Looking for the 'MAC' Machine

[LillFilly]

I was doing my rounds yesterday and stopped to talk with an employee. Then a family walked-up to me, looking lost, so I turned to help them.

Sucky Woman: "You'all have a MAC machine here?"
Me: "I'm sorry ma'am, a what machine?"
Sucky Man (from 12ft away yells): "AN ATM! JESUS!"
Sucky Woman: Huffs and rolls her eyes.
Me: (Points back the way they came) "There's 2 machines right over there by the ---- store."
Sucky Woman: Sighs and storms-off towards the ATM, which they had to walk by to get to me!

I hadn't a clue what they were talking about. The employee I was with told me that there used to be different teller machines, one was called a 'mac' before they all became ATM; so excuse me for not understanding your antiquated terminology and a polite thank you for the help would have been nice! (Woah! I forgot what board I was on for a minute! *Gufaw*) I remember the old 'ATM fix everything!' commercials from almost 20 years ago, and this woman was maybe 15 years older than me. I am in the US, and the family did not have an accent. Anyone else ever hear it called a MAC machine?

[r2cagle]

MAC = Money Access machine.

I remember some 'MAC' machines about 20 years ago, but it seems to me it was specifically related to certain banks. I have lousy google-fu but I think it was dependent on what company the banks contracted the machines from that determined the name of MAC or ATM. Maybe someone else can enlighten us?

But I would have had been confused too since I haven't heard that term in a long, long time.

[Fryk]

Technically, M.A.C. stands for "Money Access Card". It was the forerunner of debit cards.

[HYHYBT]

Never heard of it; I'd have pointed them at my laptop or something.

[MadMike]

I think it was "Money Access Center." They were commonly referred to as "MAC machines" in the 80's up thru the early or mid 90's.

Wow, I'm really showing my age here.

[Sightings Reporter]

I have heard it called a MAC machine, back in the late 90s, in Northern Ohio. If I recall correctly, I wasn't able to use my bank issued ATM card at most locations in Toledo because it wasn't linked to the MAC system.

[wolfie]

If anyone asks for the "Green Machine", they're talking about Toronto Dominion Bank's ATM, and the "Johnny Cash" is Canada Trust's ATM. Of course, the 2 institutions have merged, with both terms falling out of favour long before the merger.

[Becks]

I remember Tyme machines!

[Shalom]

Way back when, there were many networks that didn't talk to each other. My bank, and many others in New York, were on the NYCE (New York Cash Exchange) network, but if you went to Jersey you found only MAC machines and no NYCE ones, in which my card wouldn't work. Citibank had their own network that didn't interoperate with any other bank's; in another area you had CIRRUS machines, and so forth. I think NYCE and CIRRUS merged at some point, which necessitated my changing my 7-digit PIN to a 4-digit one. Nowadays every card works on every machine, but for some years, if you were traveling out of state, you often had to drive around for quite a while before you found a machine that took your card.


ATM is just generic for Automated Teller Machine (so "ATM-machine" is as redundant as "PIN-number". Grr.)

[LadyAndreca]

Way back when, there were many networks that didn't talk to each other. My bank, and many others in New York, were on the NYCE (New York Cash Exchange) network, but if you went to Jersey you found only MAC machines and no NYCE ones, in which my card wouldn't work. Citibank had their own network that didn't interoperate with any other bank's; in another area you had CIRRUS machines, and so forth. I think NYCE and CIRRUS merged at some point, which necessitated my changing my 7-digit PIN to a 4-digit one. Nowadays every card works on every machine, but for some years, if you were traveling out of state, you often had to drive around for quite a while before you found a machine that took your card.


ATM is just generic for Automated Teller Machine (so "ATM-machine" is as redundant as "PIN-number". Grr.)

So that's why a lot of stores and ATMs around here have NYCE and CIRRUS stickers up with the stickers showing which credit types they accept...

[HYHYBT]

My bank has an apple logo, so for many years their ATM's and cards were labelled "William Tell'r." But they still worked with anything.

[PepperElf]

to me "mac" = awesome computer, not an ATM

[Ben_Who]

Back in the 1970s, before ATM's were everywhere and then some, there was all of one ATM in all of Augusta. It was called "Ready Freddy." Long after 1) the bank had consolidated, changed its name, and replaced the machine with a more modern one, and 2) ATMs started popping up like weeds in every corner of the city, my mother still called that ATM station, as well as every other ATM she encountered, "Ready Freddy." I'm not sure that every once in a while she doesn't still call any old ATM "Ready Freddy."

Love, Who?

[Stryker One]

JFGI

MAC - http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...er&redirect=no
ATM - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_teller_machine

and just to add to the confusion

ATM - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asynchronous_Transfer_Mode

[Javarod]

Oh i remember those days, when i had a Treasurer Card (or was that Treasury?) from Shadowlawn Savings. I also remember when the networks were starting to link and grow, and you could find some really wacky problems, like the ATMs on one side of the street not working, but same network across the street did.

Lets see, networks i know of:
MAC - Money Access Center
Maestro - This one is owned by MasterCard
NYCE - New York Cash Exchange
Magic - Nevada network IIRC, don't think its around any more

Well, that's all i can think of right now