IT IS clear that as time goes on we are increasingly becoming a cashless society.

Let’s be honest, how many of us actually stop and withdraw cash from an ATM in the “tap and pay” world we now inhabit?

But there are times when you need to take out some cash.

Most ATMs, or cash machines as they used to be called, offer free withdrawals although some still charge a fee.

That is the case now at Brighton Station where there are three ATMs in the main building.

It is crucial to point out at this stage that the new charges at the ATMs in question have not been implemented by train operator GTR, who described the decision as “highly regrettable”.

The £1.99 charge per transaction has in fact been introduced by Cardtronics, the company responsible for the ATMs.

There are times when you forget to take cash out of one of the free cash machines elsewhere in the city or indeed decide to make an impulse purchase from a vendor who doesn’t accept contactless payments.

Say, for instance, you only want a tenner. If you take out £10 from one of the machines, you will in essence be paying a fifth of it to Cardtronics.

Everyone accepts that in order to operate successfully, companies must make a profit, but such a surcharge certainly seems excessive.

Fortunately, the profusion of cash machines that used to charge a fee several years ago are largely extinct, giving customers free access to their cash.

To have to pay to withdraw your own money is rampant commercialism gone mad.