ATMs in Northeim: Failures due to operating errors!

ATMs in Northeim: Failures due to operating errors!

On the long weekend from October 2nd to 5th, 2025, there was a brief shortage of cash supplies in Northeim. Five ATMs at Kreis-Sparkasse Northeim were temporarily out of service, and for a rather unfortunate reason - operating errors. As HNA reports, such disruptions are often due to improper use of the deposit function. However, the Sparkasse's press spokesman, Gernot Bollerhei, assured that there is no general problem with the cash supply in the region.

The Kreis-Sparkasse operates a total of 27 ATMs in the district, and during the outages, other machines, such as those at the train station and in an Edeka market, provided the necessary cash supply. Customers have been advised that incomplete, wrinkled or contaminated notes and inserting items into the machines can lead to these technical malfunctions. Careful service is therefore required, and Bollerhei encouraged customers to increasingly use cashless payment methods.

Current bottlenecks in the cash system

But it is not only in Northeim that there are challenges in the area of ​​cash supply. As in a blog post from the Bielefeld Sparkasse It is reported that many ATMs in Germany are facing a supply bottleneck due to a strike by cash-in-transit companies. Some locations may not be able to accept cash refills since October 4, 2024. Payment defaults could occur at certain ATMs, particularly self-service centers and freestanding models.

The situation is worrying as the cash supply is increasingly plagued by disruptions. Those too Bundesbank warns in a survey of an increasing problem: more and more Germans are having difficulty accessing cash. The proportion who find it difficult to get to an ATM or bank counter has increased from 6% to 15% in the last two years. Nevertheless, the majority of the population lives near ATMs or bank branches.

Importance of cash supply

The modern challenges in cash transactions are diverse. The number of bank branches has reduced alarmingly from around 53,000 in 2002 to around 21,000 in 2023, and the number of ATMs has fallen from 59,000 to around 51,000. Cost pressure in the banking sector, the increasing use of online banking and security concerns play a decisive role here. Damaged machines are often not put back into operation, which further complicates the supply.

In summary, current events show us that it is wise to use cashless payment methods - especially in times when the supply of cash is constantly faltering. If you act quickly and inform yourself, you will do good business and will not be left high and dry.