The first automated teller machine went into service in 1967. Barclays installed the pioneering cash machine outside its branch in Enfield, North London, on 27 June that year.
The machine was developed by a De La Rue team led by John Shepherd-Barron and was known as the De La Rue Automatic Cash System, or Barclaycash. Actor Reg Varney made the first public withdrawal. Instead of modern bank cards, customers used paper vouchers issued by bank staff, with withdrawals initially limited to £10.
The machine was not fully online in the modern sense. It read a one-time voucher and verified a personal identification number, while later systems introduced magnetic-stripe cards and networked account access. This is why some histories distinguish the 1967 cash dispenser from later online ATMs.
The common mix-up is with 1971, when more advanced computerised ATM systems began appearing. However, 1967 is the standard answer for the first machine to enter public service.