Bank customers in and around Bath were among those unable to use their debit or credit cards on the busiest online shopping day of the year following a computer glitch.
Customers of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Group, which includes NatWest and Ulster Bank, faced meltdown as the problem hit last night.
Across the country people were unable to pay for fuel, had to abandon supermarket trolleys full of food or were unable to pay for dinner as the computer glitch hit their accounts at around 6.30pm.
The bank has not revealed what caused the problem but has promised to compensate customers.
But many took to social media to reveal their frustration on the day dubbed Cyber Monday, which is the biggest online shopping day of the year as people attempt to ensure their goods arrive in time for Christmas.
The problem also hit the banks' websites and smartphone apps.
An RBS Group spokeswoman said: "We are very sorry for the system issues that affected our customers this evening.
"Our customers are reporting that services are coming back on line. We will confirm when all systems have returned to normal service.
"If customers have been left out of pocket as a result of these system problems, we will put this right."
