additional fees.
Similar to McDonald’s, many of them have a maximum amount that can be withdrawn in a single transaction.
Some of the suggested stores for fee-free cash out transactions included Coles, Woolworths, Big W and Bunnings.
