What is a Direct Debit?
A Direct Debit is an easy and convenient way to make payments. Many companies use them to take regular and occasional payments from your bank account for bills and memberships. You can also have variable Direct Debits to pay for things like energy bills, which may change from month to month. The company will let you know in advance when they're due to collect your Direct Debit.
Direct Debits, standing orders and recurring card payments are all types of automatic payments but they're quite different from each other.
- A Direct Debit is when you give a company permission to take money from your account by giving them your sort code and account number.
- A standing order is when you set up fixed, regular payments with your bank to pay friends, relatives or even your rent.
- A recurring card payment is set up using your card number and is often used for online streaming services and subscriptions.
You can view your Direct Debits in Mobile and Online Banking.
If you want to move a Direct Debit to be paid from a different account, you’ll need to speak to the company the Direct Debit is with, unless you're moving all of your Direct Debits as part of switching your current account
How is a Direct Debit set up?
A Direct Debit is set up by a company once you give them permission to collect payments from your bank account to pay a bill. You have to contact these companies to set up Direct Debits yourself as we can’t do this for you.
When agreeing to pay a company by Direct Debit, they may ask you to fill out a form to confirm that you’re happy with the payments being taken. They’ll also ask for your sort code and account number, which can be found on your card, statement, or in Online Banking
The company may also ask for our address, which is:
Santander Banking
Operations, Sunderland
SR43 4FP
If you’re looking to send regular payments to a relative, friend or landlord, you can set up a standing order
Changing Direct Debit payments to your Santander credit card
You can easily set up or change the Direct Debit payments to your Santander credit card online.
- Log on to Online Banking
- Click the ‘Credit cards’ tab in the top menu
- Click ‘Set up/amend Direct Debit’ on the left-hand side
- Choose the amount you want to repay each month (full payment, minimum payment or fixed payment)
- Add the sort code and account number of the current account you want to take payments from (this can be a non-Santander account)
Read our credit card repayments page for more information.
The easiest way to cancel a Direct Debit is within Mobile or Online Banking. Please make sure that you cancel the Direct Debit by 8pm on the working day before the payment is due to be taken from your account. Otherwise, you run the risk of the Direct Debit being taken from your account. If a payment has been taken, please read the 'Refund for a Direct Debit' section below.
You’ll also need to contact the company and cancel the Direct Debit with them.
If you’re struggling to pay a Direct Debit, speaking with the company can also help as they may be able to organise a payment plan for you. If you feel concerned about making a payment, please read our money worries page.
If you’re using Mobile or Online Banking to cancel a Direct Debit for a Santander product like a credit card, you don’t need to get in touch with us. However, if you’re cancelling the Direct Debit with us because you’re experiencing financial difficulties, please contact us to find out how we can help.
Mobile Banking
You can easily cancel a Direct Debit in our Mobile Banking app. You'll find step-by-step instructions in our mobile guide
If you’re already using Online Banking, download our Mobile Banking app for your phone or device. Then you can log on with the same details you use for Online Banking and you’re ready to go.
You can download our app on your smartphone or device from the iOS App Store or the Google Play Store. Just click on one of the logos below to get started. We don’t ever recommend downloading apps from other third-party sites.
If you haven’t signed up for Online and Mobile Banking yet, you can get started today.
Can’t log on to your account? Visit our trouble logging on page for help and tips.
Online Banking
Cancelling a Direct Debit
- Log on to Online Banking
- Click the ‘Direct Debits' tab at the top of the page.
- Click the ‘Actions’ column.
- Choose ‘Take me to’ in the drop-down menu.
- Choose ‘Cancel’ and click ‘Confirm’.
Can’t find your Direct Debit?
If you used your card to set up regular payments with a company (often done for online streaming services), then this type of payment is different to a Direct Debit. For more information, please read our recurring card transactions page.
To see if a payment taken out of your account was a Direct Debit, you can view the details of the transaction in your statement. The payment will appear with a transaction description of ‘DIRECT DEBIT PAYMENT’. To view transaction descriptions in the app, simply click on the transaction for more information.
Alternatively, you can contact us
If you know the company you set up the Direct Debit with, you can often get a refund directly from them.
When can you ask for a refund?
You may be able to get a refund through us if a Direct Debit was paid in error. This type of refund is also known as a ‘Direct Debit indemnity’ and could be for an incorrect amount, or a payment taken on the wrong date. If an error hasn’t been made, you may have to pay back the amount refunded to the company or to us.
You won’t be able to claim a refund if:
- You paid on your debit card
- You’re in dispute with the company
- You forgot to cancel the Direct Debit
- You haven’t received the goods and/or services
- You’ve returned the goods and/or services
The easiest way to see if you can claim a refund and raise an indemnity is to log on to your Online or Mobile Banking. Simply log on, click the ‘Chat with us’ tab on the right-hand side of the screen, type ‘Direct Debit indemnity’ into chat and we’ll be able to help you.
Don’t have online banking? Get started online
Alternatively, you can contact us
To reinstate a cancelled or expired Direct Debit, you can get in touch with the company to set the payment back up.
Alternatively, if you’re having any issues re-instating your Direct Debit, please contact us
We can only amend the amount you pay and the date if the Direct Debit is with us, for example to pay your Santander credit card or mortgage.
If you want to amend a Direct Debit that you have with another company, you’ll need to get in touch with them to change it.
If you’d like to amend the Direct Debit payments to your Santander credit card, you can do this easily online:
- Log on to Online Banking
- Click the ‘Credit cards’ tab in the top menu
- Click ‘Set up/amend Direct Debit’ on the left-hand side
- Choose the amount you want to repay each month (full payment, minimum payment or fixed payment)
- Add the sort code and account number of the current account you want to take payments from (this can be a non-Santander account)
Alternatively, you can contact us
If you'd like to change the way your mortgage Direct Debit is set up, please contact us