Why it pays to think about access to your money ahead of time
In winter, the power at home can go out for several hours, sometimes longer. Mobile signal and internet often disappear along with the electricity. Your banking app — the program on your phone you use to check your balance or send money — may simply not open when that happens. This is not a reason to panic. A little preparation now means a long power cut will not catch you off guard.
How much cash to keep at home "just in case"
During a long power outage, cash machines (ATMs) may stop working. At large banks, some ATMs are connected to backup generators — devices that produce electricity when the main power is down. But not every ATM has this protection, and the line at a working one can be long. Shops may also temporarily stop accepting card payments.
That is why it helps to keep a small amount of cash at home, separate from your everyday spending money. Enough to cover a few days of basic needs — medicine, food, a taxi or fuel — is usually enough. Keep this money somewhere safe but easy to reach. Tell one trusted family member where it is. Do not keep all your savings at home — just enough for a few days ahead.
Check now whether you can reach your money without the internet
Before an outage even starts, a few things are worth checking.
First, find the nearest ATM of your bank that usually keeps working even when the power is out in your area. Often this is a machine next to a large bank branch or inside a shopping centre with its own generator. Check this in advance, while the power is on — a short walk, or a look at your bank's branch map, is enough.
Second, keep a power bank charged — a small portable battery you can use to charge your phone without a wall socket. Without battery in your phone, you cannot call your bank or open the app once the signal comes back.
Third, write down your card number and your IBAN (the international account number needed for some transfers) on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere safe at home. If your phone runs out of battery or the app will not open, you will still have these details on hand. Never write your card's PIN code or your app password next to it — only you should know those.
Direct debits and regular payments during long outages
A direct debit (or standing order) is when the bank takes money from your account automatically on a set date, for example for your phone plan or a subscription. This usually needs both a network connection and enough money in the account on the right day.
If an outage lasts a long time, a payment can be delayed or fail to go through — not because of anything you did wrong, but because of technical problems at the bank or the service provider. While you still have power and signal, check your banking app for the dates of your next payments. If you expect a long outage, you can top up your account in advance so there is definitely enough money in it.
If a payment still fails because of an outage, call your bank as soon as you have signal again. Banks are aware of outages and usually do not penalise customers for a technical delay that was not their fault.
Watch out: scammers prepare for blackouts too
During widespread power cuts, scammers call and message more often, pretending to be from your bank. A common script: someone calls and says that because of a "system failure during the outage," you need to immediately "confirm" your card details or read out a one-time code — the code sent by text message to confirm a transaction.
A real bank never asks you to read out a one-time code over the phone, and never calls you out of the blue demanding to "confirm" card details. If a call like this makes you uneasy, simply hang up. Then call your bank yourself, using the number printed on the back of your card. This one rule protects you against most such calls.