Home News Commonwealth Bank quietly gives away $50 to customers affected by bank outage

Commonwealth Bank quietly gives away $50 to customers affected by bank outage

If you were one of CommBank’s customers affected by last week’s network outage, there could be an extra $50 sitting in your account.

By Emma Duffy

on 24 Oct 2019

Commonwealth Bank quietly gives away $50 to customers affected by bank outage

More than 100,000 CBA customers who were unable to access their funds over the weekend due to the delay in wage payments could be $50 richer.

CommBank customers on Twitter uploaded screenshots showing $50 deposits from CBA with a description reading "Sorry from CBA" (pictured below).

A statement on the CommBank website on Thursday said “significant progress” has been made in processing payments, but it’s suggested these were reimbursement fees and charges incurred – not in compensation for the outage.

"Commonwealth Bank has made a payment into the accounts of customers who were unable to access their funds over the weekend, due to the delay in payments," the statement said.

"We are now refunding fees and charges associated with the network issue on Thursday and the payments delay, for our customers who were impacted by this issue.

"We have made significant progress in processing the outstanding payments. We now believe funds should be in customer accounts."

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Provider	Base interest rate	Max interest rate	Total interest earned	Introductory Term	Minimum Amount	Maximum Amount	Account Keeping Fees	Min. Monthly Deposit	Min. Opening Deposit	Linked account required	ATM Access	EFTPOS Facility	as ofJuly 27, 2024

	4.40^%_p.a.	Intro rate for 4 monthsthen 4.40% p.a. 5.75^%_p.a.	^$980	4	^$0	^$250,000	0	0	0	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	More details
	High Interest Savings Account (< $250k) Bonus rate for the first 4 months from account opening No account keeping fees No minimum balance
High Interest Savings Account (< $250k) Bonus rate for the first 4 months from account opening No account keeping fees No minimum balance More details
	4.75^%_p.a.	Intro rate for 4 monthsthen 4.75% p.a. 5.35^%_p.a.	^$1,001	4	^$0	^$249,999	0	0	0	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	More details
FEATURED	Savings Account (Amounts < $250k) A high-interest online savings account with no monthly fees, easy withdrawals and award-winning digital banking No withdrawal notice periods or interest rate penalties Save up to 10% on eGift cards at over 50 retailers with Macquarie Marketplace
FEATURED Savings Account (Amounts < $250k) A high-interest online savings account with no monthly fees, easy withdrawals and award-winning digital banking No withdrawal notice periods or interest rate penalties Save up to 10% on eGift cards at over 50 retailers with Macquarie Marketplace More details
	–	5.50^%_p.a.	^$1,128		^$0	^$100,000	0	0	0	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	More details
FEATURED*Rate varies on savings amount	Save Account (<$100,000) Deposit $500 per month to get bonus interest 5.50% p.a. available on total savings up to $100k. 5.00% p.a. applies to savings between $100k-250K. Tiered bonus rates apply. (TMDs at ubank.com.au)
FEATURED*Rate varies on savings amount Save Account (<$100,000) Deposit $500 per month to get bonus interest 5.50% p.a. available on total savings up to $100k. 5.00% p.a. applies to savings between $100k-250K. Tiered bonus rates apply. (TMDs at ubank.com.au) More details
	Bonus rate of 4.95%Conditions apply. 0.55^%_p.a.	5.50^%_p.a.	^$1,128		^$0	^$100,000	0	1000	0	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	More details
	Savings Maximiser (<$100k) Deposit at least $1,000+ each month from an external source Make 5 or more eligible transactions Grow your savings balance each month
Savings Maximiser (<$100k) Deposit at least $1,000+ each month from an external source Make 5 or more eligible transactions Grow your savings balance each month More details
	–	Intro rate for 4 monthsthen 3.25% p.a. 5.25^%_p.a.	^$790	4	^$0	^$1,000,000	0	50	1	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	More details
	Reward Saver (< $1M) Earn up to 5.25% p.a. interest on balances up to $1M. T&Cs apply.
Reward Saver (< $1M) Earn up to 5.25% p.a. interest on balances up to $1M. T&Cs apply. More details
	Bonus rate of 4.85%Conditions apply. 0.50^%_p.a.	5.35^%_p.a.	^$1,097		^$1	^$50,000	0	500	1	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	More details
	Goal Saver
Goal Saver More details
	Bonus rate of 4.95%Conditions apply. 0.05^%_p.a.	5.00^%_p.a.	^$1,023		^$1	^$250,000	0	20	0	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	More details
	Bonus Saver Account (Amounts < $250k)
Bonus Saver Account (Amounts < $250k) More details
	Bonus rate of 5.45%Conditions apply. 0.05^%_p.a.	5.50^%_p.a.	^$1,128		^$0	^$50,000	0	1000	0	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	More details
For customers aged 14-35 years	Future Saver Account ( < $50k)
For customers aged 14-35 years Future Saver Account ( < $50k) More details
	Bonus rate of 5.30%Conditions apply. 0.05^%_p.a.	5.35^%_p.a.	^$1,097		^$0	^$250,000	0	1000	0	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	$product[$field["value"]]	More details
	Boost Saver
Boost Saver More details

Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

All products with a link to a product provider’s website have a commercial marketing relationship between us and these providers. These products may appear prominently and first within the search tables regardless of their attributes and may include products marked as promoted, featured or sponsored. The link to a product provider’s website will allow you to get more information or apply for the product. By de-selecting “Show online partners only” additional non-commercialised products may be displayed and re-sorted at the top of the table. For more information on how we’ve selected these “Sponsored”, “Featured” and “Promoted” products, the products we compare, how we make money, and other important information about our service, please click here. Rates correct as of July 27, 2024. View disclaimer.

After that massive outage, if those idiots at @commbank think they can waltz in and bribe me with $50, then they’re right, thanks. pic.twitter.com/9g2g1EkWBv
— Dan Jones (@itsdanjones) October 22, 2019

An estimated eight million people were affected by the bank’s outage, which resulted in some temporary branch closures and stopped the Commbank app and NetBank payments working.

Hordes of customers took to Twitter to vent their frustration, with some threatening to switch banks and even claiming they were unable to pay for fuel at the bowser or went hungry because they had no money for food.

It’s understood the $50 is being handed out as a gesture of goodwill, according to a CBA spokesperson who told the Sydney Morning Herald the payment was a “small gesture to those customers over the weekend who couldn’t access their payments, so that would be primarily those people who couldn’t get their wages on Saturday and Sunday”.

Savings.com.au has reached out to Commonwealth Bank to confirm the reports and clarify who is eligible for the $50 sum.

Scam warning

In its statement, the bank also iterated that it would not be contacting customers to ask for account details in order to process the payment.

"If a customer is approached for their account details they should not provide this and the customer should let us know by phoning our call centre or visiting us in branch," CommBank said.

We continue to experience a issue with our network this afternoon that's affecting banking services. We're very sorry for the inconvenience and are working to fix it, it's likely to be some hours before services are restored. All accounts are safe https://t.co/mqJe94qXDN
— CommBank (@CommBank) October 17, 2019

(2/2) UPDATE 2.00PM: What's not working:
- CommBank app and NetBank payments and BPAY services including PAY-ID payments;
- Cardless Cash not available;
- In-branch services;
- Some call centre services;
- CommBiz log-on and some CommBiz payments.
— CommBank (@CommBank) October 17, 2019

Favourite response to the Commbank outage. pic.twitter.com/cSbjqOvf5f
— David Sharaz (@DavidSharaz) October 17, 2019

Image by AePatt Journey on Adobe Stock

Emma Duffy

Emma Duffy is Editor at Your Investment Property Magazine, which is part of the InfoChoice Media Group. In this role, she manages a team of journalists and expert contributors committed to keeping readers informed about the latest home loan and finance news and trends, as well as providing in-depth property guides. She is also a Assistant Editor at Savings.com.au which she joined shortly after its launch in early 2019.

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The entire market was not considered in selecting the above products. Rather, a cut-down portion of the market has been considered. Some providers' products may not be available in all states. To be considered, the product and rate must be clearly published on the product provider's web site. Savings.com.au, InfoChoice.com.au, YourMortgage.com.au, YourInvestmentPropertyMag.com.au, and Performance Drive are part of the InfoChoice Group. In the interest of full disclosure, the InfoChoice Group is associated with the Firstmac Group. Read about how InfoChoice Group manages potential conflicts of interest, along how we get paid.

Savings.com.au Pty Ltd ACN 161 358 363 operates as an Australian Financial Services Licensee and an Australian Credit Licensee Number 515843. Savings.com.au is a general information provider and in giving you general product information, Savings.com.au is not making any suggestion or recommendation about any particular product and all market products may not be considered. If you decide to apply for a credit product listed on Savings.com.au, you will deal directly with a credit provider, and not with Savings.com.au. Rates and product information should be confirmed with the relevant credit provider. For more information, read Savings.com.au's Financial Services and Credit Guide (FSCG). The information provided constitutes information which is general in nature and has not taken into account any of your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. Savings.com.au may receive a fee for products displayed.

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Commonwealth Bank quietly gives away $50 to customers affected by bank outage

High Interest Savings Account (< $250k)

High Interest Savings Account (< $250k)

Savings Account (Amounts < $250k)

Savings Account (Amounts < $250k)

Save Account (<$100,000)

Save Account (<$100,000)

Savings Maximiser (<$100k)

Savings Maximiser (<$100k)

Reward Saver (< $1M)

Reward Saver (< $1M)

Goal Saver

Goal Saver

Bonus Saver Account (Amounts < $250k)

Bonus Saver Account (Amounts < $250k)

Future Saver Account ( < $50k)

Future Saver Account ( < $50k)

Boost Saver

Boost Saver

Scam warning

Emma Duffy

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Be Savings Smart.

Commonwealth Bank quietly gives away $50 to customers affected by bank outage

High Interest Savings Account (< $250k)

High Interest Savings Account (< $250k)

Savings Account (Amounts < $250k)

Savings Account (Amounts < $250k)

Save Account (<$100,000)

Save Account (<$100,000)

Savings Maximiser (<$100k)

Savings Maximiser (<$100k)

Reward Saver (< $1M)

Reward Saver (< $1M)

Goal Saver

Goal Saver

Bonus Saver Account (Amounts < $250k)

Bonus Saver Account (Amounts < $250k)

Future Saver Account ( < $50k)

Future Saver Account ( < $50k)

Boost Saver

Boost Saver

Scam warning

Emma Duffy

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