Nationwide Building Society has issued an update after a technical glitch caused some customers to see duplicate debit card payments and negative balances. The issue, which occurred on Sunday, October 11, made payments appear twice on accounts — once as a completed payment and once as a pending transaction — reducing available funds and pushing some members into unarranged overdrafts.
Customers report emptied accounts
Several customers contacted Nationwide on social media to report that money had been wrongly taken from their accounts. One affected person said the issue had "emptied all my money out my account" and taken them into an overdraft. Another said: "I seemed to have been charged twice for transactions from Saturday afternoon and night. I have had to transfer money from my savings to cover the pending transactions even though those transactions were paid."
A further customer described the situation as an "absolute shambles", stating their account was pushed into an unarranged overdraft because of transactions "appearing on my account twice". Another member reported: "Made some purchases last night and checked my account today to see that the exact transactions and prices have been duplicated as 'pending' yet have been taken out of my available money."
Nationwide response and apology
Responding to customers at the time, Nationwide said: "The issue we're aware of is where a debit card payment has already been taken from your account, but the pending card transaction is still showing as well. This can make it look as though the money has been deducted twice and may affect the available balance showing in your account. We're working to fix this as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused."
On Monday, October 12, a spokesperson for the building society said: "Due to a technical issue yesterday afternoon, some payments were incorrectly shown as both paid and pending, which may have temporarily reduced the available balance displayed to some customers. The issue was identified and no action is required from customers. We apologise for any inconvenience."
Customer support and separate offer
Customers who need to speak with Nationwide about their account can call 03457 30 20 11. The phoneline is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm, and on Sundays from 9am to 5pm.
Separate from the payment issue, Nationwide is offering £175 to people who switch their current account to them. The deal applies when opening or moving to a FlexDirect, FlexAccount, or FlexPlus account. To qualify, customers must transfer from a non-Nationwide or non-Virgin Money account using the Current Account Switch Service, close their old account within 28 days, bring over at least two active direct debits, deposit at least £1,000, and make at least one debit card purchase within 31 days of opening the account or requesting the switch.
