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Comment by vel0city | Hacker News Reader

Can you further explain that cash deposit to credit card payment process through an ATM? I've only ever used ATMs to withdraw funds, never to make deposits, so I don't know what that process would look like or which banks would let me do that.

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I use Wells Fargo. Their ATM's take and scan in checks, etc and they will actually take in cash and count it inside the ATM. You get to confirm the amounts and it deposits into your account (subject to normal holds/availability timing). They have a slot that is like a conveyor belt that opens and I just insert the stack of paper you can hear what sounds like a bill counter sorting the stack and counting it. You get to see scans of the checks. It typically shows each one and asks you to confirm the amount the OCR thinks is correct. No envelopes, etc just feed it the stack of paper in any order so long as it's short side first. Occasionally it will reject a bill that is too wrinkled. I use it regularly instead of waiting to see a teller.

I had no idea that was an option, but I see BofA[1] supports it. Seems broadly less convenient than online, but I suppose better than needing to wait in line for a human teller.

1: https://www.bankofamerica.com/banking-information/assistance...

> Seems broadly less convenient than online

How are you paying cash online at all?

I don't have a deposit banking relationship with any brick-and-mortar banks, so for me it's very convenient: I have a way to turn my paper money into electronic money.

My credit union's app was very frustrating for depositing checks. Many reviews online said so, but apparently were ignored. So for a while I would go to an indoor ATM when I got a paper check which is not that often.

Then I had an idea - I got a piece of black construction paper for a background and it was much happier taking pictures of checks on that.

Right before using phones to deposit checks, some of the more advanced ATMs would let you deposit checks directing via scanning (older ones would basically just take the check and a teller would handle it later).

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