I’m a Bank Teller: 7 Biggest Cash Withdrawal Mistakes I See People Make Every Day

Madeline Duley  Fri, July 26, 2024  GOBankingRates

If you have a bank account, you’re likely familiar with the process of withdrawing cash, depositing checks and handling bills. While these might seem like basic tasks, there are a few common mistakes that are easy to make when carrying out these seemingly simple financial transactions.

Find out from a bank teller if you’re making these seven common cash withdrawal mistakes — and learn how to avoid them.

Getting Bills Too Large

Although efficient and compact, large bills aren’t as versatile as you might think.

“One mistake I often see is taking out large bills to spend at local businesses, because most won’t accept them because businesses are worried about fraudulent bills,” said Haley West, head teller at Kohler Credit Union.

The usability and convenience of smaller bills are well worth the annoyance of carrying around a thicker stack of cash.

Requesting Brand New Bills

There’s nothing more appealing than fresh, crisp bills, especially when you’re giving cash as a gift. However, requesting brand-new bills might have frustrating consequences.

“A mistake members make is requesting brand new bills as they are sticky and members tend to come back thinking that we shorted them or they gave too much when they purchased because the bills were stuck together,” West said.

Neglecting To Balance Accounts

Life gets busy and it can be hard to stay on top of account balances. An easy mistake to make is withdrawing cash from an account with inadequate funds.

“A staggering 19% of all payments in 2020 were cash transactions,” said Oliver Brifman, business insurance and financial services expert at eMerchant Authority. “Yet, many customers withdraw without checking their balance, leading to overdraft fees. Always check your balance before a withdrawal to avoid the plunge into overdraft territory.”

Rushing

When you are in a rush or distracted, it’s easy to make mistakes.

“Based on my time as a bank teller, I learned firsthand how easily little mistakes can happen with cash transactions if you’re not careful,” said Steven Kibbel, former bank teller and now a Certified Financial Planner and financial advisor at Prop Firm App. “When people are rushed or distracted, they often make the mistake of miscounting bills, mixing up denominations or neglecting to double-check important details on checks.”

Save yourself the headache later by double-checking your accounts, counting your cash and remembering to breathe.

Forgetting ID

Surprisingly, the most common mistake people make when withdrawing cash is a very simple one: forgetting their ID.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/m-bank-teller-7-biggest-160040491.html