Provincial Credit Union system upgrades will cause service interruptions this weekend

P.E.I.'s Provincial Credit Union will be upgrading some of their online systems, causing temporary interruptions for some services this weekend.

Credit Union C.E.O. warns Islanders to make any needed payments before Friday

Ryan McKellop · CBC News · Posted: May 07, 2025 12:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: May 7

A building is the focus of the picture. It has a black metal trim along the top of the building with tan bricks and windows underneath. There is a walking path and grass at the bottom of the picture. — The Provincial Credit Union is warning Islanders to make essential payments before Friday, May 9 to avoid interruptions in services as they upgrade their systems. (Jane Robertson/CBC)

P.E.I.-based Provincial Credit Union will be upgrading its online and mobile banking systems this weekend, causing temporary interruptions for some kinds of transactions.

Officials says the upgrades have been in the works for years, after multiple mergers led to 10 local branches across the Island with banking systems that weren't synchronized until now.

Two main areas will be affected:

The credit union's online platform will go down late Friday and won't be back online until late Sunday or early Monday.
E-transfers will be interrupted from Friday, May 9, until the following Tuesday, May 13.

Alfred Arsenault, CEO of the Provincial Credit Union, said some members were already experiencing interruptions with e-transfers on Monday.

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His advice to members: "If there are bills that you intended to pay over the weekend, it would be a really good idea to do them earlier, so prior to Friday."

Members will still be able to receive money sent by e-transfer, but the credits may not appear in their account until the upgrades are finished on Tuesday.

Most services unaffected

Other services such as ATM, debit and credit card transactions should continue to operate as usual, the CEO said.

Arsenault said that if customers need additional help or must make unscheduled payments on the weekend, they should come to the nearest branch or contact the credit union.

A blue slide showing how the new credit union app and website will look, on a smartphone and a desktop computer. — A screenshot from the video the Provincial Credit Union sent to its customers about the changes. (CBC)

"We can help them through other methods of making transfers," he said, mentioning cash and cheques as examples. "But that, again, is short-term."

Arsenault said customers won't see immediate benefits from the changes, but the upgrades will be important later on.

"Their online platform will look a lot more modern than the current one," he said, adding that they will able to view all their accounts through one sign-on, rather than multiple sign-ons.

"I think that is a major upgrade for the system, and I'm sure members will appreciate that upgrade."

All users have received new account numbers leading up to the system switchover, with old account numbers being embedded into the new ones. Previously authorized transactions, such as auto-deposit for paycheques, will continue to work with old account numbers.