Is an ATM Worth It for a Gas Station? What It Does for Your Store Inside

Here's the hard truth about running a gas station: most of your customers never come inside.

They pay at the pump, fill up, and drive away. The money you make on fuel is thin. The money you make inside, on drinks, snacks, tobacco, and lottery, is where your margin lives.

So anything that gets a customer through your door matters. An ATM is one of the simplest ways to do it.

What does an ATM do for a gas station?

Three things.

It brings pump customers inside

A customer who needs cash has to walk in to get it. Once they're inside, many of them buy something.

In a 2024 survey of in-store ATM users by NCR Atleos, 28% said they came to the store specifically to use the ATM. Of those, 55% made a purchase while they were there. And 57% said they drove five miles or less to that store.

Those customers are your neighbors. An ATM gives them a reason to choose your station over the one across the street.

One fair note: that survey looked at fee-free network ATMs, and "free to use" was a big reason people picked them. Machines with a surcharge may see different numbers. The pattern still holds: cash access brings people in.

It keeps cash customers from driving off

Some customers still prefer to pay cash for gas, snacks, or lottery. When they're short and you don't have an ATM, they drive to a station that does. And they may not come back.

The Federal Reserve's 2026 study found more than 90% of consumers have no plans to stop using cash. Cash is still strongest for small, quick purchases. That describes a gas station counter perfectly.

It earns you a share of every surcharge

With free placement, each withdrawal carries a small fee paid by the customer. Part of it comes to you, deposited at the start of each month, with a monthly statement showing your transactions and earnings. See how to estimate it in how much a business can make from a free ATM.

Which gas stations do best with an ATM?

Stations that do well with an ATM usually have a few things in common:

• Steady foot traffic inside, not just at the pumps
• Customers who use cash, including for lottery and small purchases
• Long hours, especially early mornings and late nights when banks are closed
• Few bank ATMs nearby

Neighborhood matters too. NCR Atleos found that its ATMs in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods average 38% more transactions per machine than ATMs in wealthier areas. Many neighborhood stations sit right where cash demand is strongest.

Where should the ATM go in a gas station?

• Inside, in plain view of the door, so customers see it the moment they walk in
• In view of your cashier and your cameras, for security and to settle any disputes
• Out of the way of the checkout line, so lines don't tangle
• Clear of exits and walkways, with room in front for wheelchair access
• Near a standard outlet. Our machines connect by wireless cellular service, so no phone line or internet.

When we visit your station, we'll walk the store with you and recommend the best spot.

Want it outside? Outdoor and drive-up ATMs can work well at the right station, but they take more planning, including permits, power, and security. We handle outdoor installs from start to finish. See outdoor ATM placement.

What about security?

It's a fair concern for any business that's open late.

With free placement, the machine and the cash are ours. If they're stolen, that loss falls on us, not you. Damage to your building is normally handled by your own property insurance. Our placement agreement puts this in writing. Read more in will an ATM make my store a target?

What if you already have an ATM at your station?

Many stations do, and many owners aren't happy with it. The machine is old. It runs out of cash. The company never answers. Your payments are small or late.

You have options:

• Replace it. We offer a new ATM to qualifying businesses with old, unreliable machines.
• Switch processors. If you own the machine, we offer free ATM processing with 24/7 tech support.
• Sell it. We buy ATMs. See sell your ATM.

And if someone is pitching you a crypto kiosk instead, read what Alabama's new crypto kiosk law means for store owners first.

How do you get a free ATM for your gas station?

1. Reach out. Tell us where your station is and how busy it gets.
2. We visit and recommend the best spot.
3. You get a simple, standard placement agreement that puts everything we promise you in writing.
4. We install, load, and connect the machine, as fast as 24 hours. Sometimes it takes up to two weeks, depending on scheduling.
5. Your customers start walking inside.

Our machines run at 98% uptime, documented in our remote monitoring system. We're Alabama-owned and operated, and we serve stations within about 30 minutes of Birmingham, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa. Learn more about ATMs for gas stations.