Barclays has announced that it has resolved the “technical issue” that caused widespread disruptions to payments and transactions over the weekend, although some customers are still waiting for their account balances to be updated.
The issue, which began on Friday, caused significant frustration for customers who reported difficulties with mobile and online banking, as well as problems making essential payments. The bank clarified that the problem was not linked to a cyber attack, but has not yet provided details on the cause or the number of customers affected.
On Sunday, a Barclays spokesperson apologized for the disruption, stating that delayed payments had been processed, and that the bank was still working to address any remaining issues. “We are very sorry for any disruption and will ensure that no impacted customer is left out of pocket,” they said. The bank also reassured customers that account balances would be updated by the end of Sunday and that its services had returned to normal.
Despite these assurances, many customers were still experiencing problems. Reports on outage tracking website DownDetector showed that hundreds of people were still facing issues, particularly with mobile and online banking. Some customers also took to social media to express frustration, with many asking for compensation.
Dave, a 69-year-old from Plymouth, told the BBC that his automatic money transfers had failed, leaving him overdrawn and unable to pay a card bill. “Currently, there’s not enough in my current account to pay a card bill tomorrow, all because of this issue,” he said. Another customer reported that none of their scheduled payments had been processed and that a £500 receipt was missing.
Michaela, 38, from Sheffield, criticized Barclays for its poor communication during the outage. “I eventually received my late payment but I still can’t use my debit card,” she said. “Communication from Barclays has been non-existent until yesterday, a pop-up in the app saying sorry and not to try and send payments more than once if an error message comes up.”
Barclays, one of the UK’s largest banks with over 20 million retail customers, faced an especially difficult situation on Friday, which was payday for many people in the UK and the deadline for self-assessment tax returns. Some customers reported being unable to make their payments to HMRC. In response, HMRC confirmed that issues stemming from the Barclays outage would not result in late payment penalties, as these would not apply until March 1.
As the bank worked to resolve the technical problems, it also advised customers who were facing financial difficulties to reach out to friends, family, or food banks for support. Barclays posted a link to the Trussell Trust, a national charity that runs food banks, for those struggling to access their money.
The disruption left some customers, like Emily from Exeter, in particularly difficult situations. “I’m effectively homeless with my two children and two cats,” she said. “My removal van is abandoned with everything I have in it.” Emily, a single mother, described the experience as “indescribable” after being unable to access her account, preventing her from moving into her new home.
Barclays has pledged to continue providing support and to contact vulnerable customers proactively as it resolves any outstanding issues.
