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During a recent trip to Barcelona, I regularly encountered CaixaBank ATMs, with an incredible array of buttons, slots and displays.

CaixaBank ATM

The first time I tried to use one I tapped the touchscreen, which gave me many unusual options, none of which were anything to do with withdrawing cash. Embarrassingly it took me a couple of days to understand I had to insert a card into one of the many slots to start a withdrawal!

But I'm curious - what are all the other slots for? Why does it need two separate screens and multiple keypads?

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    Those slots almost look like 3.5" and 5.24" floppy slots^^
    – CodesInChaos
    Sep 30, 2016 at 11:32
  • I am assuming you went inside a branch, because I see the same machines in Barclays branches. Seems like the slots from top to bottom are for deposits, card, bank statement. The below 2 seems for cash withdrawals.
    – DumbCoder
    Sep 30, 2016 at 12:08
  • This one was inside a branch's foyer, but I found another one on the western end of Carrer de Blai which is open to all 24/7
    – sargant
    Sep 30, 2016 at 17:00
  • To answer the header, it is because they are not aimed at the tourist but at the locals who bank with the bank.
    – Willeke ♦
    Jan 20, 2018 at 12:30
  • This may explain, but does not excuse, the highest out-of-network and foreign card charges I have ever encountered, which, amazingly, were not uniform across branches.
    – Andrew Lazarus
    Jan 21, 2018 at 1:58

2 Answers 2

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enter image description here

These machines have been designed to perform Every Task® bank users need to perform in a bank terminal.

Top slot : card bank note.

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Middle slot: Credit or Debit card

bottom middle slot: tickets, receipts.

Left bottom slot: Outcoming Cash

Right bottom slot: incoming cash in a sealed or unsealed packign ( depends on the version).

central keyboard: substitute for the touch keyboard.

central-left or central right weird grey: NFC connector.

button arrows and trackball : navigate between options phisically, with disabled support.

right keypad : for credit or debit card pin / password.

top screen: touch screen, non-visible from the sides, filtered to cameras.

bottom screen: general information screen, provides regular feedback, offers, and promotions.

top view of the layout:

enter image description here

This ATM system currently holds the European ATM award for most accessible, most functional and most complete.

It has sight-less support, voice feedback support, and over a hundred languages.

Prizes won so far: Trailblazer Awards, DiscapNet, Atmia Service Award.

Spanish companies adopting similar systems soon : BBVA; Santander.

BBVA's one screen prototype: ( there's a 2-screen more closed and "private" one too).

PD: both BBVA's and Caixabank's allow the ATM machine to perform operations from a compatible phone, so, you can tell your phone to "withdraw cash", and it'll say "get to your nearest new-version ATM machine, drop your device onto the NFC contactless zone, and the cash will come out".

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    Fantastic answer, thanks! I'm sure it's won many awards for accessibility, but the initial UX for someone unfamiliar with it is quite overwhelming (especially if their Spanish and Catalan is as limited as mine...)
    – sargant
    Oct 10, 2016 at 12:55
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    Don't worry, we just got them in Lleida a year ago.The problem is not the machine itself, is that we're usually too used to a design pattern that new weird changes block us. New generations don't have this problem and will find so many things normal,but i still remember the old caixa machines. link: i.ytimg.com/vi/Vmkk_eHFHjI/maxresdefault.jpg
    – CptEric
    Oct 10, 2016 at 13:00
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It looks like a self service terminal, which allows (probably only CaixaBank) customers to do all sorts of tasks like executing wiretransfers, deposit cash, insert wire transfer paper templates, cheques etc.

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    Then I, too, would love to know why they are so complex, when all the above functions when available in Italy are so at a nearly standard-looking ATMs -one keypad, one display, one card slot, one hidden cash slot-, apart for the presence of an hidden slot that open only for insertion of things to deposit/transfer :-O
    – motoDrizzt
    Sep 30, 2016 at 12:21
  • I doubt that it has support for cheques, because they're not a "thing" in Spain, but the essence of the answer is correct. The top slot is for an account book, which has a magnetic strip and can be used with a PIN to access your account; the slot also contains a printer to record your transaction history in the book. I can't tell what the slot below the card slot is, but the bottom two seem to be banknotes in and out. Below the keyboard is a fingerprint reader and a barcode scanner, which will recognise barcodes on certain bills (e.g. tax bills).
    – Peter Taylor
    Sep 30, 2016 at 17:53
  • The QWERTY keyboard is useful for electronic transfers, which require you to supply the name of the recipient (presumably to help fix errors if you get the account number wrong) and the reason for the transfer.
    – Peter Taylor
    Sep 30, 2016 at 17:54
  • I believe the unidentified slot mentioned in the comment above is where statement printouts are dispenced
    – Martin Jevon
    Sep 30, 2016 at 19:21

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