Google Cloud outage: UK banks and websites hit as users report payment chaos

Google Cloud services have suffered a major disruption affecting banks, delivery companies and popular websites, leaving customers struggling to make payments, access accounts and complete everyday transactions.

The problems were reported on Tuesday, October 20, with Google’s official status dashboard confirming issues affecting multiple services in its London-based europe-west2 region. Sky News reported that thousands of users had flagged problems, while complaints continued to appear online throughout the morning.

Which banks and websites are affected?

Revolut has been among the hardest-hit services, with card payments, bank transfers, cash withdrawals and other features affected. The digital banking service confirmed that the disruption was affecting multiple services but reassured customers that their money and data remained safe.

Lloyds Bank said its app remained available for normal logins, although some customers were experiencing problems with certain online services. Halifax also acknowledged difficulties affecting its app and online banking.

Other organisations reporting problems include HSBC, Bank of Scotland, Royal Mail, DPD and property website Rightmove. Sky News also reported complaints involving NHS England, supermarket Asda and the GOV.UK website, although it cautioned that the relationship between every reported problem and Google’s outage had not been established.

Customers report failed payments and delivery delays

Reports shared with Sky News illustrate how a cloud computing problem can affect ordinary activities far beyond the technology industry. One customer said a Revolut payment failed while they were trying to pay for a supermarket shop, forcing them to use another card. Another reported that their Revolut card was declined at a motorway toll booth, causing delays and embarrassment.

A DPD customer also warned that they could not send out orders, raising concerns about parcels due to arrive the following day. Users on Reddit’s technology forums reported problems affecting services hosted in Google’s London region, with some describing individual systems going offline while others continued working.

Could Google Cloud have been hacked?

Speculation about a possible cyberattack is likely to grow whenever a major technology provider experiences widespread disruption. However, there is currently no verified evidence that hackers caused this incident.

Google has confirmed that its engineering teams are investigating the service problems but has not publicly established the cause. Sky News also reported a separate incident affecting Google Security Operations, Google’s security monitoring product. The company said affected customers could experience failed sessions and delays to platform workflows. That incident should not be treated as proof of a cyberattack on Google’s wider infrastructure.

Is Spain affected by the outage?

The confirmed Google Cloud incident concerns its London region, rather than a complete shutdown of its European or global network. Nevertheless, people in Spain could experience problems if websites or applications they use depend on affected infrastructure. International businesses may also operate services across several regions, meaning the geographical location of a customer does not necessarily determine whether they are affected.

Google’s status dashboard lists multiple cloud products experiencing difficulties in europe-west2. The company has apologised to affected customers and says its engineering team is continuing to investigate.

Until Google provides further details, the precise cause and full extent of the disruption remain unclear. Customers experiencing banking problems should check their provider’s official service updates and consider an alternative payment method if available.