# Bank Machine - Are They Perfect?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-machine-are-they-perfect/324177>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 30, 2005, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-machine-are-they-perfect/324177 "2005-09-30T09:50:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-machine-are-they-perfect/324177/41 "2005-10-04T00:43:40Z")

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> [@Speaker for the Dead](#):
>
> All over Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (and, as far as I know, the rest of the province) there are machines that only dispense twenty dollar bills. In fact, I’ve never seen a machine that did anything else.

The Royal Bank used to dispense $5s and $20s. They stopped, I think, about ten years or so ago and went to only $20s.

When I in Victoria a couple of weeks ago, I was somewhat surprised when the Bank of Montreal ATM dispensed $50s.

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-machine-are-they-perfect/324177/42 "2005-10-04T04:29:32Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> I suppose it’s possible that it might short you and over the next person and this might net out to zero, but that seems rather unlikely.

No, actually, this is one of the most common scenerios when an ATM malfunctions. A bill gets stuck inside the machine, so the first customer is shorted. Then the bills for the next customer push that stuck bill out, and the second customer gets an extra bill.

With the records, the bank can almost always tell who got shorted, and will credit their account. (Sometimes all on their own, without even waiting for the customer to call in to complain.) They also know who got the extra bill, but usually don’t bother to go after them for it. Not worth the time, trouble, and possible bad publicity involved for $20.

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**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-machine-are-they-perfect/324177/43 "2005-10-04T16:00:39Z")

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> [@PastAllReason](#):
>
> The Royal Bank used to dispense $5s and $20s. They stopped, I think, about ten years or so ago and went to only $20s.
> 
> When I in Victoria a couple of weeks ago, I was somewhat surprised when the Bank of Montreal ATM dispensed $50s.

That would explain why I don’t know about it, since I was 13 five years ago and (obviously) 8 a decade ago. I’ve only been withdrawing cash regularly for a couple of years.

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