The short answer
Before buying a used ATM online, confirm the model is still supported, it reads chip cards, its PIN pad is on the PCI-approved list and not expired, you'll get the keys and safe combination, the master passwords can be reset, it can connect to modern processing, and old card data has been wiped. If you can't confirm those, the cheap price can turn expensive.
In this article
- 1. Is the model still supported?
- 2. Does it read chip cards?
- 3. Is the PIN pad approved, and still in date?
- 4. Do you get the keys and the safe combination?
- 5. Can you get into the settings?
- 6. How does it connect?
- 7. Has the old data been wiped?
- 8. Does it actually work?
- So what's a used ATM really worth?
- What's the safer way to buy used?
- Common questions
Used ATMs show up on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Craigslist all the time. A bar closed. A store switched providers. Someone got out of the business. Prices can look amazing next to a new machine.
Some of those machines are real bargains. Many aren't. The problem is that the things that make a used ATM worthless are hard to see in a photo.
Here are the eight things to check before you hand over a dollar.
1. Is the model still supported?
ATM makers stop supporting older models over time. Parts get hard to find, and software updates stop.
How to check: get the exact brand and model number. A photo of the label inside the machine is best. Then ask a processor or ATM company whether that model is still supported.
2. Does it read chip cards?
Most debit cards now have chips. A machine that only reads the magnetic stripe is behind the times, and it can leave you on the hook for certain counterfeit card fraud.
How to check: look for a chip card slot, and ask the seller directly if chip (EMV) reading is turned on and working.
3. Is the PIN pad approved, and still in date?
This is the one most buyers have never heard of, and it's one of the most important.
The PIN pad, called an encrypting PIN pad or EPP, is where customers type their PIN. Visa requires ATMs to use PIN pads that appear on the PCI Security Standards Council's list of approved devices. Those approvals have expiration dates. Visa has told the industry that older, pre-approval PIN pads should be the first ones retired.
How to check: get the PIN pad's model and version details and look them up on the PCI list. If that sounds like a lot, send us the details and we'll help.
4. Do you get the keys and the safe combination?
An ATM has a locked cabinet and a safe that holds the cash. Without the keys and the combination, you may be paying a locksmith before you ever load a dollar.
How to check: ask for both in writing as part of the sale, and test them in person.
5. Can you get into the settings?
ATMs have master and operator passwords. If the seller doesn't know them, or won't share them, you may not be able to program the machine for your processor.
How to check: ask the seller to log in to the machine's settings while you watch.
6. How does it connect?
Older ATMs often connect over a phone line. Phone lines are being shut down in parts of Alabama as AT&T retires its copper network. A machine that only connects by phone line may need an upgrade. See is your ATM still on a phone line?
How to check: ask whether it has a wireless modem or a network port, not just a phone jack.
7. Has the old data been wiped?
In 2009, a security researcher bought a used ATM from a Boston bar on Craigslist for $750, according to The Register. He was able to pull a log of hundreds of card numbers off the machine because the old owner never cleared it.
That's a risk for the customers whose data is on it, and a headache for whoever owns the machine next.
How to check: ask the seller how the machine's stored data was cleared, and plan to clear it yourself before use.
8. Does it actually work?
It sounds obvious. But plenty of used ATMs are sold "as is" with a jam, a bad printer, or a dispenser problem.
How to check: watch it power up, run through its screens, and ideally dispense a test note. Ask about its history, too: where it was, how busy, and why it's being sold.
So what's a used ATM really worth?
A used ATM is worth what it will cost you to get it running, subtracted from the price of a machine that already runs.
If the marketplace machine needs a new PIN pad, a new card reader, a locksmith, a technician, and a modem, the "deal" can end up costing close to a new machine, without the warranty.
What's the safer way to buy used?
Buy from someone who has already checked all of the above and will stand behind it.
Used machines from us are fully inspected and tested, meet chip card (EMV), accessibility (ADA), and data security (PCI) requirements, include processing setup, and come with a 90-day warranty. Availability changes, so call for current used inventory and pricing.
Or skip the risk and buy new. New machines we sell start at about $2,480, ship free in the continental US, and carry a 2-year manufacturer warranty. See how much an ATM really costs and our guide to new vs. used ATMs.
Found a listing you like? Send it to us before you buy. We'll tell you what we see.
Common questions
It can be, but many listed machines are too old to process, missing keys or passwords, or have PIN pads that no longer meet security rules. Check the model, chip card support, PIN pad approval, keys, and connection before paying.
The PIN pad, also called an encrypting PIN pad or EPP, is where customers type their PIN. Card networks like Visa require ATMs to use PIN pads that appear on the PCI Security Standards Council's approved list, and those approvals can expire.
Prices vary widely. Used machines from us are sold as available, so call for current pricing. Compare any used price with new machines, which we sell starting at about $2,480 with a 2-year manufacturer warranty.
Marketplace sellers usually offer none. Used machines from Ford Frontier Investments are inspected, tested, and come with a 90-day warranty.
Sometimes. Some machines can take a new card reader, PIN pad, board, or wireless modem. Others are too old to be worth updating. Get the exact model and ask before you buy.
Sources
- Visa, "Encrypting PIN Pads Must Be Industry-Approved (Visa PIN Security Bulletin)," May 1, 2018.
- The Register, "Second-hand ATM trade opens up fraud risk," November 18, 2009.