FNB eBucks crash

FNB says it is experiencing technical difficulties with its eBucks functionality. Earlier today, the webpage presented an error message, and its support team told some customers that the shop had been shut down.

However, FNB has told MyBroadband that there is a “technical glitch” surrounding eBucks functionality that its teams are currently trying to resolve.

The Shop section of the eBucks webpage was unavailable on Friday morning. It now shows a “Fastest Fingers First” promotion with a countdown timer.

Attempting to navigate to the page presented a “We cannot find what you’re looking for” error message earlier on Friday.

While it appeared to be a general error message, a MyBroadband reader called the support line and was told that FNB had shut down the eBucks Shop.

“Please make sure you’ve typed your search correctly or try searching something different,” the error message said.

“We encountered technical difficulties while processing your request. If you were making a payment or transfer, please check your transaction history since your transaction may have been successfully processed.”

The shop appeared to be the only unreachable section of the “Spend eBucks” webpage.

This meant customers were unable to purchase devices from the bank using their eBucks, while benefits like eBucks Travel remained available.

FNB customers looking to purchase a device using their eBucks balance could only do so through FNB partner stores iStore and Hirsch’s.

The bank recently adjusted the requirements for customers to reach the maximum eBucks Reward Level, making it more difficult for Premier customers to achieve Level 5.

Reaching the maximum eBucks tier allows customers to benefit from the maximum discounts offered and clawbacks on spending through the rewards programme. The changes took effect on 1 July 2024.

While the 11,000 ranking points requirement for Premier customers to reach the maximum level has remained, FNB scrapped two criteria that could previously earn customers a combined 2,500 ranking points.

It also halved the maximum tier points for maintaining a good credit rating from 1,000 to 500.

FNB increased the minimum deposit and balance amounts to earn tier points through savings and investment accounts by R200.

The only rule that became slightly easier is that FNB now allows Premier customers to deposit R3,000 less into their main bank account than before to earn tier points.

Altogether, the changes mean the maximum tier points earnable since the changes took effect is now 8,500 — R2,500 less than before.

However, an additional 2,500 to 3,500 points are up for grabs with some spending or extra effort in payment habits for customers to achieve the 11,000-point requirement for eBucks Level 5.