Upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Trading 212 UK Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6443167 of 2026-06-24T00:00:00+00:00. Service failures generally complaint against Trading 212 UK Limited. Outcome: Upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6443167 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-06-24T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Trading 212 UK Limited |
| Product | Investment |
| Claim type | Service failures generally |
| Outcome | Upheld |
| Remedy | T212 must pay Mr T £200 compensation for inconvenience caused. Mr T is expected to utilise T212's workaround (removing and re-adding the card with ID verification). If the issue persists or problems arise on withdrawal, T212 must provide further assistance. |
Summary
Mr T complained that Trading 212's payment system prevented his new payment card from functioning as a saved payment method, reverting instead to an expired card during deposits. T212 suggested removing and re-adding the card but required AML verification via selfie with ID, which Mr T was reluctant to provide due to security concerns and prior verification. The investigator and T212 did not uphold the complaint, but the ombudsman found the inconvenience justified compensation. The ombudsman upheld the complaint and directed T212 to pay £200 compensation while maintaining that the workaround was reasonable and occasional system glitches do not require wholesale system reviews.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that Mr T simply wanted his new card to function as a normal saved payment method without additional inconvenience. While occasional system glitches are not unusual and do not warrant a wholesale system review, the inconvenience caused to Mr T by being forced to use the less convenient 'new card' function repeatedly, combined with the frustration of uncertainty about the underlying cause, warranted compensation. The ombudsman considered T212's request for ID verification to be reasonable within its terms, and the security concerns were addressed by confirmation of encrypted transmission. However, compensation was appropriate for the inconvenience of the workaround itself.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Trading 212 UK Limited, all decisions | 196 | 12% |
| Service failures generally, all decisions | 34,193 | 32% |
| Investment, all decisions | 14,180 | 34% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website