Benefits of Leasing or Owning an ATM
No matter whether you choose to lease or buy an ATM, you may look forward to multiple benefits. This is because ATMs are an integral part of our everyday lives, and easy access to one’s own money is always welcome. Besides, they give your customers a convenient alternative to pay. From a business owner’s perspective, owning an ATM or getting one on lease also requires looking at how the options compare against each other.
Pros of Leasing or Owning an ATM
Owning an ATM business, even if you use a network of leased ATMs, comes with different advantages. For example, if your business accepts payments only in cash, having an ATM gives your customers an easy way to pay for their purchases. Besides, you give people in your neighborhood a convenient way to access their own money. There are other benefits too.
- Increase in revenue. This comes in the form of new customers who enter your establishment to use the ATM as well as the revenue you earn each time someone uses the ATM. Further, there is an increased likelihood of people paying you in cash. This helps bring down the processing fees you need to pay when you accept credit card payments. What helps is that the average ATM surcharge in the U.S. has risen steadily since 1998.
- Flexibility. Good companies that deal in selling and leasing ATMs typically give you multiple ATM models from which to choose, and they help you select ones that work well for your business. The top ones also help you with the marketing aspect. ATM leasing companies are known to provide flexible contracts to cater to their clients’ varied requirements.
Benefits of Owning an ATM
- You get 100% surcharge revenue
- You decide where to place the ATM
- No requirement of minimum foot traffic
Benefits of Leasing an ATM
- No initial costs
- You receive a fair share of surcharge revenue
- No need to worry about ongoing maintenance and repair
- Filling cash in the ATM is taken care of by your service provider
Should You Lease or Buy?
How much money you can make by owning an ATM machine is not the same as how much you stand to earn by leasing one. For instance, the initial cost of leasing an ATM pales in comparison to the money you’ll need to spend when buying one. You will be responsible for all the costs surrounding the maintenance and repair work of an ATM you own. You also need to ensure that you select a reliable ATM processor.
While you might stand to make more money by owning an ATM instead of leasing one, you pay lower upfront costs and your service provider takes care of the machine’s upkeep. Before starting an ATM business, it’s important that you determine which of these options work better for you based on your specific requirements.
Conclusion
Buying an ATM or multiple might work well for mid-sized and large businesses that can afford to make the initial investment. Smaller businesses, on the other hand, might benefit more by leasing one, given the cost-effectiveness factor. While you need to account for the ongoing cost of leasing an ATM in the form of shared surcharge revenue, this alternative brings with it more peace of mind.
If you’re unsure about how much it costs to lease an ATM or have any other questions about how the process works, discussing your needs with a professional ATM processing and management company might be the way to go.
