A UK Revolut customer, identified only as “Mr A,” was woken twice in the night by marketing push notifications. He was caring for a seriously ill family member at the time. The alerts made him fear something had gone wrong. He could not get back to sleep, and his next working day was ruined. He took his complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Here is what happened - and what it means for you.
What happened?
The two push notifications were marketing messages from Revolut, sent while Mr A was asleep. With a family member unwell, his phone lighting up in the early hours made him worry something had gone wrong. He could not get back to sleep, and described the next day at work as “a bad day.”
Mr A complained to Revolut. Unsatisfied with the response, he escalated to the UK’s Financial Ombudsman Service, as first reported by Cybernews and later confirmed by CityAM.
The ombudsman’s decision
Revolut offered Mr A £25 in compensation. He pushed for more. An FOS investigator sided with Revolut, so Mr A escalated to an ombudsman-level review, handled by James Akehurst.
Akehurst agreed with the original finding: Revolut had not breached any rules. The company had shown Mr A how to manage his notification preferences in-app, including how to opt out of marketing push notifications entirely. The £25 was upheld. Akehurst acknowledged Mr A’s disappointment but found no grounds for a larger award.
A Revolut spokesperson told CityAM that customers can “easily opt out of marketing communications, including push notifications, directly within the Revolut app.”
The business account mixup
Revolut initially sent the £25 to Mr A’s business account rather than his personal account — the one where the notifications had arrived. The ombudsman ordered the company to redirect the payment to the correct account.
The £25 lesson
This case is a simple reminder. You control your notification settings. Most fintech apps let you turn off marketing push notifications or set quiet hours. If you have not checked those preferences lately, a quick look now could prevent an unwelcome alert. The ombudsman’s ruling is clear — as long as an app gives you the controls, the responsibility sits with you.
For more context on fintech changes, read our piece on what instant payments mean for e-wallets and their customers.
This situation got us thinking… Two minutes in the notification settings could have saved Mr A a sleepless night and a ruined working day. Open your eWallet app, find the notification preferences, and switch off marketing push alerts. The ombudsman’s message is clear: the tools are there - use them.
