New Swiss 100-franc banknote blocks certain ATMs

The new CHF100 banknote was issued on September 12, but it has not gone totally smoothly. Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

The new CHF100 ($100) banknote, which went into circulation last month, has blocked bank ATMs in half a dozen German-speaking Swiss cantons. 

Bank machines belonging to the PostFinance bank do not seem to like the new blue CHF100 note, which was officially launched on September 12.

“Recently, practically every time I try to withdraw money, the PostFinance ATM is not working,” a reader commented on the 20Minuten news website.

PostFinance spokesperson Johannes Möri confirmed that the new banknote was causing problems. 

“The new notes stick together and block when they are issued,” he told 20Minuten on Tuesday.

The issue appears to mainly affect German-speaking regions, with problems reported in cantons Bern, Solothurn, Aargau, Basel City, Lucerne and Zug. 

One particular kind of ATM is said to be behind the problem, but the full extent is unclear. Urgent solutions are being sought at PostFinance, 20Minuten wrote.

Möri assured customers that if there is a problem and the notes are not issued, the amount is not debited from a bank account.

Meanwhile, other banks like the Zurich Cantonal Bank and UBS have not reported any problems with the new CHF100 note, 20Minuten added.

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) said the note’s compatibility with existing ATMs had been well studied prior to their issue. 

“But despite in-depth tests and positive results, it remains possible that in practice, certain machines have not been optimised correctly and must be adjusted,” a spokesman for SNB said.