London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Apr 18, 2025

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
U.S. State Department Raises El Salvador’s Safety Ranking, Making It Safer Than France and Other European Nations
UK Government Assumes Control of British Steel's Scunthorpe Plant Amid Shutdown Threat
UK MP Wera Hobhouse Denied Entry to Hong Kong During Family Visit
Bangladesh Issues Arrest Warrant for UK MP Tulip Siddiq
China Urges United States to Cancel Tariffs Amid Escalating Trade Tensions
The Empire’s USD Pyramid Scheme Is Working Brilliantly—So Why ‘Fix’ It?
China Raises Tariffs on U.S. Goods to 125% Amid Escalating Trade Dispute
Elon Musk Reports $150 Billion in Projected Government Savings Amid Fraud Investigations
U.S. and Panama Finalize Defense Agreements Amid Canal Access and Chinese Influence Concerns
China Stands Firm Amidst Trade Disputes with the US: A Factual Analysis
U.S. Tariff Escalation Sparks Global Trade Tensions
Helicopter crashes in NYC with four people on board.
Australia Dismisses China's Suggestion to Collaborate Against US Tariffs
EU Postpones Response to US Tariffs
The Trump Administration is contemplating removing Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges.
Violent Incidents and Public Safety Concerns Escalate in London and County Durham
UK MP Arrested on Suspicion of Rape and Child Sex Offences
UK Gears Up to Respond to US Tariffs with Industrial Strategies and Trade Initiatives
‘Rocky’ star Dolph Lundgren and his wife Emma Krokdal bask in the Miami sunshine following the actor’s lengthy health struggles.
Spain Encounters Countrywide Protests as Housing Crisis Intensifies
Alisha Lehmann's Modeling Campaign and Public Controversy Stir Debate Ahead of UEFA Women's Euro
U.S. Firms with Major International Revenue Exposure in Light of New Tariffs
President Trump Calls on the Federal Reserve to Reduce Interest Rates in Light of New Tariffs
President Trump Prolongs TikTok Sale Deadline by 75 Days
Global Markets Dive Amid Rising U.S.-China Trade Conflicts
British comedian Russell Brand faces charges of rape and several sexual assaults.
Kanye West Reveals in a New Song That His Wife Bianca Censori Has Departed from Him
Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme Accused of Having Sex with Human Trafficking Victims
Tom Cruise Pays Tribute to Val Kilmer at CinemaCon
Europe Pursues Digital Autonomy Amidst Transatlantic Strains
OpenAI Lands Unprecedented $40 Billion Funding.
Charity Chairwoman Accuses Prince Harry of Bullying and Harassment
DOGE revealed that USAID provided $84 million to the Clinton Foundation. Of this amount, $3 million was spent on Chelsea Clinton's wedding, and $10 million was used to acquire a lavish mansion.
The State Department has announced the formal closure of USAID.
Apple's Innovation Deficit: Falling Behind in AI and Foldable Technology as Chinese Developments Progress
President Trump Proposes Military Intervention to Obtain Greenland
Passenger Taken into Custody After Engaging in Masturbation on SWISS Air Flight
Barcelona player Dani Alves found not guilty of rape accusations.
PUTIN'S LIMOUSINE DETONATES—SECURITY CHAOS ENSUES
French Foreign Ministry Denounces U.S. Interference in Corporate Diversity Initiatives
Copyright Issues Emerge as AI-Generated Studio Ghibli Images Gain Popularity
This is what we refer to as CREATIVITY.
Removing the Political Opponent Means Dismissing the Remnants of Turkey's Economy.
Malaysia Strengthens Semiconductor Regulations in Response to U.S. Pressure to Restrict AI NVIDIA Chip Exports to China.
OpenAI Launches New Image Generation Tool for ChatGPT
Ex-FIFA President and French Football Icon Acquitted of Corruption Allegations
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz Under Investigation After Journalist Added to Secret Military Chat
Ex-Business Partner of Hunter Biden Discusses Possible Pardon from President Trump
U.S. Attorney General Announces Task Force to Prosecute Government Fraud
American Brands Face Consumer Boycott in Europe Amid Escalating Trade and Political Tensions
×