Barclays customers face second day of issues after major IT outage

Barclays Bank customers experienced intermittent payment and transfer errors for the second consecutive day, following significant IT issues with the bank's app and online banking. Customers reported to the BBC that they were unable to conduct basic transactions, impacting everything from buying baby formula to completing house moves.

Barclays stated on Saturday that bank cards and ATMs were functioning correctly, although some customers reported this was not the case. A spokesperson for Barclays said the bank was "working hard to resolve the issues" and would "ensure that no customer is left out of pocket as a result." The outage began on Friday, which was payday for many in the UK and the deadline for self-assessment tax returns.

Barclays has not explained the cause of the IT issues or how many people have been affected. On Saturday afternoon, Barclays' website indicated that there were still problems with its app, warning customers that they may encounter issues making and receiving payments. The website also informed customers that the bank may not be able to assist with all queries in all branches due to "the issues we are experiencing". It warned customers to "remain vigilant" during the downtime as "scammers often take advantage of these times to send out messages impersonating Barclays."

Many frustrated customers tried to contact Barclays support via social media, with some of the bank's responses drawing criticism. On X, the bank apologized to many but also advised some customers who were struggling to access funds to seek help from friends and family and to contact food banks. Diane Forrest, a Barclays customer from Teddington in London, said she was due to complete the sale of her house on Friday. "I was sitting outside my new house with all my stuff in the removal truck for over four hours and there was no other solution," she told the BBC.

The 61-year-old said she stayed in a hotel over the weekend and was "facing thousands of pounds in extra costs" and that "if the move continues on Monday, there are no friends to help with the move." Tim Horner, a businessman from Petworth in West Sussex, said on Saturday that he had been unable to pay his staff or HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). He told the BBC that many people had tried to pay on his e-commerce platform, but their payments were "declined". Mr. Horner said: "I've lost thousands of pounds as my online shop can't receive payments because we have a Barclays account."

Ruth, a 39-year-old self-employed cleaner, told BBC News that she and her partner had been trying for hours to get money from their savings account to buy milk for their baby and food for the other five children she cares for at home. "We need money to go shopping, and all our money is in savings," she explained. "I've got my 11-month-old granddaughter here, and I've got a 1, 2, 12, 13, and 15-year-old at home." She said she had received some help from her teenage daughter, but said there were probably "many single mums in the same situation who can't access funds."

Emily from Exeter told the BBC that she was unable to move into her new house on Friday, so she was spending the weekend on a friend's sofa. "I am effectively homeless with my two children and two cats," she said, adding that her children were staying with family. "My removal van is abandoned with all my things in it," the 44-year-old said. "My money is nowhere to be seen. My cats are covered in faeces from being in their cages for hours." "I'm a single mum who's worked so hard for this, and to be homeless is just indescribable."

Barclays is one of the largest banks in the UK, with more than 20 million retail customers in the country. It says it processes more than 40% of the UK’s credit and debit card transactions. Downdetector, a website that monitors outages, said that thousands of people had reported problems with the bank. On Saturday morning, the site showed that more than 4,000 issues had been reported with Barclays, more than double the number reported on Friday.

Friday was the deadline for self-assessment tax returns, and some customers said the outage had prevented them from making payments to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Earlier on Friday, HMRC had warned that millions of people had still not submitted their self-assessment tax returns, and warned that those who failed to submit by the deadline would face a £100 fine. However, in a statement to the BBC, HMRC said it was "working closely" with Barclays to minimize the impact on customers submitting their self-assessment.

A spokesperson added: "Our services are operating as normal, so customers will be able to submit their returns on time." HMRC added that the Barclays issues "will not result in late payment penalties, as penalties do not apply until 1 March." Barclays said in a statement: "We are in direct contact with HMRC, who are aware of the technical issues with our systems." It added: "We will ensure that no customer will be out of pocket because of a late payment caused by this incident."

This is not the first time that customers of banking apps have been unable to access funds or make payments. PayPal experienced a brief but significant outage in November that affected many of its products for customers globally, and in June 2024, thousands of UK bank customers also experienced payment issues, with affected banks including HSBC, Nationwide, Barclays and Virgin Money. A spokesperson for Barclays said the bank was "very sorry" for the "ongoing technical issues" affecting customer accounts.

"Some people may be seeing out-of-date balances and payments that have been made or received may not be showing," they said. "We are working to fix this, and customers should not attempt to make payments again." "Customers can use their bank cards and withdraw cash, and we will update our customers once these remaining issues have been resolved," the spokesperson added. They said Barclays would extend the opening hours of its call centers on Saturday and Sunday and would "proactively contact customers who may be vulnerable."