The Virtual ATM
SPARE turns a store’s existing POS into a virtual ATM. Cash access and basic banking, delivered through the register a retailer already runs, with no new hardware.
SPARE connects a financial institution’s app to a nearby participating retailer, so account holders get access at the register.
WHY NOW
People still need cash. Getting it is getting harder.
SPARE connects a financial institution’s app to a nearby participating retailer, so account holders get access at the register.
6 yrs
Running years cash has stayed the third most used way to pay.
-Federal Reserve, 2026 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice
76%
Of people carried cash in 2025. Four in five used it in the last month.
-Federal Reserve, 2025
$4.86
Record average fee for an out-of-network ATM withdrawal in 2025.
-Bankrate, 2025
People aren’t dropping cash. What’s dropping is easy, affordable access to it. The Virtual ATM closes that gap using stores that are already open.
What is a virtual ATM?
A virtual ATM is a software layer that lets someone get cash at a store’s existing point of sale, instead of a dedicated ATM machine. A bank, credit union, or wallet app sends the request. The store’s own register handles the rest.
HOW IT WORKS
One request. Three moving parts. Cash in hand.
Request in the app
An account holder requests access through their bank or credit union app and picks a nearby participating retailer.
SPARE connects the network
SPARE securely links the app to an available retailer’s POS, similar to how a transfer pings a network.
Access at the register
The account holder visits the retailer and completes the transaction at the point of sale. No ATM required.
Better coverage, no hardware, no card required.
| Traditional access | Where it breaks | SPARE Virtual ATM |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated cash machine | Costly to place and service | ✓Runs on the POS already in store |
| Card required | Locks out non-cardholders | ✓Requested from your banking app |
| Fixed locations | Coverage gaps | ✓A dynamic network of retailers |
| Bank branch visit | Limited hours and geography | ✓Access wherever a retailer already is |
| Cash back at checkout | Tied to making a purchase | ✓Cash access is the main event |
| Check cashing storefront | A separate errand, separate fees | ✓Same trip, same register |
ON THE SCREEN
Everything a machine does, without the machine.
Cash Out
Withdraw cash straight from a linked account at the register.
Cash Deposit
Turn physical cash into a digital balance in the same visit.
Bank Account
Basic account actions, tied to the account holder’s own institution.
Loans
Surface lending options from the institution that owns the relationship.
WHO IT’S FOR
One network. Four ways in.
Banks & Credit Unions
Extend cash access past your branches and ATMs, without adding either.
- Serve account holders in more places
- Reach communities without a nearby branch
- Keep the relationship, add the access
Digital Wallets & Fintechs
Give a digital balance a real place to become physical cash.
- Add cash-out to an app that’s currently digital-only
- Support earned wage access and benefits users
- Close the loop between balance and cash
Payment & Stablecoin Platforms
Let a recipient turn digital value into cash at a store nearby.
- Cash-out for remittance recipients
- Stablecoin-to-cash at the register
- Local fulfillment through participating retailers
Retailers & ISOs
Turn a store you already sell into a cash access point.
- New reason for customers to walk in
- Revenue from cash already in the drawer
- No hardware to sell, place, or service
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Virtual ATM, in plain terms.
No. A virtual terminal is a web tool for taking card payments without a physical terminal. A virtual ATM is about cash access at a retailer’s existing POS. Different problem, different tool.
No. There’s no standalone ATM to buy, place, or service. The store’s own point of sale handles the transaction.
Banks, credit unions, digital wallets, fintechs, payment platforms, remittance providers, stablecoin programs, ISOs, and merchant networks.
Does it replace ATMs?
It turns cash already in the drawer into revenue, brings in foot traffic, and adds nothing to service or maintain.
See the Virtual ATM in action.
Turn the POS a store already runs into a cash-out Virtual ATM.