Bitcoin Forum

I'm building a brand new Bitcoin ATM map and maintaining the integrity of the information available with BTMs.
Many pop up overnight and then disappear months later. It's a tough task to map all of them but I've started with all the currently known and operating.

I'd love some feedback and help with maintaining this database if possible.
https://www.bitrawr.com/bitcoin-atms

Has anybody actually used one of these ATMs?

Like, what kind of KYC do they require, and what kinds of fees? I've been looking to cash out for some time but I'm not looking to fork over my details or get rekt on fees?

Is there a resource that describes the different kind of ATMs and their fees/KYC checks and such?

That's a great point. The fees, KYC, and other requirements are set by the BTM provider (GeneralBytes, Lamassu, etc). I'll be updating the map to show live rates and usage requirements.

 Every stinkin' one I've ever encountered in the USA wants some form of ID

You gotta give Europe a visit then. Here we have quite a lot of them with no KYC up to a certain sum per tx or no KYC at all. I haven't tried cashing out though, that might be a different story. I have never encountered a KYC situation when buying though.

Yeah, when regulations are as strong it's hard for companies not to follow suit. It's kinda lame bc as a small company it'd be hard to deal with the fees / regulations of multiple states so it can effectively stunt growth.

That's vital in getting people in, and keeping it up to date as well. I'm sure most ATM maps are painfully out of date and none I've seen so far had any info on how they work. It's the difference between wasting a trip and doing business with it for years.

I'm pretty sure that European governments will implement KYC regulations as well.
And by the way,visiting another continent just to use an ATM seems like a pretty stupid idea. ;D

Good work with the ATM map,OP.Now it's time to promote your service and get more people to use it.
I never knew that there are 2 ATMs in my country's capital.Unfortunately I live in the province,so I can't visit the capital every day. :(

I like the idea that you plan to have a trusted Bitcoin ATM map. Is it an application or to access it just visit this link: https://www.bitrawr.com/bitcoin-atms?
Anyway, besides guiding to the Bitcoin ATM, I see that Bitrawr also helps people to find out the best exchanges or trusted wallets. How you can do this? Do you have certain data related to current top exchanges or wallets? Is it accurate enough?

That's one important question. Though the number of bitcoin ATMs worlwide are increasing, I think very few of those ATMs are really active.
As for me, I haven't used bitcoin ATM up until now even though we have in my area.
I usually transfer it to my bank account or remittance center whenever I want to cash out in fiat.
But this ATM map is useful if you happen to travel and you only have crypto in hand.
But you need to prepare for KYC or other docs, in case they need one.

 The first Bitcoin ATM I used was in Bucharest.  I bought coin and I had to scan my ID.  I had such a desire to try one of these new machines that I overlooked the ID requirements.  Since then, I have approached many machines to check rates and requirements... there are machines that only require a valid phone number up to certain limits (in US and Canada) which is good because KYC hasn't been implemented on phone numbers...yet... but this information is very hard to find online.  It would be nice to know all the information about an ATM without having to travel to it.

Nice work.

I havent seen one yet but it looks interesting although it is quite a bit off for me for the reasons you guys are talking to, like the KYC procedure and fees. Also, I havent read here in the forum even a single person to talk about his or her experience using the machine or complain about it. Europe seems to be friendly and early adopters of what is happening today unlike here in Asia, people here are if not religious then superstitious though I respect it. I'm excited about this, if we could just established it as soon as possible.

It's possible incentivizing people through Bitcoin rewards by taking pictures of known Bitcoin ATMs in their area on a regular basis for you to know if they are still active or not so that you have a more accurate website on showing of working Bitcoin ATMs. This is more accurate compared to just asking people for feedback on saying that they have a Bitcoin ATM in their area since a picture is enough as a proof that it physicall exist plus you'll have the ability to upload the picture for other website visitors to see. I just had this idea since some apps are already rewarding people with crypto just by taking pictures as their task so it won't really be a big expense on your part in exchange for people knowing that you have the most accurate Bitcoin ATM locator.

That is crucial in getting individuals in, and staying up with the latest too. I'm certain most ATM maps are agonizingly obsolete and none I've seen so far had any data on how they work. It's the distinction between squandering an outing and working with it for a considerable length of time.

I have used a lot that up to a certain $ amount are good with just a phone number (SMS Verification)
With bitlicense in New York and similar things in a few other states yeah, there are more and more that want ID for KYC, but in many areas like Las Vegas no id is needed below a certain amount. Usually around $2k.

-Dave

Is that a daily/weekly/monthly or final limit? $2000 before needing ID is a pretty large sum of money, especially when you can work around that limit by using different ATM's of the same issuer.

Perhaps that the ATM issuer isn't playing by the rules, which is great for those using those ATM's, but might turn out to be a legal nightmare for the issuer. Violating money trasmitter laws isn't something you wan't to be accused of.

I know of a few local ATM's myself, and they aren't that generous unfortunately. The last time I checked you could only purchase €100 worth of Bitcoin without ID, and that's it. You can work around it by using different phone numbers, but the fees just kill this low value 'abuse'.

Good jobs, I see 4 Asia continent, maybe your map has some bug.

And I would assume that it all depends on what country the ATM is operating in.  In the US, I'm pretty sure no ATM operator can get away with not requiring any KYC.  And as I've written about before, the GeneralBytes machine that I tried to use last year did require a scan of my drivers license.  Some of the machines listed on coinatmradar don't seem to have KYC requirements, but I doubt that's accurate.

That would be awesome if you could keep up with the data.  As you said, some of these machines appear and disappear within a short time frame that maintaining a map of them all must be hard work.  Good luck with the project--I definitely think it's a worthwhile one.

$2000 lifetime per phone number for that entire company.
Here is one of their machines. They all "phone home"
https://coinatmradar.com/bitcoin_atm/9052/bitcoin-atm-bitaccess-las-vegas-golden-gate-casino/

So yeah, if you want to launder a lot of money you can keep getting new phone numbers. There are dozens of machines by 3 of 4 companies and many many many local traders in the area so they have to be competitive. There are probably easier ways if you want to move BTC -> fiat in large amounts.

Not to mention it's Vega$. It's all on camera. Lots of them ;-)

-Dave

The distribution of bitcoin ATMs is uneven, mainly concentrated in the United States and European countries. I was surprised that Japan-only crypto-friendly country has only one bitcoin ATM, moreover Africa has only 3 Bitcoin ATMs.

Hi,

What is the process to add a machine to your map/network?
What are the costs?
What is the advantage over CoinATMRadar? (I realize you are just starting out, so will "accuracy" be the main competitive advantage?)

Will you be adding BUY/SELL or other criteria in the search functions? (ie. hours of operations, KYC, etc.)

Obviously a lot of comments on KYC so I think this is very important.

I am very interested in operating BATMs so I really hope your site works out and shows people are interested in using the machines. The number of installations has shown tremendous growth over the past 5 years and is growth has increased so it seems viable. Good luck to you and your project.

I am not using Bitcoin ATMs because of the fees, a personal feeling on unsafety and being afraid of malfunctioning, but I think that they should exist if Bitcoin is to stay for a while. Op, I hope you're aware that such websites sort of exist already, right? CoinATMRadar is a good example, and I can see that it's been mentioned by other people already. Moreover, your website shows that there aren't any ATMs in my country, for instance, whereas there actually are a couple in my city. There are also quite a few in Hungary, whereas your map doesn't show them either. Good luck with the project, just remember about competitors!

Looks like it will not going to be the future of currency for me why? Because mainly having allot of ATM will make the conversion of fiats to cryptocurrency too fast in a sense that development of currencies to digital will be even faster. I wonder what will happen to these ATM's if most of the countries starts to use cryptocurrency after every piece of bank note has been converted to crypto.

Or else, bitcoin and crypto will remain as alternative payment options even in the future of our financial system.

Anyway, as for the moment, I find having bitcoin ATM, a very good way to induce market adoption. And what makes me more excited is to figure out that even here on our country, we already have one ATM. Thank you for this information OP. I hope soon you improve the system even further as I see it very beneficial in the future.

Would be an interesting study (and it's probably worth a discussion anyway) but are there fewer bitcoin ATMs in crypto friendly countries because they are just not needed as much.

Using the one I posted about.
If I could go to Vegas and go to the cage (or even buy in at the table) with my BTC then I would not need an ATM.
If I could pay for my coffee / drinks / whatever with crypto instead of cash then I would not need an ATM.

So in countries where many retail merchants / locations take BTC at the register do you really need cash?

-Dave

I use coinatmradar.com and find the info can be way out of date. Visited a vape shop that said the machine had not been filled in 10 months and it was still showing active.  The biggest issue I have is unclear fees or hidden fees by the price of bitcoin or fee plus a small charge on top. If you can pin down the prices it would be step ahead of the other sites.

Did you use the report issue button on the site?
At least here in the US with the ones I have visited, most of them have been accurate.
Considering most places charge the ATM operators to be in their shop I am surprised that it was not working for so long.

Same with the fees, if it is not what is said let whoever is providing the info know. Otherwise it just sits there being wrong.

-Dave

Good effort OP but I've posted this at least once on another thread talking about another similar website which I can't find now. The problem with another effort like this is it needs manual updating or something. I think the manufacturers should be sort of lobbied to either have a trackable ID# on all their machines that then updates all known active locations to ATM radar website(s). Then you solve the problem of manual tracking (and I'm sure they'd love the idea of geotracking all their BATMs if they haven't already!).

I have read a few articles saying that Bitcoin in general is not needed in developed nations with modern banking systems (although I would argue that point - see what happened to ePayments.com recently - an "FCA" regulated  ::) payment provider in the UK). But as far as the "need" for BATMs, you can do all those things you mention with your fiat bank debit card, yet there are still fiat ATMs on every corner. Even with all the digital payments available, Cash is still King. So IMHO, yes, you really still do need cash (or at least there is still a proven need for ATMs). But I am hoping in the future it goes the other way, where you really do need BTC and you really need BATMs  ;)

https://news.bitcoin.com/how-to-find-your-nearest-bitcoin-atm/
 (https://news.bitcoin.com/how-to-find-your-nearest-bitcoin-atm/)