Martin Grosz
04/26/2021 6:01 AM
Clarín.com
Services
Updated 04/26/2021 6:01 AM
Going to the ATM to withdraw cash can be a very quick and easy procedure.
But sometimes, when we least expect it, the mission
gets complicated
.
And it ends up being
longer
than expected or
various
complications
arise
with the bills.
Among the common problems,
three
stand out
, which more than once appear in combination:
1) Finding
long lines
to use the equipment, because the machines in the area are overwhelmed by demand.
2) That the operation fails because the ATM is out of service or
without tickets
.
This forces you to start a "tour" through the nearby ATMs until you find one that is operational and with money.
3) That the cashier give money, but
only small bills
.
Everything for $ 100 or $ 200, and nothing for $ 500 or $ 1,000.
Which forces to do several operations in a row to complete the amount sought (for example, $ 8 thousand).
And to take a quantity of papers (40, 60, 80 ...) as exaggerated as it is uncomfortable to keep.
ATMs played a key role during the pandemic.
Photo Mauricio Nievas / Archive
Although few stop to think about it, suffering any of these three situations or being saved from them is not just a
matter of luck.
Since these drawbacks are closely linked to the
usual peaks
in demand and how the recharges of the machines are organized each day, they are largely
predictable
.
Disorders usually occur, in fact, almost always on the same
days, hours and times of the month
, according to
Clarín
reconstructed
with sources from banks and ATM networks.
Therefore, customers who know exactly what
critical moments are
will be able to avoid them and have "good luck" more often.
Here, then, is a guide to everything you need to know to
stop experiencing
delays and setbacks when hunting for cash.
For various reasons, a visit to the ATM can be complicated.
Photo File
1. Peak hours: when are there more chances to queue at ATMs
To know, before leaving home, if there will be long lines, it is essential to take into account in what part
of the day, week, month
and year the visit will take place.
The key will be to avoid going at times when
demand peaks
tend
to occur
.
But what exactly are they?
-THE VARIATIONS THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
"The largest influx of the public in ATMs is generated between
11 am and 1 pm
, and then between
5 and 7
pm," Damián Luzzi, manager of the
Banelco
network
at Prisma Medios de Pago
, explained to
Clarín
.
Although he clarified that, beyond this, on certain days of the week there is usually more activity than on others.
-THE VARIATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
"The highest demand is registered on
Friday afternoons
and on
Saturday mornings
until noon," Luzzi added.
-THE VARIATIONS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH.
Coinciding with the
payment of salaries
, the first days of each month tend to go to the ATMs by many more people, especially the first weekend.
In the ATMs of the Banelco network, for example, the peak of withdrawals in March was registered on Friday 5 and Saturday 6.
Queues in front of banks and ATMs were a common postcard in a pandemic.
Photo Andrés D'Elía / Archive
-THE VARIATIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
Other peaks in usage almost always occur:
Before every long weekend
On the collection dates of the half
bonus
(at the beginning of July and January)
In December, for the purchases of the
Holidays
and the collection of the end of the year bonuses
"In relation to schedules, we recommend assistance in
daytime slots
for
safety
reasons
and in line with the provisions that prevent night-time circulation for health care," they told
Clarín
at Banco Provincia.
2. Not available: when are there more chances of finding ATMs out of service?
Sometimes the user comes to the ATM and finds that it cannot be used.
This may be due to a
technical or system
failure
, which cannot be predicted.
But it can also be because it is
being recharged
, which is
foreseeable
since that always happens almost at the same times, which should also be avoided.
In general, the filling of the ATMs that are in the branches is carried out by the bank employees only on
business days
and at
two times a
day, during which the devices spend between
20 and 50 minutes
without being able to use.
The ATMs go out of service for a time each day, while they are recharged.
And sometimes due to failures.
Photo Luciano Thieberger / Archive
The first recharge of the day is usually done
between 10 and 12
, when the treasurer in charge receives the cash truck and replenishes bills at the ATMs that need it.
The other recharge, which is
the main one
for each day, is almost always done once the public service hours are over.
"Generally, banks recharge their ATMs (lobby)
between 15 and 17
, with which it is possible that for a time the equipment will be
unavailable
until they finish this task," said Luzzi, from Banelco, who also remarked the "extremely high level of operational availability" of the network.
3. Without money: when are there more chances of finding ATMs without bills?
Despite the fact that inflation was very high in recent months and years, the Government until now refused to create $ 5,000 or $ 10,000 bills.
The ones with the highest value are still the $ 1,000 "bakers", which debuted in
2017
worth
US $ 56
but today they no longer buy even
US $ 7
.
To make matters worse, today's day-to-day operations require far more
$ 500 and $ 1,000
bills than ever
to be printed and distributed among banks, exacerbating in a pandemic.
For this reason, many times in the branches they only have copies of $ 100 -the most abundant bill- and of $ 200 to fill the ATMs, which makes the devices run out of money
much more quickly
.
Despite its low value, banks sometimes recharge ATMs with $ 100 and $ 200 bills. Photo File Clarín
In this context, on what days and times is it more common to find ATMs without any tickets to deliver?
The sources consulted especially point out
two key moments
:
-SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAYS.
Friday at the end of
the banking hours, the staff often leave cashiers
loaded butt
to "
withstand
" until Monday morning.
But many times on Saturday afternoon or night they are already empty, and so they remain until the next business day.
"On
a Sunday it is more likely to
find them with less availability of tickets, especially in periods of
collection of salaries,
" acknowledged sources of an important entity, who asked not to be named.
-From MONDAY TO THURSDAY FROM 21 TO 11. Although it is less common, in times of very high demand the same can happen between one business day and the next.
Although at 16 or 17 the ATM is fully loaded,
at dusk
it is already
empty
, and it remains so until the morning of the next day.
On Sundays it is common for ATMs to run out of cash, especially at the beginning of the month.
Photo Germán García Adrasti / Archive
On the other hand, the
area
is also a key factor to consider.
In a leading bank they commented to
Clarín
that, with the pandemic and the home office, much of the demand that centrally located ATMs used to have turned to those in
residential
neighborhoods
, making it more common to find ATMs with queues or without
cash.
.
At Banco Ciudad, they reminded
Clarín
that, in the face of this type of eventuality, customers always have
alternative ways
of obtaining tickets and carrying out their operations.
"They can withdraw cash in participating
supermarkets and pharmacies
during purchases with a Maestro and Visa debit card; and they can also manage payments and transfers through Modo, the banks' new digital wallet," they highlighted.
4. Pure change: when are there more chances of receiving only $ 100 and $ 200 bills?
Faced with the shortage of $ 500 and $ 1,000 bills, banks
ration those they have
with a
criterion
that leads to their customers having a better chance of receiving them on certain days and hours;
and in others, more possibilities of "nailing" with pure small change.
The entities always try that the ATMs are the least amount of time
possible
without money.
For this reason, the few $ 1,000 and $ 500 bills that each branch manages to collect are reserved with
absolute priority
for the recharge that must "last longer": the one from
Friday afternoon
, which should last until Monday.
Despite its low value, many times the ATM today delivers the entire amount in $ 100 bills. Photo File Clarín
On the other hand, if the weekend supply is already covered and it was possible to get some more large bills, on
business days it
is prioritized to use them for the afternoon recharge.
Why?
Basically, because this way the ATM has a better chance of lasting
with money until the
next
morning
.
While, during business hours, staff are available to make
extra recharges
if necessary.
Thus, customers will have a better chance of receiving all the money in $ 100 and $ 200 bills if they go to the ATM
on business days from 10 am to 5 pm
.
And they are less likely to suffer from this problem on
Fridays and Saturdays
, and eventually on business days between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. the next day.
So, on a clean note, what are the best and worst times to go to the ATM?
From what has been explained so far, it is difficult to find an "ideal" day and time, in which you are
100% safe
from all inconveniences.
But some conclusions can be drawn that will serve as a guide.
-When
AGREES
MORE GO TO THE CASHIER
:
Best option: Friday nights from 7pm until early Saturday
.
Because, although it is the point of the week with the highest demand, at those times there will no longer be so much queue.
And there is still a good chance that the ATM has silver available, with $ 500 and $ 1,000 bills.
Second option: Monday to Thursday between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm;
and between 19 and 21
.
Because they are the hours (especially that of the night) in which the biggest queues are avoided and at the same time in which there is a good chance of finding the devices in service and charged (although from 13 to 15 they could only give $ 100 bills and $ 200).
Just as there are queues at certain times, at others you can operate without waiting.
Photo Mauricio Nievas / Archive
-WHEN IT
IS
MORE ADVISABLE
TO AVOID
THE CASHIER:
In the first 5 or 7 days of each month
.
Because the risk of having to stand in long queues and find the devices without money increases a lot.
On business days from 10 to 13 and from 15 to 19
.
Because there are good chances that there is a lot of queue or that the devices are being recharged.
Saturdays from afternoon and Sundays
.
Because, even if there is not much queue, the chances of finding the machines without money grow.
MG
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