SPARE: Turning Any Cash Register into a Virtual ATM
A fintech network turning retail points of sale into cash access points, built end to end.
About SPARE
SPARE powers a network of retailers that let people withdraw and deposit cash, and carry out other basic transactions, through their bank, credit union or digital wallet — without an ATM. An account holder requests access in their financial institution's app and picks a nearby participating retailer; SPARE securely links that app to the retailer's point of sale; the transaction completes at the register. CharPixel built the full solution: the mobile applications, the web application and the backend behind them.
- Any cash register can become a virtual ATM — no new hardware, no floor space given up.
- Access requested from the account holder's own banking app, with no debit card or purchase required.
- A dynamic network of retailers rather than fixed machine locations.
- Four distinct participants — banks, credit unions, ISOs and resellers, and retailers.
- Available through the Clover App Marketplace.
- Client
- SPARE
- Industry
- Fintech
- Business type
- Digital financial infrastructure provider and virtual ATM network
- Website
- gotspare.com
What the platform had to solve
Cash access depends on ATM density, and ATM density is set by economics rather than need — which leaves coverage gaps in exactly the places that rely on cash most. Traditional alternatives all carry a catch: cash machines are costly to place and service, cashback requires a purchase, branches have limited hours, and every card-based route excludes anyone without a card. Meanwhile, every neighbourhood already has retailers holding cash in a till.
What made it difficult
Three parties, one transaction
A single request spans an account holder's banking app, SPARE's network and a retailer's point of sale. Each is a separate system with its own availability, and the transaction has to remain correct when any of them is slow or unreachable.
Money movement demands exactness
Cash access is a financial transaction, not a booking. Idempotency, reconciliation and an auditable record of every state change are architectural requirements rather than features.
Retail environments are not controlled environments
The register end runs in shops with variable connectivity, on POS hardware the platform does not own, operated by staff with no training in it.
Four audiences, four different products
Banks, credit unions, ISOs and retailers each need a different view of the same network, with different commercial models behind them.
How we approached it
- 01
Full-stack delivery
Mobile applications, the web application and the backend built by one team, so the transaction contract between them was designed once rather than negotiated across vendors.
- 02
Point-of-sale integration
Integration with retail POS systems, including distribution through the Clover App Marketplace so merchants activate SPARE on hardware they already run.
- 03
Secure transaction handling
Encrypted transactions and secure data handling across the consumer, merchant and financial-institution legs of every request.
- 04
Merchant-facing economics
Tooling that lets prospective participants model deployment pace, transaction volume and revenue share before joining the network.
What it was built with
The technologies named for this project.
Applications
Mobile apps
Web application
Backend
Transaction services
Financial institution integrations
Distribution
Clover App Marketplace
Retail POS integration
How the system fits together
The structural decisions behind the platform.
- 01
A backend brokering each request across three parties — the financial institution's app, SPARE's network and the retailer's point of sale.
- 02
Point-of-sale integration that runs on hardware merchants already own, removing hardware deployment from the rollout entirely.
- 03
Encrypted transaction handling across the consumer, merchant and institution legs of every request.
- 04
Distribution through the Clover App Marketplace, so activation is a merchant-side install rather than a field visit.
What the platform does
Virtual ATM at the register
A secure, scalable platform for cash withdrawal and deposit through mobile apps and POS systems.
Bank and credit union integration
Account holders request access from their own institution's app rather than a separate SPARE account.
Cash access for wallet users
Access to cash for digital wallet users in areas without traditional ATMs.
Merchant revenue
Retailers earn from cash they already handle, with no machine to service and no floor space given up.
Fast merchant payouts
Partnerships with financial technology providers for rapid payment processing to merchants.
Revenue simulator
A modelling tool projecting monthly and cumulative returns from a virtual ATM deployment.
I am extremely satisfied with CharPixel and have collaborated with them on latest technologies.
D'ontra HughesFounder & CEO, Spare IncWhat this project involved
Mobile App Development
Native and cross-platform iOS and Android apps, built for real network conditions rather than office Wi-Fi.
Web Application Development
Scalable web applications on modern frameworks, engineered for first-load performance and sustained load.
Custom Software Development
Bespoke systems shaped around your operations, integrated with the tools and data you already run on.
Cloud & DevOps
Migration, deployment automation and infrastructure on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud, built to be operated.
SPARE: common questions
Working on something similar?
Tell us what you're building and we'll say whether it's a fit.
Start a project01
What did CharPixel build for SPARE?
The full solution — the mobile applications, the web application and the backend behind them. Owning all three meant the transaction contract between app, network and point of sale was designed once rather than negotiated between separate vendors.
02
How does a virtual ATM transaction work?
Three steps. The account holder requests access in their bank or credit union app and picks a nearby participating retailer. SPARE securely links the app to that retailer's point of sale. The account holder visits the retailer and completes the transaction at the register — no ATM involved.
03
What does a retailer need to participate?
Nothing new. SPARE runs on the point of sale already in the store, which is what distinguishes it from placing a cash machine: no hardware to service, no floor space given up, and activation available through the Clover App Marketplace.
04
Does the account holder need a debit card?
No. Access is requested from the banking app rather than presented at a card reader, which is precisely how the network reaches people that card-based access excludes. There is also no purchase requirement, unlike cashback at checkout.
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