Nets Payment Outage Causes Major Disruptions Across Nordic Countries
A major outage of Nets payment services disrupts card payments across Nordic countries, causing chaos and social unrest.
Key Points
- • Nets outage impacted card payments in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland.
- • The disruption lasted almost three hours, commencing around 19:30 and ending by 22:00.
- • Customers faced significant issues with Visa and Mastercard, prompting chaos in Denmark.
- • Similar payment issues were reported across several other European countries.
On July 19, 2025, Nets, a key payment provider based in Denmark, faced a significant outage that severely disrupted card payments in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. The outage commenced around 19:30 and lasted for approximately three hours, with service restoration confirmed by 22:00.
Søren Winge, Nets' press officer, stated that the cause of the outage remains undetermined but clarified that there were no signs of a cyberattack. During this period, numerous users experienced difficulties in completing transactions, significantly affecting services connected to major banking institutions and payment networks, including Visa and Mastercard.
The incident's repercussions were particularly felt in Denmark, where it led to chaotic scenes in various establishments. A Swedish family in Denmark reported being unable to buy food as cash was their only alternative due to non-functional ATMs. Furthermore, a restaurant owner shared frustrations over numerous customers leaving without paying as payment processing failed. Tensions escalated at the Great Belt Bridge when drivers, unable to pay tolls, resorted to making death threats against staff, which necessitated police oversight.
Challenges and payment issues were similarly documented across other European nations, including travelers affected in France, Poland, Germany, Turkey, and Italy, suggesting a far-reaching crisis in the payment system connected to Nets.
As more reports emerge, the broader impact of the Nets outage highlights significant vulnerabilities in payment infrastructure during unforeseen disruptions.