Commonwealth Bank outage blocking customers' access to cards, app and internet banking

Commonwealth networks are down on 6 July 2020. Image source: Olga Kashubin, Shutterstock.

Customers of Australia’s largest bank are currently unable to access some banking services or make payments using their debit or credit card.

Commonwealth Bank announced to customers around lunchtime today that it was aware of some customers having issues viewing cards and loans in Netbank and the CommBank app, as well as making payments.

The bank has not provided an explanation for the unplanned tech outage at this stage, which has left some customers furious and unable to pay their mechanic, buy essential medication, pay for parking or petrol.

“I’ve been left stranded at three shops today because of this,” one customer said on X. “Couldn’t pay for [the] weekly shop for my family, couldn’t get petrol, couldn’t even pay for my [doctor] appointment.”

Getting this error after logging in pic.twitter.com/9GPUb68ezN

— Martin Walsh 🇺🇦 (@martinwalsh) July 6, 2020

According to CBA’s latest update at 5.15pm AEST, customers can use ATM withdrawals to access cash, but may still experience issues with:

Viewing accounts and statements for some home loan, credit card, transaction and savings accounts in the CommBank app and NetBank
Using Cardless Cash
Making some transfers and payments in the CommBank app and NetBank
Credit card cash advances may not be available

CBA said on X that customers with a debit card or a credit card linked to their transaction account could continue to make EFTPOS payments by following these steps:

Insert the card into the EFTPOS device
Select either Savings or Cheque
Enter your PIN code

Customers of the bank can view the latest updates on the outage issue on the CommBank X page or its incidents page on the CBA website.

Follow Canstar on Facebook and X for regular financial updates.

Ellie McLachlan

Former Content Lead

Ellie McLachlan is the former Content Lead at Canstar, helping to shape and deliver the content strategy. She specialises in covering mortgage and everday money topics and breaking finance news. An experienced journalist, Ellie has made her mark working in digital, broadcast and print media, serving in positions such as Editor at News Corp Australia's Compare Money and also News.com.au's Best Of Money, as Story Strategy Coach at the Australian Conservation Foundation, as a lifestyle reporter at The Urban List, The Courier Mail and The Sunshine Coast Daily, as well as radio presenter at 4ZZZ. While at Canstar, Ellie has written well over 500 finance articles and her work is regularly referenced by other publishers, including Business Insider, The Motley Fool and The New Daily. Her expert financial commentary has been featured in publications such as Yahoo Finance and the Herald Sun. Ellie studied a Bachelor of Journalism and Arts (Peace and Conflict Studies) at the University of Queensland. Follow Ellie on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Canstar on Facebook. Meet the Canstar Editorial Team.