Polish retail chain Biedronka has begun rolling out its ‘pay with a card and withdraw’ service, a concept that allows consumers to withdraw cash when making purchases.
The service is being launched in 2,000 of its outlets throughout the country in partnership with Mastercard. Biedronka, which is part of food distribution group, Jerónimo Martins had previously conducted a pilot programme in select stores, late last year.
For the withdrawal to take place there must be an appropriate amount of cash in the store’s cash register. The user can ask the cashier to withdraw money when paying for purchases over PLN 1 with a Mastercard card. Acard PIN is always required while the minimum withdrawal amount is PLN 50 (€11 approx).
According to Lidia Stegenta-Głowala, director of financial operations at Biedronka, ‘Pay with a card and withdraw’ is a service that is becoming increasingly popular among Poles.
She said, “They appreciate the fact that cash can be easily withdrawn on the occasion of everyday purchases – quickly and conveniently. By introducing this solution to other Biedronka stores, we not only meet the expectations of consumers but also give them the choice of what form of payment they want to use.”
Kamila Kaliszyk, Market Development Director at the Polish branch of Mastercard Europe said that the service allows users withdraw in multiples of 50 PLN, as much as up to six times the minimum amount.
She added, “The service can be used multiple times a day, but it is not available at self-service checkouts. Biedronka will not charge a fee for using the service, and any fees are collected only by the bank that issued the card.”
