Earth
Is there an ATM in Antarctica?
The short answer
Yes — one. There is a working ATM at McMurdo Station, at 77 degrees south, operated by Wells Fargo. It is the only cash machine on the continent, it dispenses US dollars, and a technician flies down to service it roughly every two years.
There are actually two machines at McMurdo, but only one runs at a time. The second exists to be cannibalised for spare parts, because the nearest repair shop is several thousand miles and one ocean away.
The economics are the good bit. No bank ships fresh currency to Antarctica. The same physical dollars circulate: the machine dispenses cash, staff spend it at the station store, and the store's takings go back into the machine. It is a closed loop of the same banknotes, going around and around at the bottom of the world.
Fees are waived for everyone, including people who don't bank with Wells Fargo — a rare instance of a bank noticing that there is nowhere else to go.
Sources
- Wells Fargo keeps some of its ATMs on iceATM Marketplace
- Southernmost ATMAtlas Obscura