Is my money safe when my bank's app is down?

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An app you can't open is a different thing from a bank that has failed. During its disruption on 20 October 2026, which it later put down to a Google Cloud outage, Revolut said all its customers' money and data were safe. If a UK bank did fail, the FSCS says it would automatically pay eligible customers up to £120,000 each.

Quick answer

An app outage stops you reaching your account. It doesn't mean the bank has failed. On 20 October 2026, Revolut said its customers' money and data were safe. If a UK bank, building society or credit union fails, the FSCS says it pays eligible customers up to £120,000 each, automatically, within seven working days, though it says more complex cases take longer.

What did Revolut say on 20 October 2026?

Revolut's posts on X that day addressed customers' money directly.

On the morning of 20 October, Revolut posted that it had a service disruption affecting multiple services, and said: "We can confirm that all our customers' money and data are safe." At 18:39 it said customers may have had temporary disruption because of a recent Google Cloud outage, that services were restored, and that money and data had remained safe throughout.

For what happened at Google, see the Google Cloud outage of 20 October 2026. If your own bank had problems that day, check its official website or accounts for what it has said.

What does the FSCS protect?

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protects deposits at UK banks, building societies and credit unions. Its page on bank protection says that if one of these fails and can't pay back your money, the FSCS can pay you compensation automatically.

As the FSCS states it (checked 30 October 2026):

  • The limit. The FSCS will automatically compensate you up to £120,000 per eligible person, per bank, building society or credit union. This applies to firms that failed after 30 November 2025. The FSCS says its deposit protection rose to £120,000 on 1 December 2025.
  • Joint accounts. These are protected up to the same limit of £120,000 per eligible person.
  • How fast. The FSCS says it will pay compensation within seven working days of a bank, building society or credit union failing. More complex cases, including temporary high balance claims, take longer.
  • What you need to do. The FSCS says you don't need to do anything, because it compensates automatically.
  • Banking groups. If you hold money with several banks in the same banking group that share a banking licence, the FSCS says it has to treat them as one bank, and the £120,000 limit applies to the total across those accounts.
  • Temporary high balances. The FSCS says these are protected for up to six months.

The FSCS's bank and savings protection checker on fscs.org.uk shows how much of your money is protected, and the FSCS says you can search the Financial Services Register on the FCA's website to see which banks share a licence.

Is money in an e-money or payment app protected the same way?

Not by the FSCS. Its guidance says: "We can't protect the money you have with e-money institutions and payment providers." It adds that this doesn't necessarily mean your money isn't safe, because these firms are still regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The FSCS says it's always best to check, so you know where your money is and what protection it has.

What do the rules say banks must do about outages?

The FCA's operational resilience rules require firms to identify their important business services, the ones that could cause intolerable harm to consumers if disrupted, and to set impact tolerances, the maximum disruption they can tolerate. Firms had until 31 March 2025 to make sure they could stay within those tolerances.

Firms also have to comply with the FCA's outsourcing and operational resilience rules when they rely on services provided by third parties.

Google Cloud EMEA Limited is one of four technology providers the Treasury announced on 10 July 2026 as critical third parties to the financial sector, overseen from 13 July 2026. Our guide to the Google Cloud outage covers what that oversight adds.

What if an outage cost me money?

Complain to your bank. Our guide on how to pay when your banking app isn't working sets out the FCA's steps and time limits, including when you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

How do I keep my account safe during an outage?

Be wary of calls, texts and emails about an outage. Contact your bank only through the details on its official website or the back of your card. Our guides on what to do when a banking app is down, scam texts after a bank outage and how to pay when your banking app isn't working go further.

More questions

Is my money safe if Revolut is down?

On 20 October 2026, during a disruption it later linked to a Google Cloud outage, Revolut said all its customers' money and data were safe, and that they had remained safe throughout. For current problems, check Revolut's own official channels.

What is the FSCS limit in 2026?

The FSCS says it will automatically compensate you up to £120,000 per eligible person, per bank, building society or credit union, for firms that failed after 30 November 2025. Joint accounts are protected up to £120,000 per eligible person.

Does the FSCS pay out when a bank's app is down?

The FSCS pays compensation when a bank, building society or credit union fails and can't pay back your money. Its pages describe protection on failure, not on a temporary outage.

How quickly does the FSCS pay?

The FSCS says it will pay compensation within seven working days of a bank, building society or credit union failing, and that you don't need to do anything, because it pays automatically.

Are two banks in the same group protected separately?

Not always. The FSCS says that if you have money with several banks in the same banking group that share a banking licence, it has to treat them as one bank, and the £120,000 limit applies to the total. It says the Financial Services Register on the FCA's website shows which banks share a licence.

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