How to avoid long queues in ATMs
As required by law, workers should receive their 13th month pay not later than Dec.24, the day before Christmas.
We can then expect a surge of people lining up in ATM before this day to get their bonuses. What can we do to avoid long queues?
1. As a matter of practice, I do not withdraw all my earnings from my ATM account. I only get the money that I have to give to my parents and my budget for two weeks. Since my savings accumulate, I still have money to withdraw even before payday. So tip number one, withdraw your money a day or two before payday, which for most of us, is the 15th or 30th day of the month.
2. Second, if you are too busy to do number 1, but you are sure that you still have enough balance in your account, withdraw your money in the wee hours of the day. This works well for call center agents since we work in the night, so there’s little competition. That depends of course on where the machine is located at.
3. Get your money in smaller denominations. If the machine allows it, I prefer to have my salary in P 100 bills. For one, it prevents me from buying things I don’t really need just to have a loose change. And second, it makes me feel that I am earning a lot. In advertising, 24 hours is shorter than one day. It’s all about image. I always want to see my wallet full even if it’s just P 100 bills. To do this, instead of putting in, say P 5000 as the amount you want to withdraw, why not make it P900 and just make multiple withdrawals. It’s a tedious process, that’s why you have to follow my first tip to avoid ATM queues.
4. If your bank allows it, make the withdrawal over the counter. This saves you time in doing tip number 3.
5. And if it’s possible, do online banking
