Credit card provider Barclays suffered a technical fault on Tuesday which rendered many of its cash machines un-usable, the online banking system also suffered a fault meaning that many credit card customers could not log into their accounts. It is thought that a computer fault at its offices in Gloucester led to the error which was quickly fixed by the technical team.

A female customer told the Daily Mail that the glitch had made it impossible for her to use her credit cards abroad. "I'm currently abroad and can't use ... any of my cards - cash or credit - related to Barclays and when I called the bank I was told they are upgrading their system," she added. The technical problem affected people in London, the south of England and parts of south Wales.

In other credit card news many festival goers have been advised to take only one credit card with them this summer, warning that festivals can been havens for opportunistic thieves.