A glitch in the online payments platform PayPal has meant Australian online shoppers were today charged twice for a single transaction. Customers took to PayPal's Australian Facebook page in anger after the issue arose this morning. All local banks and financial institutions that partner with PayPal have been affected. The company is advising customers it could be up to 72 hours before the payments are refunded.

It is understood Australia's banks and financial services companies are waiting on a rectification in PayPal's next direct entry file, which will correct the error for all financial institutions involved and reverse the extra payments.

"Commonwealth Bank is aware some customers have duplicated debits due to an error from another financial institution," the bank is advising its customers.

"We apologise to our customers for this inconvenience and assure them we are we’re working with this financial institution to rectify this as a priority.”

Customers have also taken to the social media accounts of Australia's major banks for clarity on the issue after reportedly getting stuck in long queue times on PayPal's customer support line.

"PayPal is aware of an error that has resulted in some PayPal customers in Australia experiencing duplicate transactions when they only completed one transaction through their PayPal account," a spokesperson said.

"We understand that impacted customers are concerned and will ensure all customers affected are reimbursed. We apologise to those that have been impacted and are actively working with our tech team to resolve this as quickly as possible."