Major high street retailers and petrol stations across the UK experienced a disruption in their card payment systems this morning, leaving customers unable to complete their transactions. Reports flooded in from frustrated shoppers who were turned away at popular stores like Asda and Sainsbury’s.
One shopper, Vanessa Meehan from Twickenham, shared her experience on social media, stating, “I’ve just been turned away at Sainsbury’s as they can’t accept card payments. Petrol station also coned off. The car is running on fumes and I need to get supplies.”
Sainsbury’s confirmed that their contactless payments were down for a brief period this morning, but the issue has since been resolved. A spokesperson for the supermarket explained that the problem was caused by a third-party payment provider and reassured customers that all payment methods are now being accepted.
However, some customers in one Sainsbury’s store were asked to pay for their purchases in cash. Meanwhile, a frustrated shopper tweeted, “Just did a whole shop in @asda, got to the till and told card payments aren’t working across supermarkets/shops in the UK. Does anything work in this country?”
Asda also experienced technical difficulties with their Visa payment systems, but a spokesperson confirmed that they are now back up and running. According to a Visa spokesperson, they are aware of the issues and are working with their partners to investigate the cause. They also clarified that their systems are operating normally.
As of 9:45 am on Thursday, more than 600 people had reported issues with Visa on DownDetector, while over 100 had problems with Mastercard payments as of 10 am. A Mastercard spokesperson stated that they were “aware of some payment transaction issues at select merchants in the UK” and are gathering more information. They also clarified that there is currently no indication that the issues are related to their network.
In other news, the UK is reeling from the shocking triple murder in Bushey, with details emerging about the suspect, Kyle Clifford. Former child star Benji Gregory, known for his role in ALF, was also found dead in his car alongside his dog. And, water bills are set to rise by an average of 21% over the next five years, putting pressure on households across the country. Stay tuned to Sky News for updates on these and other stories.
