Lloyds, TSB, First Direct, Halifax, Nationwide and the Bank of Scotland have all reported issues on Friday, February 28, 2025, with the banks acknowledging problems with their online and mobile banking apps.
The timing of this couldn't be worse, as the day happend to be payday for a lot of people in the UK.
The problems started at around 7.40am GMT, when notable spikes appeared on Downdetector for Lloyds Bank, Halifax, TSB, Nationwide and First Direct. Most of the problems are related to mobile banking, with some unable to log into apps and others (most notably with Nationwide) reporting problems with payments.
Fortunately, the number of reported issues has dropped relatively quickly for most banks, with Nationwide being the last to get its services back up and running. But now all those problems have been solved.
However, this clutch of incidents indicates a mix of problems, from infrastructure that may not be hugely robust, to a lack of physical bank branches on high streets and an over-reliance on digital services.
It's also particularly problematic at a time when the cost of living has rocketed and people are seemingly evermore reliant on getting their monthly pay on time. If you've been affected do let us know.
And read on for a blow-by-blow account of what happened on a black Friday for banking...
The latest news
- A major mobile and internet banking outage has hit six major UK banks
- Lloyds, TSB, First Direct, Halifax, Nationwide and Bank of Scotland all affected
- Halifax and First Direct says their services are now working normally, problems continue at others
Not a great morning for banking apps...
If you're having trouble with your mobile and internet banking this morning, you're not alone. Downdetector has shown big spikes of reported issues for Lloyds, Halifax, TSB, Nationwide, First Direct and the Bank of Scotland.
Most of the reported issues are related to mobile and internet banking, with struggling to log into their accounts or getting error messages when trying to transfer money. The problems vary slightly between banks, so we'll dig into what each is saying about their specific issues now.
Lloyds acknowledges problems
Lloyds has been the worst hit by today's mobile banking problems, according to Downdector at least – there were over 3,600 reports at 8.20am GMT, although this has since plummeted fortunately.
When trying to log into the app, some of the TechRadar team went from a generic error message to an apology message to a spinning wheel. Lloyds acknowledged the continued issues with the post on X (formerly Twitter) below at 9.37am GMT.
We know some of our customers are having issues logging on to online banking and our app. We're sorry for this and we're working to have everything back to normal.February 28, 2025
Naturally Halifax is having similar problems
Halifax and Bank of Scotland are both a part of the Lloyds Banking Group, which means they've all been affected by similar technical issues.
Fortunately, the spikes in reported problems – which peaked at around 8.10am GMT – seem to be trending downwards, suggesting that they'll (hopefully) be short-term.
However, both Halifax and Bank of Scotland put out identical acknowledgments below at 9.36am GMT, which explains why you may still be experiencing residual issues like being unable to log into mobile apps or payments not showing if you do manage to log in.
We know some of our customers are having issues logging on to online banking and our app. We're sorry for this and we're working to have everything back to normal.February 28, 2025
We know some of our customers are having issues logging on to online banking and our app. We're sorry for this and we're working to have everything back to normal.February 28, 2025
Better news for First Direct customers
Service Update 09:50: Customers can now make payments as normal via mobile and online banking following an earlier issue. Our teams continue to monitor. Very sorry to anyone who has been inconvenienced this Friday morning.February 28, 2025
The big spike in reported First Direct issues, which peaked at around 7.50am GMT, has now fortunately plummeted – and that's because the bank has now been the first to confirm a full fix for its problems.
In the post on X (formerly Twitter) below at 9.50am GMT, First Direct said that you should now be able to "make payments as normal via mobile and online banking following an earlier issue".
I'm with First Direct and can confirm everything appears to be working normally on the mobile app (which is always good news on pay day). Let's hope the same can be said soon for the other banks affected by this morning's outages.
Nationwide says payments 'delayed'
We haven't only seen issues with mobile banking apps this morning – Nationwide's Service Status page says that "some incoming and outgoing payments are delayed at the moment".
If you're having those untimely problems on payday, Nationwide says you don't need to do anything and that the incoming or outgoing money is "in a queue and will arrive ASAP".
It's added that Direct Directs and standing orders are working fine and that you can still go ahead and send money – it just might not go through straight away. It also acknowledged the problems in the post on X (formerly Twitter) below.
The good news? The spike in Downdetector reports (which hit a high of 830 reports at 7.46am GMT) has now dropped significantly, suggesting that the problems are already starting to ease. Phew...
We're aware of some issues affecting our services this morning. Some incoming and outgoing payments are delayed. They are in a queue and will arrive ASAP. For updates: https://t.co/o1lETrLtlfFebruary 28, 2025
Why does this keep happening?
This isn't the first time in 2025 that major UK banks have been hit by outages on payday – at the end January, Lloyds Bank, Barclays and Halifax were all hit by similar problems, which left many customers struggling on payday.
So what's behind the problems? None of the affected banks have explained what's causing the technical issues, but there are a couple of theories. One is simply that the banks' systems are temporarily unable to cope with the flurry of transactions going in and out of accounts on payday.
But as noted by Bloomberg, financial expert Chris Skinner previously noted that banks are also finding it "too hard to keep up" with the pace of technological change.
Outside of regulation and laws, he Skinner said that banks have "such a smorgasbord of things they have to work with" that the "competence of keeping up with these changes is really challenging every bank".
All of which is scant consolation to those who've been unable to log into their mobile banking app this morning or make a simple transfer. Fortunately, those problems now seem to be easing...
Payments headaches continue for many
While the reported mobile banking issues appear to have plummeted on Downdetector, many are continuing to report knock-on effects.
Nationwide in particular continues to be affected by payments issues. One TechRadar contributor said they noticed an error message in the banking app at around 8am GMT today, saying the various payments were queued.
Now, they've received text messages saying there's not enough money in their account to make some major direct debit payments that they need to make each month to cover their bills. They're far from alone too, with many on X (formerly Twitter) stating that their payments are in a queue on an important day.
This isn't just a mobile banking log-in issue, then – the payment issues are having some frustrating consequences for many. For now, Nationwide's stance remains the same – it says it's "working to fix this as soon as possible" and that it's "really sorry for any inconvenience caused". Fortunately, Direct Debits and standing orders aren't impacted at least.
@AskNationwide it's really not good enough that payments are delayed today. It's payday and I'm denied access to my own money. Saying 'it's in a queue' doesn't cut it. Inevitably people want to move money around, pay bills etc today; it's not like the demand isn't predictable!!February 28, 2025
Some shoots of recovery
Our app and online banking services are now working as normal.February 28, 2025
So what's the latest on a full fix for today's mobile banking issues? We're starting to see some good news for some banks.
At 11.46am GMT, Halifax posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "our app and online banking services are now working as normal". Strangely, Lloyds hasn't followed suit despite being part of the same group, but hopefully it will follow soon.
First Direct was also the first bank to claim earlier that its issues had been solved, posting on X (formerly Twitter) at 9.50am GMT that its customers could "now make payments as normal via mobile and online banking following an earlier issue".
But problems still appear to continue at Nationwide. Its service status page now says "some outgoing payments are delayed at the moment" but "that everything else is working normally", which is a change from earlier when incoming payments were also hit.
It sounds like the issues are coming to an end – and I reckon affected customers deserve at least free Friday pint from their banks.
The Nationwide issues continue...
Judging by social media, it seems that Nationwide customers continue to be the worst affected by today's banking issues. While incoming payments appear to be solved, there are still problems with outgoing payments – and that's having some very real-world impacts as the post on X (formerly Twitter) shows.
@AskNationwide Unable to make critical payments on bills & partner unable to travel in London. She is guiding a special needs class and is unable to access her bank right now.The state of the banking system here.February 28, 2025
So while there's been better news for Halifax and First Direct customers, it's likely to be a frustrating waiting game if you're on Nationwide. The bank is pointing affected customers towards its complaints page if they have questions about compensation and more.
Chase and other banks react
If you're with a bank that hasn't been directly affected by this morning's outages – which has almost felt like a minority – you may still have seen issues with payments.
Our Chase app (above) recently showed us that message, which confirms "an issue with other banks affecting payments". It warns you to not make a payment again if it hasn't gone through.
Right now, the main culprit seems to be Nationwide, with others (Halifax, First Direct and Lloyds) all now stating that their online banking services have returned to normal. What a palaver for a Friday...
It looks like things are now back up and running for Nationwide, as the bank took to X to say: “Sorry if you experienced delays making a payment today. Everything is now working normally.”
Its service status page also reports everything is fine now, which would make it seem like this big banking outage is over.
If you do experience some issues with payments, just give them another go or two, as it looks like third-party payments relating to the Nationwide app are working again.
