Industries
Free ATMs for college areas and student housing.
A pizza split four ways, a laundry card that needs topping up, a roommate paying back their share of the groceries: plenty of life around a campus still runs on cash. An ATM in a business or residence near campus lets students get it without walking off to find one.
The case for cash
Why an ATM makes sense for a business or building near campus.
The blocks around a college campus keep their own hours: late nights, tight budgets and groups that share almost everything. Pizza places, cafés, taquerías, bars and corner stores serve a steady stream of students who split an order, chip in for a round or pay a friend back on the spot. Some students budget in cash so they can see what’s left for the week. When the group arrives with only cards, a shared order turns into a round of “I’ll pay you back.”
Student housing has cash moments of its own. Where a building’s laundry room, card-loading kiosk or vending machines take cash, residents need bills to use them. Roommates settle up for groceries, utilities and shared supplies, and move-in week brings movers to tip, secondhand furniture to pay for and a long list of small purchases. An ATM in the lobby, mail room or laundry room lets residents get cash without leaving the property.
BayTM places, loads and services ATMs in privately owned businesses and residences around college campuses across California: pizza places, cafés, bars, convenience stores, laundromats and off-campus apartment buildings. Placement is arranged directly with the business owner or property manager. The machine, the cash and the service are ours, and there’s no cost, no lease and no minimum volume.
Where cash shows up
Where cash comes up.
- I
Splitting the order
Friends often split a pizza, a round or a late-night delivery in cash. An ATM by the counter lets everyone cover their share on the spot, instead of settling up later — or not at all.
- II
Laundry, vending and roommates
Where a building’s laundry room, card kiosk or vending machines take cash, residents need bills to start. Roommates splitting groceries, utilities or supplies can settle up in cash without a trip off the property.
- III
Move-in week and the start of term
Movers to tip, secondhand furniture to pay for, and a run on snacks, supplies and first-week pizza. We schedule cash loading ahead of move-in and the first weeks of each term.
On the floor
Where it goes, and how we run it.
Placement
Where we’d put it
- In pizza places, cafés, bars and convenience stores near campus: inside, near the entrance or counter, with an “ATM inside” sign in the window so passing students know it’s there.
- In off-campus apartment buildings and student residences: the lobby, mail room or leasing office, or beside the laundry room where cash gets used on the spot.
- In a well-lit spot covered by your cameras — and, for late-night businesses, visible from the counter.
- Always in a privately owned business or building, arranged with the business owner or property manager.
Operations
How we run it
- Neighborhoods near campus follow the academic calendar. We monitor cash levels remotely and schedule loading ahead of move-in, the start of each term and busy weekends, and adjust when students leave for breaks.
- Late hours are covered: the machine is monitored around the clock and our support line is available 24/7.
- For student housing, installation and servicing are scheduled with your management office and kept low-impact for residents.
- No cost, no lease and no minimum volume, so a quiet summer costs you nothing.
Questions
Questions we hear from businesses near campus.
Do students still use cash?
Many pay by card or phone for most things. Cash still comes up when friends split an order, when roommates settle up, and wherever laundry, vending or a small business near campus takes it. An ATM gives students who want cash a way to get it on site; everyone else keeps paying the way they do today.
Business drops off over summer and breaks. Is that a problem?
No. There’s no minimum volume, so a quiet break costs you nothing. We monitor cash levels remotely and plan loading around the academic calendar, ahead of move-in and the start of each term, when the neighborhood fills back up.
Can you place an ATM in an off-campus apartment building or student residence?
Yes. We place ATMs in apartment communities and student housing, in lobbies, mail rooms, leasing offices and laundry rooms. The agreement is with the property owner or management company, and we walk your team through it, including any owner approvals, before anything is installed. See apartments and condos for more.
We’re open late. Is an ATM safe to have?
Yes, with sensible placement. The machine is heavy, anchored and monitored remotely, and the cash inside is BayTM’s responsibility, not yours. We recommend a well-lit spot near the counter, covered by your cameras, and confirm it during the location review.
What does it cost students to use the ATM?
The machine shows a convenience fee on screen before the customer confirms, and they can cancel at no charge. Their own bank may add a separate fee. There’s no cost to your business for the machine, the cash or the service.
Get started
Put a free ATM in your business or building near campus.
Tell us about your location. We’ll review it, answer your questions and recommend the right machine and placement — at no cost and no obligation.
Or call (510) 747-8021