A widespread disruption in card payments has caused significant frustration for shoppers in supermarkets across the UK. During England’s World Cup group stage match against Ghana, which kicked off at 9pm, major retailers including Tesco and Morrisons experienced failures in their payment systems.
The disruption, linked to a power outage at payment processor Worldpay, rendered card and contactless payments unavailable in numerous stores. As a result, impatient customers were directed to use self-service machines that accept cash, causing long queues at cash points outside stores.
Shoppers took to social media expressing their frustration. One user commented, “Massive card payment issue in multiple shops I’ve just been in. Scores of customers stuck as no card or contactless payments working.” Another tweeted, “Tesco card system is down at the minute. No payments being taken. Bedlam, cash only, and only about 3 checkouts can take cash. Shouldn’t have pushed a cashless system.” A further complaint read, “Tesco stores’ card payment machines are down, and it seems to be affecting the app as well. Everyone’s having a meltdown about it.”
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Worldpay confirmed the issue was caused by a third-party power outage impacting transaction authorizations across multiple platforms. They stated, “Power has been restored, and Worldpay technical resources are working to recover all affected platforms and restore service.” Despite power returning, technical teams are still resolving the lingering effects of the outage.
This incident underscores the challenges faced by retailers relying heavily on electronic payment systems, especially during high-traffic events like World Cup matches.