Bank app or card not working? What to do in a bank outage

How common are bank outages?

More common than most of us notice. In March 2025, MPs on the Treasury Committee published figures from nine big UK banks and building societies. Reuters reported that, between January 2023 and February 2025, they had:

• at least 158 IT failure incidents;
• at least 803 hours of unplanned outages, more than 33 days in total.

The banks with the most incidents in that period were Barclays (33), HSBC (32) and Santander UK (32), according to the same report. Those figures left out some outages in early 2025.

The FCA says outages can cause wide harm, such as people being unable to get into their accounts or pay bills. Since 31 March 2025, firms covered by its rules have had to be able to keep their important services within set limits for disruption. That should reduce long outages; it doesn't stop them.

Is it the bank, or is it you?

1. Check the bank's own website or official social media. Banks usually post service updates there.
2. Try another route: the app on Wi-Fi and on mobile data, online banking on a computer, or the phone number on the back of your card.
3. Restart the app or phone. If it still fails and others report the same thing, it's probably the bank.

Never use a link in a text, email or social media message to "check your account" during an outage. See the scam section below.

Paying for things in the meantime

• A second card, ideally with a different bank. If one bank is down, the other usually isn't.
• Cash. GOV.UK's Be Ready campaign suggests keeping a small amount of cash for essential purchases in case electronic payments or cash machines are disrupted. Our cash post covers how much and where to keep it.
• Contactless on your phone may still work even when the bank's app doesn't, and sometimes the opposite. Try both.
• Bills due today: if a direct debit or payment might fail, contact the company you're paying and tell them. Keep a note of who you spoke to.

Watch out for outage scams

Fraudsters follow the news. During an outage you may get texts, calls or emails "from your bank" asking you to confirm details, move money to a "safe account" or click a link. (General advice; the reporting details below are from the NCSC.)

• Don't click links or call numbers in these messages.
• Forward scam texts to 7726 (free). The NCSC says your mobile provider can then investigate and block the sender.
• If you've lost money or been hacked: report it at Report Fraud or call 0300 123 2040 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101. Then call your bank on the number on your card.

Afterwards: complain and claim your costs

The Financial Ombudsman Service has a page on bank outages and IT failures. It says:

1. Tell your bank what happened to you because of the IT problem, and what you want it to do or cover.
2. Gather evidence: statements, bills, and receipts for extra costs, plus emails showing how it affected you. Examples it gives include wages arriving late and being charged for going overdrawn.
3. Time limits: for complaints about card payments or direct debits, the business must reply within 15 days, with a full answer within 35 days. Other complaints get up to 8 weeks.
4. If you're still unhappy, go to the Financial Ombudsman. The FCA says it's a free, independent service.

If the bank has treated you unfairly, the Ombudsman says it may tell the bank to refund extra costs you had to pay because of the outage, and to pay compensation for distress or inconvenience.

Get ready for the next one (10 minutes)

1. Have two ways to pay from two different banks, if you can.
2. Keep a small amount of cash at home, in small notes and coins. Our emergency cash calculator helps you decide how much.
3. Write down your bank's phone number on paper, with your other important numbers. Keep it with copies of key documents.
4. Turn on two-step login for your banking and email. Our household cyber security guide explains how.

If an outage comes with a power cut or a wider cyber attack, see our post on what a cyber attack on banks or the power would mean at home.

What we couldn't check

• The Treasury Committee's own page blocked our checks, so the figures come from a Reuters report of the Committee's data (10 March 2025).
• There's no official live "bank outage" checker. Third-party outage sites rely on user reports, so we haven't recommended one.
• The FCA's 31 March 2025 date applies to firms within the scope of its operational resilience rules, not every payment company.

Related guides

• How much cash should I keep at home?
• Household cyber security: the official steps, in plain English
• Long blackout or cyber attack: keeping your household going
• Keeping household documents safe and to hand

Free tools

• Emergency cash calculator
• Make a household emergency plan

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

More from the blog