NatWest banking app glitch leaves thousands locked out of accounts

The service disruption began around 9am, with users quickly taking to social media to report issues. Downdetector, a real-time outage tracker, recorded more than 3,000 reports by 10am. The majority related to mobile banking (66%), while others flagged problems with login access and online banking (25% and 9% respectively).

Those attempting to access the app were met with an error message reading:

"Something went wrong. We’re sorry, some kind of error has occurred when trying to establish a connection between your device and ourselves."

NatWest’s online status page initially claimed that services were operating normally, but this contradicted the experience of many users who were unable to complete transfers or access key functions online.

These comments highlight the disconnect between digital-first banking strategies and customer needs, particularly in situations where rapid troubleshooting or in-person support is not available.

While NatWest issued a standard apology — "We’re really sorry about this and working to fix it as quickly as possible," the lack of a resolution timeline left customers increasingly exasperated. On social media, complaints multiplied as the morning progressed:

"I had to put my shopping back because of it," one user tweeted.

"Now might be the best time for me to switch banks," wrote another.

"They’ve shut all the branches forcing travel to the big cities — what’s the point?"

These comments highlight the disconnect between digital-first banking strategies and customer needs, particularly in situations where rapid troubleshooting or in-person support is not available.

This sentiment reflects a broader concern: that rapid digitalisation in banking has not been matched with sufficient investment in reliable infrastructure or customer support contingencies. The gap becomes most apparent when systems fail, especially during periods of economic strain, such as the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. As one customer succinctly put it: "It’s not ideal to lock people out of their accounts during a cost-of-living crisis."

Multiple customers expressed particular frustration with the bank’s shift away from high-street branches. One post read:

"What I don’t get is the bank closes loads of branches to save money and forces people to rely on the app and online banking… but clearly hasn’t invested in a system that works properly."

This sentiment reflects a broader concern: that rapid digitalisation in banking has not been matched with sufficient investment in reliable infrastructure or customer support contingencies. The gap becomes most apparent when systems fail, especially during periods of economic strain, such as the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. As one customer succinctly put it: "It’s not ideal to lock people out of their accounts during a cost-of-living crisis."

NatWest has yet to provide a timeframe for resolving the issue, stating only that its teams are "working hard." For many customers, that ambiguity has become part of the problem. One post called the bank’s response "disgraceful," while another asked, "Why make me check my own Wi-Fi when it’s a problem on your end?"

The messaging failure, combined with the banking failure, has amplified distrust, particularly among customers who have no access to branches and rely entirely on mobile services. It also raises questions about the adequacy of NatWest’s contingency planning and whether the bank has underestimated the everyday risks of IT failures in essential services.

This latest outage is far from isolated. In recent years, UK banks have faced mounting criticism over recurring service disruptions. A March 2025 report revealed that central UK banks, including NatWest, Barclays, Lloyds, and HSBC, experienced more than 800 hours of outages since 2023.

In May 2024 alone, 1.2 million customers across multiple banks were affected by app or online banking failures. Compensation data from the Treasury Committee shows NatWest paid £348,000 to customers impacted by outages over the past year — significantly lower than Barclays’ projected £12.5 million, but indicative of persistent underlying issues.

The NatWest outage is not just about temporary inconvenience. It exposes the fragile balance between innovation and accountability in modern banking. As banks push customers toward digital platforms — often while closing local branches — there’s growing demand for transparency, investment in robust infrastructure, and safeguards for those left vulnerable when systems break down.

Source: BBC, ITVX