Basic Current Account
Information and Specific Conditions
Current Accounts – Information
Contents
The Basic Current Account
03
Opening your Basic
Current Account
03
What to expect once we have
opened your account
04
Your cash card
04
Keeping track of your money
05
Making payments
05
Making banking easy
10
Jargon buster
12
Basic Account Specific Conditions 14
02
The Basic Current
Account
Opening your Basic
Current Account
The Basic Current Account makes managing
your money easy and straightforward.
We’ve made it easy for you to open your
Basic Current Account. In this pack are the
forms you need to fill in and send back
to us, and other documents to help you
do this.
This guide tells you everything you need
to know about opening and using your
account. The Basic Current Account makes
it easy for you to manage your money
from your own home with Online Banking,
Telephone Banking, Mobile Banking or
at the post office and Santander branches in
the UK.
To apply you must:
n
fill in the enclosed application form;
n
get two forms of identification, (or only
one form of identification if you have
another type of account at Santander), as
explained at the start of the application
form; and
n
send black and white photocopies of
both forms of identification (originals
not required) and a filled-in and signed
application form in the envelope provided.
Where we mention Santander branches in
this guide, we mean Santander branches in
the UK.
Main features:
n
A cash card for easy access to your
money through Santander and LINK cash
machines in the UK.
n
You can manage your money online, on
your mobile, over the phone, or at any
post office or Santander branch in the UK.
Please see the Making payments section
on page 5 for more details.
n
You can pay regular bills by Direct Debit
or standing orders.
n
We do not pay credit interest on money
in your account.
n
However, there is no overdraft
or chequebook facility.
Whether we accept your application will
depend on your circumstances. We may not
be able to offer you an account if you have
been declared bankrupt or have another
current account in the UK.
When you apply we will approach a
Credit Reference Agency to confirm some
information about you for fraud, identification
and eligibility checking purposes. A record of
our request will not be seen by others and our
decision will not be based on a credit score.
We will send you a letter within seven
working days to let you know whether we
have accepted your application.
If you have any questions about your
application, you can call us on
0845 603 3507 (Monday to Friday
8am to 8pm and Saturdays 8am to 6pm).
03
Current Accounts – Information
What to expect
once we have
opened your account
n
Your cash card and personal identification
number (PIN) will come through the post
to you within 10 working days of us
accepting your application. We will send
you your PIN separately to the card.
n
You’ll get your first bank statement a
month after you open the account.
n
Your sort code and your eight-digit
account number will be shown on your
account confirmation letter, which you’ll
receive within seven working days of your
account being opened.
It’s a good idea to do the following
n
n
Register for Telephone and Online Banking
so you can keep up to date with your
money 24 hours a day. For Telephone
and Online Banking, you can do this on
the enclosed application form. For Mobile
Banking, using your mobile phone, just
type m.santander.co.uk into your mobile’s
internet browser. To use Mobile Banking,
you will need to have registered and
logged on to Online Banking at least once.
For added security, change the PIN that
we send you. The first time you use
your card, use the PIN we have given to
you. You can then use a Santander cash
machine to change the PIN to any
four-digit number you choose.
Choose PIN services
Follow the instructions
on the screen
04
n
Read our Interest Rates and Fees
Information leaflet which includes details
of our charges and fees. Please ask in
your local branch for this leaflet or you
can also print a copy from our website at
www.santander.co.uk
Your cash card
You can use your cash card to take money
out of Santander cash machines in the
UK free of charge. You can also use cash
machines which display the LINK symbol,
and we will not charge you for this. Cash
machines give you access to your money
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Other companies may charge you for using
cash machines. Please see our Interest
Rates and Fees Information leaflet for more
information or you can also print a copy
from our website at www.santander.co.uk
Card security
We usually send your cash card in the
post. Sometimes, you may have to collect
it from a branch for security reasons. If this
happens, we will send you a letter
to let you know it is there. You will need
to bring identification, such as a passport
or driving licence when you collect your card.
Keeping track of
your money
We will send you a statement each month
to help you keep track of your money. It will
give you a breakdown of all the transactions
on your account that have taken place
since your previous statement. You can
also get an instant mini-statement from any
Santander cash machine in the UK, over the
phone using the Telephone Banking service,
or by using Online or Mobile Banking.
You can also check your balance over the
phone, at any cash machine and at post
offices in the UK, and online.
You can also use Online and Telephone
Banking, which you can apply for on your
account application form. As part of the
Online Banking service we offer free text
message and email Account Alerts to help
you keep informed about your money.
Making payments
We have a range of options that allow
you to make payments into or out of your
account in the way that suits you best.
These are:
n
cash;
n
standing orders;
n
Direct Debits; and
n
a bill-payment service.
Cash
Paying in cash
You can pay in cash and cheques at
any Santander branch cash machine, or
Santander branch in the UK.
Knowing when your cash is available
If you pay cash in at a cash machine, the
money will be made available to you before
12 midnight of the following working day
after the day it is paid in.
Withdrawing cash
You can use your card at any Santander or
LINK cash machine to withdraw cash.
You can withdraw money over the counter
in our branches, as long as your withdrawals
are not less than £300.
Please call us on 0845 972 4724 if you need
more information, or see the Interest Rates
and Fees Information leaflet.
05
Current Accounts – Information
Knowing when cheques have cleared
If you pay in a cheque over the counter,
the money will normally be available on the
fourth working day after it is paid in. This
does not mean that the cheque has cleared.
If a cheque is later returned unpaid, we will
take the amount out of your account up to
and including the sixth working day after the
day you paid the cheque into your account.
The timescales in the table below are for
cheques paid in over the counter at a branch
and show when we aim to make funds
available to you. If you pay cheques in using a
Santander cash machine, there will be an extra
working day before you can withdraw the
money and be certain that the money is yours.
The timescales given in this table are only a
general guide as to when we aim to make
funds available to you. The time it takes us
to process cheques in a currency other than
sterling will vary. Separate conditions apply
to paying in foreign currency cheques.
Cheque clearance timescales
Day cheque paid in
Day we allow you to
withdraw the money
Day you can be sure the
money is yours
Monday
Friday
Following Wednesday
Tuesday
Monday
Following Thursday
Wednesday
Tuesday
Following Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
Following Monday
Friday
Thursday
Following Tuesday
Saturday
Friday
Following Wednesday
Sunday
Friday
Following Wednesday
06
Your salary
You can pay your salary or any other income
(for example, benefits, standing orders
from other people and so on) into your
account automatically.
Standing orders
You can tell us to pay a set amount out of
your account on a regular basis. This can
go into any other account; for example, a
savings account or someone else’s account
(for example, to pay rent each month). To
set up a standing order, simply fill in a form
telling us who to pay, how often and what
the amount is. Please give us seven days to
deal with your request. You can use Online
Banking or visit any Santander branch to
set up a standing order.
Cancelling or changing your
standing order
If you need to cancel or change your
standing order, you can do so over the
phone, through Online Banking or in a
branch. You must tell us the day before the
payment is due to go out of your account.
Direct Debits
To set up a Direct Debit, get a form from
the company you want to pay. Remember
to give the Santander address when you fill
it in. As long as you have given permission
in writing (by signing the form) and the
company has been approved by its own
bankers, we will arrange for the company to
collect the money direct from your account.
The Direct Debit Guarantee
The form you fill in should have a
guarantee attached. If there is a mistake
with your Direct Debit, you are entitled
to a full refund.
If the form does not have a guarantee, the
payment is known as a recurring transaction
and is not protected in the same way as a
guaranteed Direct Debit. Also, you may not
be asked to sign anything and a transaction
may take place without you receiving
anything in writing relating to the payment.
Cancelling your Direct Debit
You can use Online Banking or go into a
branch to cancel a Direct Debit. If you do
cancel, please tell both us and the company
concerned. You must tell us the day before the
payment is due to go out of your account.
If you need to make regular payments to
suppliers, for example, to pay hire-purchase
amounts, gas, electricity or water bills and so
on, you can authorise organisations to take
money out of your account on a regular
basis. Some organisations offer a discount if
you pay by Direct Debit.
07
Current Accounts – Information
Paying bills
When you set up your bill payments, we
will give you a two-digit number for each
bill. You need to use this number to identify
the bill that you want to pay when you
make payments by phone, Online Banking
or through a cash machine. You can pay as
much or as little of the bill as you want.
Unpaid Transactions
Basic Current Accounts do not offer
overdraft facilities. Each time you ask us to
make a payment and there isn’t enough
money in your account to cover it, we will
not pay it and no fee will be charged for this.
International payments
We offer you several convenient ways to
send and receive money worldwide. The
method you choose really depends on how
much money is involved, and how quickly
you need to move it.
n
Send a small, non-urgent payment to
someone abroad, in a foreign currency.
n
Send money quickly (in either sterling
or in a foreign currency) to a non-UK
current account.
n
Receive money from someone who has a
non-UK current account.
n
Pay in a cheque in a foreign currency.
For more information on how much
we charge for this service, please ask in
branch to see our Interest Rates and Fees
Information leaflet.
08
Send a small, non-urgent payment to
someone abroad
We suggest you use a currency draft. This
works just like a cheque, except it’s drawn
in local currency on a foreign bank.
Ask for a currency draft at your branch. Two
days after the money is taken from your
account, we can send the draft to you, or
you can collect it from the Santander branch
where you ordered it.
Then, simply send it to the person you want
to pay.
The exchange rate we use will be the rate
on the day that we take the money from
your account.
Send money quickly to a non-UK
current account
If you need to get money to someone
quickly, use a telegraphic transfer. This
allows you to send money direct to
someone’s current account as long as you
have the correct account information for the
person you want to pay and the details of
their bank.
We can send telegraphic transfers in most
currencies. There may be a charge for this
service. Please visit our website
www.santander.co.uk for more details.
If you’re transferring money to a country
in the European Union (including Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway), the money should
normally arrive in the account of the person
you want to pay no later than the end of the
working day following the working day on
which we receive the instruction.
If you’re transferring money to other
countries, these timescales might be
different. Please check with your
local branch.
The exchange rate we use will be the rate
on the day we take the money from
your account.
Please make sure you bring your Basic
cash card and proof of your ID. We may
also ask you some standard security
questions about your account. For more
details of other acceptable identification,
please call 0845 972 4724.
Receive money from someone who has
a non-UK current account
Any telegraphic transfer we receive for you,
from a bank that is abroad, will be in your
account by close of business on the day we
receive the payment using our exchange rate
on that day.
Paying in a cheque in a foreign currency
You can pay cheques in foreign currency
into your account as long as they’ve been
made payable to you and are no more than
six months old. We use two different ways
to clear these cheques.
We will normally send the cheque to the
bank it came from, asking for payment
on your behalf. In this case, we’ll need to
wait to receive the money before paying it
into your account. Just so that you know,
cheques cleared this way usually take
between four and eight weeks to clear,
depending on the country they come from.
Or, we can decide to pay money into your
account within six working days without
needing to receive confirmation of clearance
from the bank on which the cheque was
drawn. However, we can take the money
out of your account if the cheque is later
returned unpaid. If this happens, we will
make extra charges.
In both cases, the amount of the cheque
will be converted to sterling at the
exchange rate on the day we pay the
money into your account.
09
Current Accounts – Information
Making banking easy
With over 1,400 Santander branches across the UK, online access 24 hours a day,
a dedicated telephone team available seven days a week, and access to your account at
post offices, you can manage your money how you want at a time convenient to you.
Access at a glance
Branch
Santander
Telephone Online Mobile iPhone
cash
Banking Banking Banking
app
machine*
Check your balance and get a mini-statement
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Order a copy statement
✓
✓
✓
✓
✗
✗
Transfer money to a Santander account
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Transfer money to another
current account (see note 1)
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Pay a bill
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
View your standing orders and Direct Debits
✓
✓
✓
✓
✗
✗
Set up a standing order or bill payment
✓
✗
✓
✓
✗
✗
Order a new card if yours is damaged
✓
✗
✓
✓
✗
✗
Set up Account Alerts**
✗
✗
✗
✓
✓
✓
Manage Account Alerts**
✗
✗
✗
✓
✓
✓
✓
*You can only withdraw cash or check your balance from third parties’ cash machines. Some third parties may charge a fee.
**You can set up two email or text message alerts in Mobile Banking for when your balance goes above or below a
certain amount. You can also see all the other alerts you have set up in Online Banking, such as when a large deposit or
payment is made.
Note 1: For transfers using our cash machines, Mobile Banking, iPhone app or Telephone Banking service, you must
register beforehand the account details of the account you want to transfer money to.
10
Your account is in safe hands
Online Banking
We understand how important it is for you
to know your details are protected. That’s
why we have introduced security measures
on our Telephone, Online and Mobile
Banking. This means that only you will be
able to have access to your account.
1 Go online at www.santander.co.uk,
call us on 0845 972 4724 or speak to us
in any branch.
Remote access in three easy steps
3 Log on to Personal Online Banking at
www.santander.co.uk to manage
your account.
Registering for Telephone and Online
Banking is simple and you can do it over the
phone, online or when you apply for your
account on your application form.
Just follow these easy steps.
Telephone Banking
1 Call us on 0845 972 4724
2 We will send you a Telephone Banking
Number (TBN).
3 Call 0845 972 4724 with your card
number and TBN so you can manage
your account.
There are two options to manage your
account by phone, using either the
automated service (which is available
24 hours a day) or by speaking to a
customer service adviser (Monday to
Saturday 7am to 11pm and Sunday
8am to 10pm).
2 We will send you a Personal ID and
Passcode. We will then send you your
Registration number.
Mobile Banking
You can now manage your accounts on
the go with our Mobile Banking service.
1 To access our Mobile Banking service, you
need to be registered for Online Banking and
have logged on to www.santander.co.uk
at least once.
2 Type m.santander.co.uk into your mobile
phone’s internet browser and use the
same Online Banking security information
to access your accounts on the move.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can also
download our free app from the Apple
App Store.
11
Current Accounts – Information
Jargon buster
Cash card
Online Banking Registration number
A card that can only be used in cash
machines to take money out or put it in.
It also allows you to use other services at
a cash machine; for example, to check how
much money you have in your account
We use this, along with your Passcode,
to confirm your identity when you use
Online Banking.
PIN
When you pay a cheque into your account,
we have to check that there is enough
money in the other person’s account and
then get it from their bank. The time it takes
is called the cheque-clearance timescales.
This is your personal identification number. It
is a four-digit number that we give you with
your cash card. You need to type in your
PIN when you take money out of a cash
machine. You should never reveal your PIN
to anyone else. As long as only you know
the PIN, then only you can use your cards.
Direct Debit
Santander branches
This is a simple, direct way for companies
to take money from your account if you
authorise them to do so. You can use it to
pay regular bills, such as gas, electricity or
mobile phone bills. The company asks us
for the money automatically each month.
With some bills, for example phone bills, the
amount that the company takes may change
each month.
Where we have referred to Santander
branches in this guide, it relates to those
Santander branches based in the UK.
Cheque-clearance timescales
LINK cash machines
LINK is a UK network of cash machines. You
can use LINK cards to take out money from
cash machines where you see the LINK sign.
Online Banking
This is the service that allows you to manage
your money online. It is another name for
‘electronic banking’. We have included the
benefits of Online Banking and how to
register in this guide.
12
Standing order
This is a way for you to make regular
payments to another account. It is useful for
payments such as rent or mortgage. When
you set this up, we arrange for the money
to be paid out of your account on a set date
each month. You just need to tell us the
amount, the account that it is going to,
and the date that you want us to pay out
the money.
TBN
This is your telephone banking number. It
helps us to identify you when you bank with
us by phone. As a result it helps to keep
your account secure. You should not reveal
it to anyone else.
Telephone Banking
This is the service that allows you to manage
your account by phone. You can do things
such as listen to your balance, pay bills, or
report lost or stolen cards. You can find out
how to register for Telephone Banking in
this guide.
13
Current Accounts – Information
Basic Account Specific Conditions
These Specific Conditions are in addition
to the General Terms and Conditions for
Current Accounts and Savings Accounts
(‘the General Conditions’).
A1 Eligibility
To open an account you must be 16 or
over and not already have a Basic Account
with us.
A2 Joint accounts
A2.1 Subject to A2.2, two of you (but
not more) may have an account in
joint names.
A2.2 In some limited circumstances, an
account may be opened in sole name
only. If this applies, we will tell you at the
time of application.
A3 Paying money in
A3.1 General
a) You may pay money into your account
over the counter in our branches or by
using your card at some of our cash
machines. You may only pay in sterling
bank notes or coins and sterling cheques
made payable to you.
b) You cannot pay money in at a Post Office.
14
A4 Taking money out
A4.1 In addition to the means stated in
the General Conditions, you can carry
out transactions at the Post Office. This
is limited to two transactions a day per
account. There is also a limit to the
amount of money you can take out in any
one day and we will tell you how much
this is before you open your account.
A5 Overdrafts
Our overdraft services are not available
on the Basic Account.
A6 Unpaid Transactions
If you try to make a payment from your
account without enough money in
it to cover that amount, we will not let you
have that money or make that payment
and no fee will be charged for this.
15
Santander is able to provide literature in alternative formats. The formats available are: large print, Braille
and audio CD. If you would like to register to receive correspondence in an alternative format please visit
www.santander.co.uk/alternativeformats for more information, ask us in branch or give us a call.
BANK 0464 OCT 13 HF
Santander UK plc. Registered Office: 2 Triton Square, Regent’s Place, London, NW1 3AN, United Kingdom. Registered Number 2294747.
Registered in England. www.santander.co.uk. Telephone 0870 607 6000. Calls may be recorded or monitored. Authorised by the Prudential
Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, except in respect of its
consumer credit products for which Santander UK plc is licensed and regulated by the Office of Fair Trading. Our Financial Services Register
number is 106054. Santander UK plc is also licensed by the Financial Supervision Commission of the Isle of Man for its branch in the Isle
of Man. Deposits held with the Isle of Man branch are covered by the Isle of Man Depositors’ Compensation Scheme as set out in the Isle
of Man Depositors’ Compensation Scheme Regulations 2010. In the Isle of Man, Santander UK plc’s principal place of business is at 19/21
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