Thousands of bank customers in the UK faced a major hassle on payday as a massive payment glitch hit some of the country’s largest financial institutions, including HSBC, Barclays, Virgin Money, and Nationwide.
The glitch, which occurred on the last Friday of the month-commonly payday-left many unable to access their salaries, pay bills, or use online banking services.
(Photo : Leon Neal/Getty Images) LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 30: The HSBC logo is seen on signage outside a branch of the high-street bank on November 30, 2022 in London, England.
What Caused the Glitch
The issue stemmed from an IT problem affecting a system that handles payments between individuals and firms. The BBC reports that the Faster Payments system, a crucial component of the UK’s financial infrastructure, was particularly impacted.
This system is designed to facilitate real-time payments, usually processing transactions within seconds. However, the glitch caused delays, leaving customers unable to complete their financial transactions.
Frustrated Customers Air Concerns on Social Media
The timing of the glitch amplified the inconvenience for many customers, who vented their frustrations on social media.
Several customers expressed exasperation on Twitter, stating how the outages have occurred more frequently in recent months.
Other customers pointed out the issue of widespread branch closures, highlighting the irony of being forced online only to encounter persistent technical difficulties.
Additionally, some users revealed how the delayed wages lead to declined bills and late fees. Prompting others to call for banks to give out compensation to affected customers.
HSBC acknowledged the problem, describing it as a “separate payments issue affecting multiple banks.” The bank apologized on its X account, stating, “We’re really sorry that some customers are having issues accessing personal online and mobile banking.”
The bank has announced that the service has been restored, although several customers on social media claim otherwise.
Nationwide attributed the disruptions to a “third-party payments issue” and assured customers that their payments were being processed and would be credited to their accounts later in the day.
Barclays and Virgin Money also faced customer backlash and issued apologies for the inconvenience caused by the glitch. Barclays responded to numerous complaints on social media, acknowledging the delays and apologizing for the inconvenience.
Virgin Money addressed the incident, instructing customers, “If you have tried to send a payment from your Virgin Money account and received an error message, but it has debited your account, please do not try to make the payment again, as it is in the queue and will be processed.”
Virgin Money also confirmed that access to their mobile banking app had been fully restored and that new payments were flowing normally.
This incident is not an isolated one. Nationwide customers experienced similar issues in March, while HSBC customers suffered a 24-hour outage in November.
