Hand back what the machine gave you by mistake
Money left in a cash machine or an overpaid change is someone's actual money, and they will notice.
The BeingKind editorsPublished How this is written
Why it lands
Found money feels ownerless and is not. For most people an unexplained forty pounds missing is an evening of worry about whether they were robbed or are losing track of their own finances. Returning it is unambiguous and slightly costly, which is exactly what makes it the kind of small integrity people remember about themselves years later.
How
For cash left in a machine, hand it into the bank branch — they can trace the transaction. For overpaid change, go back in and say so before you leave. If you have already left, going back the next day still counts.
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