HSBC down: online banking outages reported by customers on Black Friday - when will it be back?

HSBC customers across the UK are currently unable to use mobile or online banking services on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Customers have reported outage on Downdetector, a site which tracks the status of websites, with more than 4,000 reports of being unable to connect to either the HSBC UK app or the website. The outages comes as Black Friday shopping gets under way with discounts on offer both in-stores and online from most major retailers.

HSCB UK updated customers on X (formerly Twitter), saying: "We’re working hard to restore mobile and online banking service, and the authorising of online card purchases via the app. We’re really sorry for the inconvenience. We’ll share updates here."

While online purchases can still be made using your card, some purchases of higher value cannot be made without in-app authorisation, with some customers currently unable to complete the transaction via this method. In a statement, HSCB said: "We’re really sorry if you’re impacted by a disruption to online and mobile banking right now. If you’re not able to authorise an online card purchase via the app, you can opt for a one time passcode via SMS."

The bank current holds accounts for 14.8m customers in the UK, however it is currently unknown whether the outages are affecting all or just a portion of the group. The bank has confirmed that only HSCB UK customer are those affected, with no impact on other division of the bank including First Direct or M&S Bank.

It comes as HSBC announced that it would be shutting 114 branches across the UK due to an increase in popularity of online banking. One user posted on social media: "You have closed branches to go digital... there's no plan B for us!"