If you are looking for a great source of passive income with attractive ROIs, an ATM franchise may be the perfect fit for you.
As of the date of this writing, there is one “traditional” ATM franchise company that services North America: ACFN. When I say “traditional” I mean regular old cash withdrawal ATMs.
If you are willing to expand your horizons a bit, you can also explore Bitcoin ATMs. Here, BitBox is the leading ATM franchise in this space.
Both offer great support and virtually turn-key ownership experiences. I really like the convenience that comes with this level of support – it can translate into mostly passive income for you.
This article will cover both franchises in detail including start-up costs, what the ATM franchises do for you, what your responsibilities are, and how to get started.
Let’s get into it!
The information contained in this post is for informational purposes only. It is not a recommendation to buy or invest, and it is not financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. You should seek the advice of a qualified professional before making any investment or other decisions relating to the topics covered by this article.
ACFN
ACFN is a full-service ATM franchise.
What this means is that they will pre-qualify and send you “leads” on locations for your ATMs (which is a critical factor in the success of your ATM business). Once you have locations up and running, ACFN will service them when they need to be repaired. Source
They also offer significant support and training and ultimately can provide you a mostly a hassle-free ATM business.
All information relating to the operation and features of the ACFN franchise is obtained from ACFN’s website.
How Much Does It Cost to Buy an ATM Franchise?
The franchise fee for an ACFN franchise is $25,000.
In addition, there is a $995 fee for a 3-day training session and approximately $10,000-$12,000 is needed for each ATM location. They recommend that you have at least $60,000 to begin an ACFN franchise.
One nice feature is that veterans will receive a $1,000 discount from the franchise fee.
How Do You Make Money With an ATM Franchise?
When you own an ATM franchise, you will own one or more ATMs. You make money when a customer withdraws cash from one of your ATMs because they must pay a fee for each withdrawal.
Generally, you split that fee with the location owner and ACFN.
What Type of Training and Support Is Available?
ACFN offers a 3-day training course, which all new franchisees must attend. In addition, they will service your ATMs if they need repairs.
Now you will still need to service each ATM about once a week, which according to ACFN takes about 5 minutes per ATM location.
If you are interested in getting started, you start by requesting a free ATM franchise guide.
Bitcoin ATM Franchises
Most of you know what a traditional ATM is, but you may not be as familiar with a bitcoin ATM. So before I get into Bitbox, let me quickly answer some introductory questions about Bitcoin ATMs.
What is a Bitcoin ATM?
According to Investopedia, a bitcoin ATM is an Internet-connected machine (usually a kiosk) that allows customers to purchase bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies with deposited cash.
You can often find them in high-traffic retail locations. I recently spotted one at my local gas station, for example.
The bitcoin ATMs I just described are “one-way” bitcoin ATMs (i.e., you can only buy bitcoins by depositing cash), but there are also two-way bitcoin ATMs where you can withdraw cash by selling bitcoins.
What Is Bitbox?
Bitbox is a bitcoin ATM franchise that provides a soup to nuts bitcoin ATM business for its franchisees.
They offer a “turn-key” business, which means they handle all of the ins and outs of running the business. There’s really not much for you to do. It can be operated as a passive income business with no employees, no inventory, and minimal overhead.
Here’s a list of things that Bitbox will handle for you:
- Buy your bitcoin ATM through Bitbox, with no ongoing royalties
- Bitbox will find pre-qualified locations for your bitcoin ATMs
- Bitbox will handle the installation of your ATMs
- They will handle all compliance matters for your ATMs
- They will provide ongoing maintenance for your ATMs
- Bitbox will market your ATM locations through the online Bitcoin ATM web network
- If desired, Bitbox will also arrange for cash pick up services through their armored truck program
All information relating to the operation and features of the Bitbox franchise is obtained from Bitbox’s website.
How Much Does It Cost to Start a Bitcoin ATM Franchise?
As of this writing, Bitbox is offering two packages:
The “Gold” package is $33,900 and you get one Bitbox machine and the Bitbox partner program (which includes all of the services and support we described above). The “Platinum” package is $56,900 and includes two Bitbox machines as well as the Bitbox partner program.
How Much Can You Make with a Bitcoin ATM Franchise?
According to Bitbox, you can charge high transaction fees. Some operators charge up to 20% of the overall transaction amount. Bitbox claims that bitcoin ATMs can bring in $10,000, $20,000 or even $300,000 per month nationwide. Source
If you are interested in learning more about this ATM franchise opportunity check out Bitbox here.
Conclusion
So there you have it:
The two leading ATM franchises in the United States and key features and highlights of each.
If you are interested in starting an ATM business but do not want to join a franchise, you can also start one on your own. If you want to learn more, check out my step-by-step guide on how to start an ATM business.
If you are short on cash, I also wrote an article that shows you how to start an ATM business with no money!
