Network error caused major Nets payment outage

A network failure triggered a widespread outage at payment processor Nets two weeks ago, disrupting card transactions across Denmark and abroad, according to a preliminary investigation by the company.

The failure severed connections to Nets’ payment platform, and when systems attempted to reconnect, an “unusual” surge in queued transactions overwhelmed the network, the company stated. A full system reboot was required to restore service, prolonging the disruption for several hours.

Allan Bonke, Nets’ country manager for Denmark, acknowledged the reboot extended downtime but defended it as necessary to stabilize operations. “It took longer than we wanted, but it was the fastest way to get the system running again,” he said. He called the incident “extremely unfortunate” and apologized to affected businesses and customers.

The outage—Nets’ second major failure in under a year—has eroded confidence in the payment provider, Bonke admitted. “This affects all of us here. No one wants this to happen,” he said, emphasizing the need to strengthen redundancy measures. “We deal with IT and networks where errors can occur. It’s critical we expand contingency systems to ensure payments go through even during failures.”

The May 21 disruption began in the morning and lasted hours, blocking most card payments and forcing retailers to switch to offline backup systems. Public transport ticketing—including the Rejsekort app, Basiskort, and DSB’s booking platform—was also impacted.

Then-acting business minister Morten Bødskov demanded an explanation, calling the repeat failure “serious.” A similar technical fault caused a three-hour outage in July 2025, crippling transactions nationwide.

Nets is now conducting a full-system review to prevent recurrence.