London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 15, 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
Italian Speed Camera Issues Nearly 32,000 Fines in 10 Weeks, Worth More Than €3 Million
Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Days After Resigning Amid Plagiarism Row
US Appeals Court Rules AI Agent's Website Actions Are Legally Attributed to the User
France's Constitutional Council Blocks Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Liechtenstein Changes Royal Succession Rules to Allow Women to Inherit the Throne
Women Allege Rape and Sexual Abuse at British Army College for Teenage Recruits
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
Wildfires Surge Across England and Wales as Fire Chiefs Report Record July
UK Nurses Warn of Heat Risks as Hospital Staff Struggle With Extreme Temperatures
Southern Water Seeks Drought Order for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amid Water Shortages
UK Heatwave Pushes West London Temperature to 38.1 Degrees as Health Alerts Continue
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Global Uncertainty
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
UK Residents Gather to Watch Rare Partial Solar Eclipse
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Faces Criticism Over Legal Threat Against Guardian Journalist
Michael Forsyth Elected Speaker of the House of Lords
Cambridge Researchers Launch £20 Million Human Organoid Drug Testing Programme
Heathrow Loses European Passenger Traffic Lead to Istanbul Airport
Households Near New UK Electricity Pylons to Receive £250 Annual Energy Bill Discount
UK Government Estimates Zero-Hours Contract Ban Could Cost Employers Up to £3 Billion a Year
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
UK Police Chiefs Urge Government to Block Early Release of Andrew Harper Killers
UK Government Holds Emergency Cobra Meeting as Drought and Heatwave Raise Wildfire Risks
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Donald Trump Warns FIFA Against Ousting Gianni Infantino Amid Revolt by Global Football Leaders
Jeff Bezos Joins Investor Group Closing In on $6 Billion Liverpool FC Stake
Police Conduct Cross-Border Raids Against Northern England Drug Network
Nicola Sturgeon Protested at Edinburgh Festival Fringe Event
Major UK Retail Chain Enters Administration With One Hundred Fifty-Four Stores Set to Close
Heathrow Renews Call for Runway Expansion After Losing Europe’s Busiest Airport Ranking
Government Condemns One Million Pound Thames Water Executive Bonus Amid Drought
NHS England Says More Than One Hundred Thousand Hepatitis C Patients Have Been Cured
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Calls for End to West Bank Settler Violence
UK Prepares for Deepest Partial Solar Eclipse Since Nineteen Ninety-Nine
UK Heatwave Triggers Amber Health Alerts as Economic Losses Reach Four Point Four Billion Pounds
UK Offers Electricity Bill Discounts to Communities Hosting New Power Infrastructure
×