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Plan for money when banks and cards stop

Card terminals and ATMs need power and networks. Keep a modest cash reserve and know how your community could trade if cash runs short.

How

1. Ready.gov suggests keeping a small amount of cash at home in a safe place, including small notes, because ATMs and cards may not work.
2. FEMA's Emergency Financial First Aid Kit says to base the amount on your household's basic daily needs.
3. Keep cash in the secure storage plan (see the secure module), not all in one place.
4. Print recent statements and account details so you can prove what you own once systems return (FEMA EFFAK).
5. Barter and community exchange: in long outages neighbours may swap goods, skills and labour. If your community chooses this, agree simple fair rules in advance, record exchanges and follow local law. This platform describes the practice neutrally and gives no financial or investment advice.
6. Skills are tradeable too: repair, sewing, medical care, mechanics and food preservation.

Sources

1. Financial preparedness. Ready.gov (FEMA), accessed 2026-11
2. Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (large print toolkit). FEMA, accessed 2026-11

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