Upheld: service access denial and account restrictions complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs L complained that Revolut unfairly denied her access to funds for five days while she was travelling in the Philippines with her two small children. She initially could use her account normally but lost access between 13-18 December 2025, causing her significant distress. The ombudsman found that the Philippines was not a fully supported country under Revolut's terms and conditions, and the access issues resulted from geographical and technical limitations rather than an error or deliberate restriction by Revolut. Although Revolut did not immediately explain the cause when Mrs L first reported the issue, it subsequently provided clear explanation in chat and formal correspondence. The ombudsman upheld the complaint and directed Revolut to pay £75 total compensation (£25 originally offered plus £50 additional), finding this fair given that Mrs L could access funds via VPN and the issue did not result from Revolut's error.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while Mrs L experienced genuine distress from the five-day access denial, this was not due to an error or wrongdoing by Revolut but rather stemmed from inherent limitations in Revolut's service provision in the Philippines, which was not a fully supported country. The account terms and conditions clearly specified supported countries, and it was reasonable for Mrs L to check these before travelling. Although Revolut did not immediately provide detailed explanation when Mrs L first reported the issue, it subsequently informed her of the cause both in chat and in its formal response letter. The ombudsman considered that Mrs L's ability to access funds via VPN mitigated the impact, and that £75 total compensation was fair given the circumstances and that no error by Revolut had occurred.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website