Direct Debits

From amending a Direct Debit to the Direct Debit Guarantee – here’s everything you need to know.

A Direct Debit is an agreement between you and a company, which instructs us to let them automatically take a payment from your account.

The payment is for an agreed amount, at an agreed frequency, on an agreed date. The company taking the Direct Debit needs to give you all the details in advance, so you always know what’s happening.

Direct Debits are an easy way to pay things like utility bills and phone contracts.

You’re also protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first], which covers you if a payment is taken in error, after cancellation or is fraudulently taken. The company taking the Direct Debit needs to give you advance notice of any changes to the payment.

Managing your Direct Debit(s)

How to set up a Direct Debit

To set up a Direct Debit, you'll usually sign a Direct Debit mandate or instruction with the company. This gives us permission to let the company collect payments from your bank account.

The agreement will detail the payment amount, frequency and date (this can be on the invoice too). Once the agreement is in place, the company will start taking the payment, giving you one less thing to do.

How to amend a Direct Debit

Direct Debits are controlled by the company you're paying. If you'd like to make changes to the amount you pay or when you pay it, you need to get in touch with the company directly.

You can change the account it debits via Online Banking:

log in and select the account the Direct Debit is on
click 'Manage Money’ then 'Regular Payments'
choose the Direct Debit you want to move
select 'Change 'From' account'
follow the on-screen instructions.

You can also call us on 03 456 100 100 to change the debiting account.

If the Direct Debit you want to change is for a first direct Credit Card, first direct Gold Card or first direct Personal Loan, chat with us on our App. Go to the ‘Help’ section and select ‘Chat now’. Once in chat type 'Amend Direct Debit to Credit Card' to get started.

Or you can chat with us via Online Banking by selecting ‘Message us’. You can also call us on 03 456 100 100

How to cancel a Direct Debit

You can cancel a Direct Debit on our App:

tap the 3 dots next to the account the Direct Debit is paid from
select 'Payments' then 'Manage regular payments'
choose the Direct Debit you want to cancel
press 'Cancel Direct Debit' and follow the on-screen instructions.

You can also cancel a Direct Debit by chatting with us in our App.

Go to the ‘Help’ section and select ‘Chat now’. Or you can chat with us via Online Banking by selecting ‘Message us’. You can also call us on 03 456 100 100.

To stop a payment being made you must cancel your Direct Debit before 4:30pm the working day before the payment is due.

You should also let the payee know that you’ve cancelled the Direct Debit.

Direct Debits

you give permission to a company, such as your energy provider or gym, to take money out of your account whenever a payment is due
the amount can change (for example, your electricity bill could be different each month)
the company is in control of when and how much is taken
you’re protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee, so if a mistake happens, you get your money back

Standing orders

you tell us to send a fixed amount of money regularly (for example, £500 rent on the 1st of every month)
the amount and date stay the same, unless you change or cancel it
you’re in full control, not the payee
there’s no special guarantee — it just does what you set up.

Frequently asked questions

How do I view my Direct Debits?

To view your Direct Debits on our App:

select the 3 dots next to the account the Direct Debit is paid from
go to 'Payments' followed by 'Manage regular payments'

Here you'll see all your active Direct Debits.

You can't view cancelled Direct Debits on our App, you need to log on to Online Banking and go to 'Manage money’. Then select ‘Regular payments‘ and 'View inactive standing orders and Direct Debits’.

Here you can find Direct Debits that have been cancelled or ended within six months of the last payment. You won't be able to view any that were cancelled or expired more than six months ago.

Direct Debits that have been transferred to another first direct account will only show on the original account for four months following the transfer.

What is a Direct Debit guarantee?

The Direct Debit Guarantee Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] protects you if there's an error with a Direct Debit payment. This includes:

payments taken after the Direct Debit is cancelled
payments taken on the wrong date
wrong amounts being collected.

If you're looking to claim against this guarantee, please call us on 03456 100 100.

How do I make a Direct Debit indemnity claim?

A Direct Debit has gone out of my account that I didn't want to pay. What can I do?

When is my Direct Debit due to debit my account?

You can find out when a standing order or Direct Debit is due to debit your account on our App by:

selecting the 3 dots next to the account the standing order/Direct Debit is paid from
choose 'Payments' followed by 'Manage regular payments'.

Here you'll see all your active standing orders and Direct Debits.

You can't view cancelled standing orders or Direct Debits on our App. You need to log on to Online Banking and go to ‘Manage money’ then 'Regular payments' and 'View inactive standing orders and Direct Debits’.

Here you can find standing orders and Direct Debits that have been cancelled or ended within six months of the last payment. You won't be able to view any that were cancelled or expired more than six months ago.

Standing orders and Direct Debits that have been transferred to another first direct account will only show on the original account for four months after the transfer.

How can I set up a Direct Debit to pay my first direct credit card?

You can set up a Direct Debit to pay your credit card by using our chat service in our App. Go to the ‘Help’ section and select ‘Chat now’. Or you can chat with us via Online Banking by selecting ‘Message us’. You can also call us on 03 456 100 100.

You can set up a Direct Debit to pay either:

minimum amount – we’ll collect the minimum payment shown on your statement
fixed amount – you tell us how much you want to pay each month (this needs to be higher than the minimum amount shown on your statement, otherwise we’ll collect the minimum amount)
full amount – we’ll collect the full balance that’s shown on your statement.

You can still make additional payments, which won’t affect the Direct Debit you’ve set up.

Any additional payments made within 3 working days before your Direct Debit date won’t affect your Direct Debit amount.

If you haven’t set up a Direct Debit to repay your credit card, you’ll need to set up payments to cover at least the minimum amount shown on your statement, by the date specified each month.

You can find further information about your credit card, such as the minimum payment and due date, on your statements. You can view these at any time on our App or via Online Banking.

Direct Debits

What’s a Direct Debit?

Managing your Direct Debit(s)

How to set up a Direct Debit

How to amend a Direct Debit

How to cancel a Direct Debit

What are the differences between Direct Debits and standing orders?

Direct Debits

Standing orders

Frequently asked questions

How do I view my Direct Debits?

What is a Direct Debit guarantee?

How do I make a Direct Debit indemnity claim?

A Direct Debit has gone out of my account that I didn't want to pay. What can I do?

When is my Direct Debit due to debit my account?

How can I set up a Direct Debit to pay my first direct credit card?

Can I recall or reverse a Direct Debit?