Is your money safe? NAB customers report widespread ATM and app failures
It’s undeniably true that online banking offers comfort and convenience, allowing quick and easy transactions, such as money transfers and bill payments—all at your fingertips.
However, this comes with pros and cons.
Outages and glitches in online banking can be as frustrating, if not worse, than the convenience it provides.
These issues cause anxiety, especially when you’re unable to make payments while out and about, and the fear starts to creep up on whether your money and transactions are secure.
Recently, customers of the National Australia Bank (NAB), one of Australia’s big four banks, found themselves in an unfortunate situation as they reported widespread issues with ATMs and the NAB mobile app.
Distressed customers took to social media to express their sentiments; some shared that their cards were swallowed by ATMs, while others complained of being unable to log into their mobile app and account through internet banking.
To add to the concerns, an advisory message on the NAB online platform cautioned customers that 'internet banking was temporarily unavailable'.
With account holders unable to access their funds, some customers were reportedly left stranded at supermarkets, uncertain about how to pay their bills.
‘Can’t access my accounts at all,’ one person said on social media.
Other customers were upset at being abruptly cut off from their accounts altogether, while a few found themselves unable to reach NAB's contact centre, which appeared to be closed at the time.
‘And can’t even contact you guys at the contact centre as it’s closed. Can you give us an update, please?’ one user wrote.
In response to the outcry, a spokesperson at NAB acknowledged the service disruptions, which appeared to affect the bank's mobile app, internet banking, and NAB Connect.
‘We’re sorry for the inconvenience this is causing,’ expressed the spokesperson.
‘Our technical team is currently investigating and working to fix this as soon as possible,’ they added.
The bank also posted an update online, but for some, it wasn't very helpful.
One user commented, saying, ‘So I’m stuck at a servo because I can’t transfer money.’
‘This is just great. Should I set up a tent?’
Downdetector also reported thousands of NAB outages, highlighting the widespread disruption.
In a statement updated shortly before 9 pm AEST, the bank mentioned that services had resumed their usual operation.
‘Our services are now back online. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank our customers for their patience while we resolved the issue,’ said the spokesperson.
However, the exact cause behind the technical glitch remains a mystery as the bank continues investigating.
This service interruption came following a prolonged outage suffered by telco Optus that affected millions of Australians, disrupting the nation’s emergency services and businesses on Wednesday. You can read more on that story here.
Members, in case of disruptions or digital hiccups, the SDC recommends having a backup plan in place.
This may include keeping a small amount of cash at home for emergencies and having a secondary method of accessing funds, such as a backup card.
Make sure you have your bank's contact details readily available in case you need to reach them after an outage to check your accounts and transactions for any discrepancies.
Remember, your hard-earned money is precious, and so is your peace of mind.
Members, did the NAB outage impact you? Share your thoughts on the disruptions and offer backup plan suggestions for our community and banks in the comments below!
However, this comes with pros and cons.
Outages and glitches in online banking can be as frustrating, if not worse, than the convenience it provides.
These issues cause anxiety, especially when you’re unable to make payments while out and about, and the fear starts to creep up on whether your money and transactions are secure.
Recently, customers of the National Australia Bank (NAB), one of Australia’s big four banks, found themselves in an unfortunate situation as they reported widespread issues with ATMs and the NAB mobile app.
Distressed customers took to social media to express their sentiments; some shared that their cards were swallowed by ATMs, while others complained of being unable to log into their mobile app and account through internet banking.
To add to the concerns, an advisory message on the NAB online platform cautioned customers that 'internet banking was temporarily unavailable'.
With account holders unable to access their funds, some customers were reportedly left stranded at supermarkets, uncertain about how to pay their bills.
‘Can’t access my accounts at all,’ one person said on social media.
Other customers were upset at being abruptly cut off from their accounts altogether, while a few found themselves unable to reach NAB's contact centre, which appeared to be closed at the time.
‘And can’t even contact you guys at the contact centre as it’s closed. Can you give us an update, please?’ one user wrote.
In response to the outcry, a spokesperson at NAB acknowledged the service disruptions, which appeared to affect the bank's mobile app, internet banking, and NAB Connect.
‘We’re sorry for the inconvenience this is causing,’ expressed the spokesperson.
‘Our technical team is currently investigating and working to fix this as soon as possible,’ they added.
The bank also posted an update online, but for some, it wasn't very helpful.
One user commented, saying, ‘So I’m stuck at a servo because I can’t transfer money.’
‘This is just great. Should I set up a tent?’
Downdetector also reported thousands of NAB outages, highlighting the widespread disruption.
In a statement updated shortly before 9 pm AEST, the bank mentioned that services had resumed their usual operation.
‘Our services are now back online. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank our customers for their patience while we resolved the issue,’ said the spokesperson.
However, the exact cause behind the technical glitch remains a mystery as the bank continues investigating.
This service interruption came following a prolonged outage suffered by telco Optus that affected millions of Australians, disrupting the nation’s emergency services and businesses on Wednesday. You can read more on that story here.
Members, in case of disruptions or digital hiccups, the SDC recommends having a backup plan in place.
This may include keeping a small amount of cash at home for emergencies and having a secondary method of accessing funds, such as a backup card.
Make sure you have your bank's contact details readily available in case you need to reach them after an outage to check your accounts and transactions for any discrepancies.
Remember, your hard-earned money is precious, and so is your peace of mind.
Key Takeaways
- NAB bank customers experienced frustrating service outages, which included ATMs swallowing cards and the inability to access online accounts.
- The bank was aware of the issues impacting services like the mobile app, internet banking and NAB Connect and apologised for the inconvenience caused.
- Thousands of NAB outages were reported by Downdetector, and services returned to normal later in the evening.
- Before NAB’s outages, Optus had a historic outage, affecting 10 million customers, including hospitals, businesses, and transport networks on Wednesday.