First Gold Vending Machine in Prague Installed in Nový Smíchov Shopping Mall
Can you spare some change, like a few hundred? I’d like to buy some gold from a vending machine.
It sounds like a tacky casino attraction, but a gold vending machine that’s been set up at Nový Smíchov shopping mall real thing.
The gold vending machine dispenses bars and coins, making it the first place to boast a permanent ATM for bullion.
Called “Au-tomat”, it is owned by Gold.plus and offers small bars of one, ten, or 31.1 grams (troy ounce) locally. The firm plans to create a whole network of such devices.
“The vending machine is really unique. Several retailers around the world have tried something similar, for example in Dubai, but have never achieved our technological qualities and user comfort,” says Gold.plus director Martin Stránský.
“With the Gold.plus application, users will be able to manage their assets in gold on their mobile phones and at the same time have the precious metal sent to them by post,” he added.
Users navigate menu choices via a 19-inch touch screen and can pay for their gold with cash or credit card. Security features include a camera and an ID scanner to prevent money laundering.
The company says the prices are competitive because there are no staffing costs for the machine.
The machine accepts cash in Czech crowns and euros, as well as credit cards. The company did not disclose the prices of the bullion.
However, on international markets, a troy ounce of investment gold is now worth about CZK 40,000.
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