The same thing happens with ATMs with savings books as with computers with CDs, which no longer include a slot for their use, considering them an outdated format. The new terminals incorporate mobile readers, sensors and a futuristic design allergic to paper, but they have not completely expelled the old primer, which refuses to disappear even if it is through a window. A loyal clientele and the pressure of associations and platforms for the elderly play in favor of the passbook, which are not willing to give an iota in the face of a banking digitization full of exclusion risks.
“For an older person, the notebook is part of their financial memory. Many still prefer to go to the window and queue rather than do without it. For us, any setback in this service is a matter of concern," says the new president of the Platform for the Elderly and Pensioners (PMP), Lázaro González García. “40% of the elderly population does not have a smartphone and cannot be left behind,” he adds.
The notebook is part of the great demands of this group, which last year reached an agreement with the Government and the banks to facilitate their inclusion. Despite the fact that the agreement is not mandatory, the representatives of the elderly are proud of having wrested from the bank employers' association, the AEB, the commitment that they will not stop operating with a book. They also ensure that its use, despite going backwards, is far from disappearing.
The associations not only demand that the cards continue to be issued, but also that no commissions be applied for their use. From the association of financial users Asufin they indicate that the trend now is to install ATMs without a passbook reader and stop including this product in the current account offer. "Digitalization is inevitable, but you cannot go at two speeds and leave behind a segment of the clientele," they indicate.
Of all the banks, the king of the passbooks is CaixaBank, with figures that demonstrate the survival of this product and its use among the elderly. Of its 20 million customers, it has more than 4 million seniors, who account for most of its 4.8 million active notebooks, which are the ones that have been updated at least once in the last year, with longer periods for the elderly. His commitment, which he boasts about because it is not the trend among banks, is that 100% of ATMs include the passbook module, which, according to him, he has already achieved.
At BBVA, the booklet is maintained for customers who want it "as long as the contracted product allows this possibility." They are not charged commission and, according to sources, it is a product that is practically not in demand. Less than 15% of the accounts have passbooks, which have disappeared in addition to the latest commercial offers. Santander no longer issues new passbooks, but limits itself to renewing current ones, according to bank sources. From Bankinter they report that last year they only issued a few dozen due to low demand.
The use of the passbooks varies greatly depending on the bank and, in general, is more associated with the entities resulting from the mergers of savings banks. After the agreement on the elderly last year, Asufin has carried out a follow-up survey with 1,035 participants in which it can be seen that 40.9% of the elderly use the notebook, and among those who do not, many indicate that it is because they cannot or by commissions. 74% of CaixaBank customers say that they can use it, compared to 66% for Unicaja, 61% for Kutxabank and 55% for Ibercaja. No other bank reaches 50%, with Abanca in last position, with 7.3%.
The association of old savings banks, CECA, cites the maintenance of passbooks as "good banking practice." CaixaBank indicates that you do not have to be a senior to enjoy it, since it can be requested from the age of 26 "without added cost" or "additional maintenance fee". "The only condition is the client's commitment to keep it minimally active, that is, to update it at least once a year", although if he is over 60 years old, the term is extended to two years. For those 70 and older, there is no minimum use.
In a recent report, the OCU assured that four banks, which are Abanca, Bankinter, BBVA and Caja Rural de Jaén, have stopped actively issuing passbooks, while Kutxabank, Sabadell and Ibercaja charge some type of commission.
Lázaro González indicates that banks are not required to have passbook readers at ATMs, but they must guarantee personal attention to the elderly who have them. He recommends that, in the event of problems at the bank branch, the senior client identifies himself as a person over 65 years of age and demands that the service protocol be applied to him. "At that time, preferential treatment should be opened to him," he says.
