Barclays is handing out surprise cash payouts today after a tech meltdown left customers stranded on payday.
The banking giant has begun distributing up to £7.5million in compensation following the January disruption that left many unable to access their accounts.
Most of these payments were processed throughout the week, though more complex cases may face delays.
The compensation forms part of Barclays' response to the significant system failure that caused widespread inconvenience.
The January outage, which lasted several days, coincided with payday for millions of Britons and the HMRC self-assessment tax deadline on January 31.
Customers were unable to access their online accounts or make payments, causing significant disruption at a critical time of the month.
Customers have reported seeing payments appear in their accounts
PAThe technical issue was caused by a software problem in part of Barclays' mainframe operating system.
Many users were left unable to pay bills or submit tax returns, with some incurring late payment penalties as a result.
Customers have reported seeing payments appear in their accounts with the reference "Barclays UK Refu", causing confusion on social media.
One puzzled customer tweeted: "Does anyone have any idea why Barclays would send me a payment for £50?"
Another wrote: "Barclays just refunded me £600?? I don't know what's going on down there but I will be taking that money."
Letters detailing the compensation have been sent via post
PAA third customer posted: "Did anyone else randomly receive 50 pounds from Barclays?"
The compensation amounts vary depending on how severely customers were affected by the outage, with some receiving up to £600.
Letters detailing the compensation have been sent via post, though some customers may see the money in their accounts before receiving this notification.
The majority of eligible customers should have received their payments by the end of the week.
The compensation amounts vary depending on how severely customers were affected by the outage
GETTYEligible customers should receive a letter in the post from Barclays informing them of their compensation.
Those who believe they're entitled to compensation but haven't received any can contact Barclays directly.
A Barclays spokesperson said: "We welcome the opportunity to engage with the Treasury Select Committee and responded in detail to the questions the committee raised."
They added: "Supporting and serving our customers remains our number one priority. We continue to work hard to keep all our services available."
