London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 05, 2026

Santander banking services working again after day of technical problems

Santander banking services working again after day of technical problems

Santander has said all of its services are now working as normal, after widespread problems left customers unable to access their money.

For much of Saturday, a technical problem affected Santander's services

On Saturday the bank's online banking and app stopped working and there were also issues in branches and with cards, cash machines and telephone banking.

Customers called it a "nightmare", with people unable to pay for petrol to get to work and payments being rejected.

The bank apologised and promised "no one will be out of pocket".

The problems began on Saturday morning and lasted much of the day until about 21:15 BST when Santander tweeted that all of its services were running again as normal.

However, some customers replied to Santander's tweet saying they were still having problems - including the app still not working, transactions not showing or being unable to use cards online.

"We are very sorry for the inconvenience you've experienced today," said the bank, which has 14 million active UK customers.

"If you need help, some of our branches will be open on Sunday from 10am to 12pm. We'll publish a list of these tomorrow."

Earlier, the bank said it will share details on its website and social media channels from Monday about how impacted customers can make a claim.

'An absolute nightmare'


The problems on Saturday left many people stuck in difficulty after they were unable to make payments.

One customer, Marcus Evans from Aberdare in south Wales, told the BBC he had lost a day's wages as he could not buy petrol to travel to his job as a CCTV operator.

"It's been an absolute nightmare," said the former member of the Armed Forces, who also said he could not do his weekly shop. "It's ridiculous.

"I get my military pension and my wages paid into a Co-operative savings account and I transfer money on a weekly basis into my Santander account."

Mr Evans said Santander "should have things in place to ensure that this doesn't happen"

Samantha Stewart said she had travelled all the way from her rural home in Argyll to the mainland to go shopping with her mother, when she realised she could not access her money.

"It wasn't until I was in the first store that I'd tried to log on," she said. "I was wanting to transfer money from savings over to my account because I was planning to do quite a big shop.

"Essentially I was left with £27 in my account. I had to decide whether to chance it with Apple Pay, knowing that it would take me into unarranged overdraft, or to go home."

Meanwhile, Stephen Curtis, 58, from Gloucester, said he was "definitely leaving the bank" after the problems.

'Unforgivable'


He said he was in a car showroom trying to buy a new car when his card was declined. "It was so embarrassing," he said.

"This is unforgivable. I work in IT, I know about systems, I know about backups and upgrades. To have this happen, I would get the sack if it happened in my job."

Another customer, Jason Crossland, from Rotherham, told the BBC he became stuck in an outlet shopping centre with his children, unable to buy enough petrol to get home.

The head of money at consumer magazine Which? said the technical issues would have left many customers stressed.

"Customers can incur fines, penalties and fees when they're not able to access their finances, so the bank must offer compensation to all those who have been impacted in this way," said Gareth Shaw.

On Saturday evening, shortly before the problem was fixed, the UK's financial watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority, said it was aware of the issue and in contact with the firm.

It is not yet clear what caused the problem. Planned maintenance had been due to be performed on the Santander mobile banking app overnight on Friday.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
BT Accused of Pressuring Vulnerable Customers During Digital Landline Shift
British Carmakers Warn of Growing Pressure From EU-China Tariff Dispute
Green Party of England and Wales Adopts Motion Defining Zionism as Racism
Medical Charity Threatens NHS Legal Action Over Two-Year Autism and ADHD Assessment Waits
British Transport Police Report Record Rise in Violence on Railways
Glasgow Council Workers Face Pay Cuts Under Fire-and-Rehire Plan
British Medical Groups Press Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Cancel £330 Million Palantir NHS Contract
UK Faces Record Bluetongue Outbreak Across Livestock Farms
UK Schools Report Thousands of Child-on-Child Sexual Offences
High Court Overturns Ban Blocking Gaza Families From Reuniting With Relatives in UK
G7 Authorizes Emergency Fuel Release as UK Diesel Prices Hit £2 a Litre
France and Italy Draw 1-1 in Nations League Match
Pope Leo XIV and Prince Albert II of Monaco Meet in Metz
SNCF Expands Low-Cost Ouigo High-Speed Service Between Lyon and Bordeaux
Paris Expands Dedicated Cargo Bike Routes for Urban Deliveries
French Film Industry Pushes for Tighter Streaming Investment Rules
Marseille Court Hands Down Prison Terms in Public Procurement Corruption Case
LVMH and Kering Rely on US Demand as Chinese Luxury Spending Slows
Toulouse Aerospace Sector Launches €80 Million Modernization Fund
Javier Milei Courts French Investment in LNG and Lithium
Mistral AI Launches Sovereign Model for European Public Services
French Competition Authority Fines Retailers €40 Million Over Misleading Promotions
France Records Exceptional Electricity Exports as Nuclear Output Recovers
Dassault Aviation Expands Rafale Assembly Capacity at Mérignac
Sanofi Invests €1 Billion in New Biologics Production Hub Near Lyon
France Protests Germany’s Extension of Border Controls Into 2027
French Public-Sector and Transport Unions Threaten National Strike
France Deploys Riot Police After Violence in Lyon Suburbs
French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutors Investigate Radicalized Flydubai Co-Pilot
France’s Defense Budget Surpasses NATO’s 2% of GDP Target
French Government Faces No-Confidence Threat Over Budget
France and G7 Release 100 Million Barrels From Strategic Oil Reserves
France Convenes Emergency Defense Council Over Threats to Commercial Shipping
France and Germany Coordinate Military Response After Russian Strikes on Kyiv Infrastructure
UK Police Release Six Iranian Nationals on Bail After RAF Fairford Security Alert
UK Business Confidence Falls as Energy Costs and Tax Uncertainty Rise
Cornwall Insight Warns UK Energy Bills Could Rise 16% in January
UK Introduces Zero VAT on Household Electricity Bills
UK 30-Year Gilt Yield Hits 6% as Bond Market Pressures Intensify
UK Introduces Stricter Subcontractor Checks and Expanded Trade Union Access
Green Party Proposes Three-Year Emergency Freeze on Private Rent Increases
UK Treasury Committee Seeks Tax Clarification Over Manchester City Investigation
Royal Marines Deploy to Faroe Islands for Northern European Security Exercise
UK Business Confidence Weakens as High Costs Delay Investment
UK GDP Growth Revised Up to 0.5% in Second Quarter
Bank of England Warns of Financial Stability Risks From Autonomous AI
UK Expands Early Prisoner Release Scheme to Ease Overcrowding
UK Records Worst Bluetongue Outbreak on Record Across Livestock Farms
UK Government Faces Shrinking Fiscal Headroom Ahead of October 28 Budget
UK 30-Year Gilt Yield Reaches 6% as Energy Shock Drives Borrowing Costs Higher
×