Barclays customers are experiencing intermittent errors with payments and transfers for a second day after serious IT problems that also affected the bank’s app and online banking.
Customers have told the BBC they are unable to make essential transactions, ranging from buying baby milk to completing a house move.
Barclays said on Saturday that cards and cash machines could be used as normal – though some customers have said this is not the case.
A Barclays spokesperson said the bank is “working hard to fix the issue” and that it will “ensure that no impacted customer is left out of pocket”.
The outage began on Friday, which was pay day for many people in the UK, and the deadline for self-assessment tax returns.
Barclays has not explained the cause of the IT problems or how many people are affected.
On Saturday afternoon, Barclays’ website indicated that problems persisted with its app, and warned that customers may face issues making and receiving payments.
The website also told customers that the bank may not be able to assist with all queries in branches “due to issues we’re facing”.
It warned customers on its website to “be vigilant” during the outage because “fraudsters often use times like this to send messages pretending to be Barclays”.
Barclays is one of the UK’s largest banks, with over 20 million UK retail customers. It says it processes over 40% of the UK’s credit and debit card transactions.
Website downdetector, which monitors outages, says thousands of people have flagged problemsat the bank. On Saturday morning, it showed more than 4,000 issues had been reported with Barclays, more than double the number reported on Friday.
Tax return anxiety
Friday was the deadline for self-assessment tax returns, and some customers have said the outage has left them unable to make payments to HMRC.
Earlier on Friday, HMRC warned that millions of people have still not filed their self-assessment tax returns, and warned of £100 fines for those who did not meet the deadline.
However, in statement to the BBC, HMRC said it was “working closely” with Barclays to minimise any impact on customers filing their self-assessments.
A spokesperson added: “Our services are working as normal, so customers will be able to file their returns on time.
HMRC added that Barclays issues “will not result in late payment penalties as they don’t apply until 1st March”.
In a statement, Barclays said: “We’re in direct contact with HMRC and they are aware of the technical issues with our system.”
It added: “We will ensure that no customer is left out of pocket because of delayed payments caused by this incident.”
Outage after outage
It is not the first time banking app customers have been left unable to access funds or make payments.
PayPal suffered a brief but notable outage in November that impacted customers globally across a number of its products, and thousands of UK bank customers experienced payment problems in June 2024, with the affected banks including HSBC, Nationwide, Barclays, and Virgin Money.
A Barclays spokesperson said the bank was “incredibly sorry for the ongoing technical issues” affecting customers’ accounts.
“Some may see an outdated balance, and payments made or received may not show,” they said.
“We’re working hard to fix this issue, and customers should not try to make the payment again.”
“Customers can use their cards and withdraw cash, and as soon as these remaining issues are resolved, we’ll let our customers know,” the spokesperson added.
By BBC News
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