This accessibility statement applies to the Santander website santander.co.uk, our current account application forms and Online Banking.
We aim to be an inclusive and accessible bank. Focussed on what our customers and colleagues need, we want to be there for the moments that matter. We’re on a journey to improve what we do and our workplaces for everyone. This includes our products, managing your account or talking about what we do.
Using our digital services
We’re working to increase the accessibility and usability of our services. We’re working towards level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.
That means you should be able to:
- zoom in to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software, and
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader.
Limitations and exceptions
We’re working to make sure our services are inclusive. However we know some parts of our website need improvements. We’ve listed them here to help you understand how to use these services.
Website
- The menu section doesn’t say whether it’s in an open or closed state to screen readers until you interact with it. This is due to be fixed in 2024.
Opening an account
- The application form for a current account has some unlabelled questions in the personal details sections. If you use a screen reader, you won’t know the purpose of these inputs fields.
- When applying for an account, we'll need some information about your identify. If you use a keyboard to navigate online, you won't be able to activate the 'Add another nationality' button.
- We'll need your address. If you can't find your address using our look up, you'll need to click on the 'Can't find your address?' link. However, you can't go to this link with a keyboard.
Or you can open an account by visiting us in branch
Online banking - moving money
- For security reasons, we log any customer out after 5 minutes of no activity. There's no option to increase this time. Please be aware of this when making payments.
- When attempting to move money you might be asked to use a ‘One Time Passcode’ for security. Sometimes you may need us to resend this passcode. However, the resend link to do this sometimes isn't available for people who use screen readers, voice activation or keyboards to get around online.
To make things easier, you can instead move money by:
- calling us on 0330 9 123 123 (freephone), or
- visiting a branch.
Emails
- Some emails don't have proper heading styles. This means that people who use screen readers may find it more difficult to browse content and go from heading to heading.
- Some images don't have alt text (alternative descriptions) to describe what the image is. If this happens, then screen readers may read out irrelevant information.
Accessibility assessment
We partner with the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) to run regular tests. They run reviews of our content against the WCAG 2.2 guidelines.
They run a range of manual tests using the following technology:
- Assistive technologies
- Jaws Screen Reader
- NVDA Screen Reader
- Dragon Voice Activation
- Windows Magnifier
- Zoom Text
- Voiceover Screen Reader
- Talkback Screen Reader
- Screen Magnification
- Pinch to Zoom
- System inverted Colours
Browsers
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Edge
- Safari
Operating Systems
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- MacOS
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We regularly test our digital content for accessibility. We make sure that any outstanding accessibility concerns or issues are added to our list of future fixes.
The statement was prepared and published May 2024.
Other ways we can help
If you need help with managing your money, we have options that could help you.
To see what help is available (for yourself or someone else) visit supported banking
Power of Attorney lets you arrange for someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf and manage your finances on your behalf.
You may want to do this due to a change in your health or circumstances. If you don’t need someone to help you now, you can also set up a Power of Attorney for the future too.
We want to increase the accessibility and usability of our services. You can see how we’re working towards this in our accessibility statement
Tell us once
We all need help sometimes. If something’s affecting how you manage your accounts, we may be able to help.
With tell us once, you can let an adviser know if you need support. They can then add a note to your account so you don't have to tell us again.
To tell us about any support you need, either call us, visit a branch, or use Chat when you’re logged onto Online or Mobile banking. Just type ‘tell us once’ into the Chat conversation.