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Barclays online banking down this weekend: should you worry?
Guest Author:
Paloma KubiakBarclays Bank has announced planned maintenance for its online banking service this weekend. But given the upheaval of TSB’s IT upgrade and last week’s Visa blackout, should customers worry?
From 11:30pm on Saturday 9 June to 3:30pm on Sunday 10 June, Barclays is carrying out planned works to its systems.
This means customers will not be able to use the following services:
- Manage account online
- Manage account via the app
- Manage account via phone
- Money transfers
- View transactions
- The Barclaycard app and Pingit will also be out of action.
Payments into account will be added as soon as its work is finished and customers will still be able to use their Barclay cards online and use cash machines to withdraw money. But, all other services at cash points will also be unavailable.
Barclaycard users can continue to make purchases and will be able to make bill payments from another bank. However, these will not be processed until after the works have completed.
TSB’s well-documented IT meltdown
Given the problems TSB faced during and after its IT upgrade, and the impact it had on customers, with more than 1,000 falling victim to fraud as a consequence, customers may be concerned about Barclays’ works.
A Barclays spokesperson, said: “The system upgrade forms part of our regulatory requirements, which every bank has to follow. It will be undertaken during the early hours of Sunday morning which is at a time that causes the least number of customers to be impacted.
“We recognise that some customers will be impacted which is why we have issued the advance notifications and will advise customers as soon as our services become available”.
Price comparison site uSwitch has also come up with the following tips for customers to cope with issues, whether the system works are planned or unplanned:
Ahead of a scheduled online banking update:
- Take note of when the update will take place and plan ahead. Think about what standing orders and direct debits you have scheduled during that time. If you have payments that must be made during the update, reschedule them to be paid in advance.
- You may not be able to access your account during an update, so check your account balance beforehand to keep track of the funds you have available.
- Make sure you have enough money available for the duration of the outage, in case you’re unable to access your account during this time. You can take out cash in advance or use a prepaid card to make any necessary purchases.
- Consider having a backup account with a different bank in case of emergencies. Having all your eggs in one basket will make it harder to access your money during an outage and makes your finances more vulnerable. If you have an account with a different bank, you can transfer some funds from your primary account while the update is taking place so you’re not left stranded.
- Once the scheduled maintenance is complete it is important to update your banking app so you can benefit from the latest features included in the upgrade.
Unscheduled online banking outage:
- Don’t panic. Contact your provider or check the social media channels to find out what the issue is and when it expects your online banking to be restored.
- If you think some of your payments might be missed during an outage, make sure you let your bank know. There might be something they can do to assist or advise of other payment methods available. Then let the companies that you have standing orders and direct debits with know your usual payment may be late.
- Also, don’t forget about payments which aren’t standing orders or direct debits. If you have invoices and payments that need to be settled during an unexpected outage, contact the supplier and explain the situation.
- Check your credit file – when payments are missed, all it can take is a payment being made one week late to put a dent in your credit rating. You can easily check your credit file online (and for free) using a service such as Clearscore or Noddle.
- If you think you’re facing a loss due to an unexpected online banking failure you can lodge a complaint with your bank for any financial damages incurred as a result of the disruption. If you don’t believe you complaint has been dealt with appropriately by your bank you can take your case to the Financial Ombudsman for review.