Customers are reporting credit-card payment outages nationwide at restaurants and stores across the US, including Chick-fil-A and Ikea

My young adult kids all have AAA that I pay for. I think just my one daughter carries spare cash hidden in her car like I do. (Hmm - I should remind my other kids).

Last month the bank machine kept her debit card. She had enough cash to get gas for ten days. (She had plenty of groceries).

I like mine hidden in the car. Then when I drive 10 miles to the store and realize that I forgot my wallet - I can still usually buy most of what I need!

My wife’s debit card got skimmed at a grocery store on a Saturday. They managed to empty several thousand from our checking account by Sunday and then tried going to our savings. The Bank promptly shut her card down.
Problem is they never told us and on Tuesday when she tried to use her card it was locked. Funny thing is mine for the same account was working and I just paid. Got home, called the Bank and found out about the theft. Took a few of weeks to straighten things out with the Bank, they gave her a new card, canceled mine in error, reported legitimate charges as theft to the police, etc. We did get all of our money back and the police actually were pretty diligent investigating had pictures of all the perps at all the withdraws and such.

As soon as we had it straightened out with the Bank we promptly withdrew and closed all accounts with them. We did this because they really did nothing for us. They didn’t even notify us of the fraudulent activity when they locked the card. If they had we probably could have at least started the investigation 3 days earlier. I moved to a much more responsive and proactive bank. I set our accounts up so that any withdraw or purchase over a small amount texts an alert to my phone. That way I see almost every dollar that goes out of the account in real time. We no longer use any debit card with a pin and run credit only. This helps with the skimming issue.

The only thing I hate is that the credit card only option costs both me and any merchants I deal with more. Me because many small businesses are beginning to charge 3-4% on credit transactions and the merchants who are charged such high fees for credit processing. I try to use cash as much as possible at those places.

Thanks for sharing the details of your and your wife’s ordeal with debit card fraud—considerably worse than even what I’ve endured.
At least, my bank called me at roughly 6:30 in the evening on the first and third incidents (the second was caught so fast by me in overnight pending transactions that it was rather seamless). Each time, my bank has immediately cancelled my cards and offered provisional credits back to my account to tide my through their 90-day investigations.
Unless my bank has involved the police or other law enforcement agencies, I have no knowledge of any legal action taken in my circumstances.
Recently, tires were purchased on my most recent debit card which is absurd because I have no vehicles and don’t drive; I called that company and was emailed PDF files showing the actual name, email account and phone number and two Indiana addresses of the guilty party. I live in Maryland and am sorely tempted to reach out and use these contacts to express my outrage to this individual. But, I am loath to borrow more trouble
Right now, the most recent investigation is almost closed and I’m back to even on my balance. I have been encouraged by a relative to move my primary checking acct to another institution but also dread having to change all of my bill-paying links and especially setting up the monthly and quarterly direct deposits of my dividend-based income.
For the time being, I’m using personal checks at my grocery store and my two credit cards from two other respective banks. I don’t like to carry much cash and it’s not a preferred manner of payment in this Covid era anyway.
Hopefully, someday soon, I’ll figure out a safe way to have the convenience of a debit card without the constant aggravation of being victimized. My bank did suggest putting temporary blocks or hold on my debit card through my acct but that didn’t sound very viable to me, either.

Thanks again for sharing your story with me. Good luck!

Quite so. A “cash run” on the banks would empty them in an hour.

I remember a couple decades ago, there was a California company whose job it was to collect all the change from pay phones and put it back in circulation. But something went wrong and within a week nobody in the state had any coins.

Laundry and vending machines and parking meters couldn’t be used.

And for some reason, the Coronavirus epidemic caused a coin shortage as well.

A paper money shortage would be considerably worse.

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