‘I cannot do my grocery shopping’: HSBC faces barrage of complaints over issues with card services

HSBC’s Malta customers have unloaded a barrage of complaints over issues the major bank is having following an upgrade of its card services.

On Tuesday, it warned that despite the resumption of services following the upgrade, some card transactions are still getting declined and the bank was working hard to resolve the issue.

Among the issues, it appears that the bank’s ATMs are gradually coming online, with the bank reporting that the majority should be available as of Wednesday. In replying to customer’s concerns, the bank also said that internet banking balances for credit cards are not updating, but the updated balance is available on a user’s card, and any transfers would have gone through.

The bank has also told customers that issues should be intermittent, as it periodically reboots its systems, and urged them to try again at a later time.

One customer reported being unable to access their funds, a day before they are going abroad. Another said they were unable to pay their bills, while a third person reported issues while doing their grocery shopping, due to card payments being declined.

One person said they are stuck in quarantine and are unable to do their grocery shopping online or many any card transactions.

At the start of February, HSBC drew customers’ criticism when it announced disruption of services while it was upgrading card systems.

The upgrade paved the way for HSBC’s new card management system, offering additional services from next month, such as contactless cards, changing PIN numbers to any four-digits chosen by the customer and activating or replacing cards more easily and conveniently.

Between Sunday 6th February at 2am and Monday 7th February at 8pm, point of sales transactions were limited to €350 for all visa and debit cards, with a limit of €700 for Premier Mastercard credit cards.

Online purchases were unavailable from Sunday 6th at 2am until Monday 7th at 8pm.

In addition, all ATM transactions were also unavailable, between Saturday 5th February at 10.30pm to Monday 7th February at 8pm.

Despite the resumption of services, it appears that some HSBC card holders are still experiencing disruptions.