Barclays customers are facing a second day of issues after a major IT outage hit the bank’s online and mobile services. The problems began on Friday, coinciding with payday for many in the UK and the self-assessment tax return deadline. Customers have reported being unable to make essential transactions, from buying baby milk to completing house moves.
Barclays has assured that cards and cash machines can be used as normal, but some customers have still faced difficulties. A Barclays spokesperson said the bank is “working hard to fix the issue” and will “ensure that no impacted customer is left out of pocket.” However, the bank has not yet explained the cause of the problems or disclosed how many people are affected. On Saturday afternoon, Barclays’ website indicated that issues persisted with its app and warned customers may face problems making and receiving payments.
It also noted that in-branch assistance might be limited due to the ongoing situation. Diane Forrest from Teddington, London, was unable to complete a house sale on Friday due to the outage. She ended up spending the weekend in a hotel, incurring extra costs.
barclays customers face second day
Businessman Tim Horner from Petworth, West Sussex, said he has been unable to pay his staff or HMRC, resulting in significant losses for his online store. Ruth, a self-employed cleaner, described struggling to access savings for essential purchases like baby milk and food for the children she is caring for.
Emily from Exeter explained how she had spent the weekend on a friend’s sofa with her two children and cats after being unable to move into her new house on Friday. Barclays is one of the UK’s largest banks, processing over 40% of the country’s credit and debit transactions. More than 4,000 issues were reported with Barclays on Saturday morning, more than double the number from Friday.
The bank has extended call centre hours over the weekend and is proactively contacting potentially vulnerable customers. It acknowledged the ongoing technical issues and advised against attempting repeated payments. HMRC stated it is “working closely” with Barclays to minimise impact and noted that penalties for late tax payments will not apply until March 1.
Barclays has warned customers to “be vigilant” as fraudsters may try to exploit the situation by sending fake messages pretending to be the bank.