UK: Users report issues as Halifax shuts down

One of the UK’s most popular banking services, Halifax, experienced a widespread outage on Friday, leaving users across the country unable to access mobile and online banking.

According to DownDetector, the issues began around 11:00 BST, with more than 1,000 users affected nationwide. Of those reporting problems, 52% cited issues with mobile banking, 31% with online banking, and 16% with mobile login.

Frustrated customers turned to X (formerly Twitter) to share their experiences. One user wrote:
“@HalifaxBank the Halifax App is not working properly.”

Another added:
“@HalifaxBank mobile and online web banking seem to be offline, both give an error when trying to login.”

A third user questioned the severity of the situation:
“Apparently MASSIVE problems with the HALIFAX online banking App today. Another outage? Cyber attack? Putinesque sabotage? Anyone else noticed these problems?”

A fourth user claimed:
“@HalifaxBank your app’s not working, your lines go dead when trying to connect to an agent—what the hell is going on.”

Another customer shared:
“@HalifaxBank, the app doesn’t seem to be working, goes to authenticate, and then comes up with failed!”

In response to growing complaints, Halifax’s official X account replied with troubleshooting tips such as:
“Please make sure your phone and app are up-to-date and restart your device.”

They also recommended:
“If you are still having this issue, you can try the website online banking as a possible workaround and try again later.”

Another response advised:
“Can you please try force closing the app and signing in again? If this doesn’t work, can you please try switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data?”

DownDetector gathers real-time service issue reports from social media, direct user submissions, and other web sources. Its outage map showed disruptions across the UK, including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Hull, and Edinburgh.

In an official statement, a Halifax spokesperson said:
“Our app and online banking are up and running. We know it took customers a bit longer than usual to get logged on for a short time this morning, with customers able to do so after waiting a few extra moments, or giving it another try.”

The root cause of the disruption remains unclear

According to consumer rights advocate Which?, such banking app outages are typically caused by IT glitches or maintenance updates. It urged affected customers to contact their local branch—via phone or in person—especially if urgent access to funds was needed.

Reena Sewraz, retail editor at Which?, commented:
“These latest IT issues could cause real headaches for thousands of customers – made worse because it’s payday for many of them.”

She added:
“Some people may miss important bill payments, find themselves unable to pay for essential services or risk going overdrawn, all of which could have serious consequences, including late payment or overdraft penalties or impacting their ability to get credit or borrow money.”

Sewraz stressed the importance of timely communication and support from banks:
“It’s crucial that all affected banks keep customers updated and move quickly to compensate for any losses that may result from today’s outages.”

She also advised:
“Customers should keep evidence of impacted payments should they need to make a claim. If customers have missed important payments, they should contact the relevant company to ensure they waive any fees incurred.”

(Mail One)

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