Moving money and paying bills

Standing orders

A standing order is an instruction to make payments from your account, usually on a regular basis, to a specified UK bank or building society. Examples of use include fixed monthly payments and annual club membership fees. If the payment amount or payment date changes, you'll need to update your standing order.

To set up a standing order

Desktop:

1. Click ‘More actions’ next to the relevant account, then select ‘Direct Debits and Standing Orders’ followed by ‘Set up a Standing Order’.

2. Click on ‘Pay someone new +’ and enter the payees details. Please ensure you have the correct spelling before continuing.

3. Complete payment details and then click ‘Continue’.

4. Review payee details and then click ‘Confirm Standing Order’.

5. To approve a new payment we will need to call you.

6. Select the best number to call you on and confirm the code on your computer screen when we call you.

7. Your payment is now set up.

App:

1. Tap on the three dots next to the relevant account and then select ‘Standing Orders & Direct Debits’, followed by ‘Set up Standing Order’.

2. Tap ‘Choose who to pay’ and then ‘+Pay someone new’ – you can set up payments to a UK account (a person) or a company, an International bank account or Pay a contact using their UK mobile number (if they are registered).

3. Choose the type of payment you want to make.

4. Enter payee’s details and then tap ‘Continue’. Payees account details will be checked. If details do not match you can either continue or amend the payee’s details.

5. Complete payment details, then tap ‘Continue’.

6. Confirm details are correct and the hit ‘Confirm’.

7. You’ll be asked for your password or fingerprint as a final step to confirm the new payment.

8. Your Standing Order is now set up. 

Last payment date

You can specify the date of the last payment you want to make for your standing order.

Select the ‘Further notice’ option if you do not know the last payment date, or want the standing order to continue indefinitely. You can always delete the standing order at a later date if you wish.

Standing order payments

Payments are only sent on working days and the money won't leave your account until we make the payment. If the standing order is due to leave your account on a weekend or bank holiday, your account will be debited on the next available bank working day when the payment is sent.

Where possible we will send standing orders from your Halifax or Bank of Scotland bank account through the Faster Payments Service. As a result, payments may arrive in the receiving account on the same day they leave your account. You don't need to do anything to send your standing orders faster; we do this automatically.

Please ensure you have sufficient funds in your account the day before any payments are due.

To view an existing standing order

To view an existing standing order select your account from the 'My accounts' page. Then select the 'Direct debits & standing orders' tab. This page displays your existing standing orders.

To amend or delete a standing order

Desktop:

1. Click more actions next to the relevant account.

2. Select Direct Debits and Standing Orders.

3. Click ‘Manage Standing Orders’.

4. Then select ‘Edit’ or ‘Cancel’. 

App:

1. Tap on the three dots next to the relevant account and then select ‘Standing Orders’

2. Select the Standing Order you want to amend or delete.

3. Tap ‘Amend’ or ‘Delete’.

Direct Debits

To set up a Direct Debit

As a Direct Debit is set up to collect money from your account by another organisation, the setting up of the Direct Debit will be done by them through their bank or building society, using the account details you would have supplied them at the time you purchased the goods or services.

To view a Direct Debit

To view an existing Direct Debit select your account from the 'My accounts' page. Then select the 'Direct debits & standing orders' tab. This page displays your existing Direct Debits.

You can’t change a Direct Debit yourself online. If you want to change anything, such as the payment date, you'll need to contact the company you’re paying the Direct Debit to.

To cancel a Direct Debit

You can cancel a direct debit yourself online, either through Internet Banking or our Mobile Banking app.

If you’re cancelling a Direct Debit before making a final payment, you should also always tell the company you’re paying.

Important:

If you’ve been financially affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and are struggling to meet your monthly Direct Debit payments for any Bank of Scotland product, you can ask us for a payment holiday.

Please don’t cancel your Direct Debit without speaking to us first, as missing a monthly payment could harm your credit score in future.

You’ll find more information about payment holidays on our Coronavirus help & support page.
 

How to cancel a Direct Debit using Internet Banking  on your computer – step by step

1. Choose the 'More Actions' button on your account.
2. Open 'Direct Debits and standing orders‘.
3. Click 'Manage Direct Debits'.
4. Find the Direct Debit you want to cancel and click 'Cancel' next to it.

How to cancel a Direct Debit using our Mobile Banking app – step by step

1. On the app homepage, tap the three dots icon next to your account.
2. The account menu will appear - tap 'Standing Orders & Direct Debits'.
3. Tap the Direct Debit you want to cancel, then tap ‘Delete’ underneath it.

Our demo shows you how to view and delete a Direct Debit.

Faster payments

More information on Faster Payments.

Bill Payments

Paying bills online, such as your electricity, gas or phone bill is easy and convenient.

What information do I need?

You will be asked for the details of the organisation or person you want to pay. These will be:

• An account name – this is usually the name of the organisation or person to whom the bill or transfer is payable, for example 'British Gas', 'BT' or 'John Smith'
• An account sort code (6 digits)
• An account number (usually 8 digits)
• A reference – this is additional information that will help you and the recipient identify what the payment is for. For example, this could be a unique customer reference shown on a bill, credit card account number or an invoice number.
• If you do not have these details, you may need to contact the organisation or person who sent you the bill and ask for them. Often however, you can find them on the bill itself.

How do I pay a bill?

You make bill payments in the same way you would pay another person.

If using our Internet Banking website:

1. Select the ‘Payments and transfers’ option next to the account you wish to pay from

2. Select ‘Pay someone new’

3. Enter the recipient’s account name, sort code and account number

4. Click the check box that asks, ‘Are you paying a business?’ and then click ‘Continue’

5. In some cases, a list of companies will be now be provided for you to choose from. Select the one that is relevant to the bill you are paying

6. Enter the amount you wish to pay and your payment reference

7. If desired, you can also schedule the payment for a future date here. You can schedule your payment for any working day up to 31 days in advance. Do this by selecting a date from the list provided

8. Click ‘Continue’ to proceed

9. Review the payment information to confirm it is correct

10. Click ‘Make payment’.

If using our Mobile Banking app:

1. Tap the ‘Pay & transfer’ option at the bottom of the screen

2. Confirm which account you would like to pay from

3. Tap ‘Choose who to pay’

4. Tap ‘Pay someone new’

5. Select the option for a ‘UK account or company’

6. Enter the recipient’s account name, sort code and account number

7. Tap the check box that asks, ‘Are you paying a business?’ and then tap ‘Continue’

8. In some cases, a list of companies will be now be provided for you to choose from. Select the one that is relevant to the bill you are paying

9. Enter the amount you wish to pay and your payment reference

10. If desired, you can also schedule the payment for a future date here. You can schedule your payment for any working day up to 31 days in advance. Do this by selecting a date from

the list provided

11. Tap ‘Continue’ to proceed

12. Review the payment information to confirm it is correct

13. Tap ‘Confirm’ to make your bill payment

Paying a recipient you have paid before

Once you have paid an organisation or person in online banking once, you will not need to re-enter their details.

If using our Internet Banking website:

1. Select the ‘Payments and transfers’ option next to the account you wish to pay from

2. Click ‘Select account or recipient’ to be shown a list of recipients you have paid before

3. Find and select the person or organisation you would like to pay again

4. Enter the amount you wish to pay

5. Update the reference or schedule the payment for a future date, if desired. Click ‘Continue’ to proceed

6. Review the payment information to confirm it is correct

7. Click ‘Make payment’ to make your bill payment

If using our Mobile Banking app:

1. Select the ‘Pay & transfer’ option at the bottom of the screen

2. Confirm which account you would like to pay from

3. Tap ‘Choose who to pay’ to be shown a list of recipients you have paid before

4. Find and select the person or organisation you would like to pay again

5. Enter the amount you wish to pay

6. Update the reference or schedule the payment for a future date, if desired. Then, click ‘Continue’

7. Review the payment information to confirm it is correct

8. Tap ‘Confirm’ to make your bill payment

To amend or delete pending bill payments (desktop only)

If you have scheduled your bill payment for a future date, you may want to amend or delete it.

It is currently only possible to do this on our Internet Banking website and not our Mobile Banking app.

Please ensure you make any amendments or deletions at least 1 working day before the payment is due so the changes have time to take effect.

To amend or delete your scheduled bill payment:

1. Select the ‘More actions’ option next to the account your payment is scheduled to come from

2. A menu should now appear with several options. Select the option at the top, named ‘Payments and Transfers’. This will reveal several more options below. Select the one that says ‘Manage pending payments’

3. On the next screen, you will see a section named ‘Pending Payments’. Your future dated payment should be visible here

4. To amend the payment, select ‘Amend’

5. To delete the payment, select the icon which looks like a cross. You will be asked to enter your password to confirm the deletion of your payment.

Timescales

Most of the time payments you make arrive in the receiving account straight-away (usually within 2 hours). However, some can take up to 4 working days to arrive. This depends on the type of account you are paying.

If scheduling payments in advance, please ensure you have sufficient funds in your account the day before any payments are due. You do not need to do anything to send your payments faster; we will send them in the quickest way possible.

Other information

This page describes how to pay bills in pounds within the UK. To make a payment to a foreign currency account please refer to the Sending money outside the UK section.

Referred for authorisation – To help prevent our customers from online fraud, in certain situations, we may further investigate a request to pay a bill / transfer funds from your account.

We will take steps to ensure this is a genuine request before allowing the payment.

How we process payments

A reminder about payment of Standing Orders/Direct Debits/Cheques/Future Dated Payments

We make payments from your account shortly after midnight at the start of the due date. If your payment date falls on a non-working day, then we will try to collect your payment the next working day.

If you don’t have enough funds in your account at this point to make a payment, we will try to make a payment again after 2.30pm the same day. This gives you the chance to put extra funds into your account so that we can make the payment. The money needs to be available to use straight away, so you could transfer money from another personal account you have with us via Internet, Mobile or Telephone Banking or pay in cash over the counter in branch.

If you do not have enough funds at the beginning of a day to make a payment:

• You have until 2.30pm to pay money into your account to make the payment that day.
  
• If a payment takes you overdrawn, you have until midnight to pay money into your account to avoid daily overdraft interest for that day.

For Standing Orders and Future Dated Payments only

If there are still not enough available funds, we will make a final try on the next working day before rejecting the payment. Details of our fees and charges can be found in the Banking Charges guide.

Transfer money between accounts

Desktop:

1. Go to account screen.

2. Click ‘make a quick transfer’ above your accounts.

3. Type the amount you want to transfer.

4. Select the account you want to transfer from.

5. Select the account you want to transfer to.

6. Click ‘Transfer’.

App:

1. Tap ‘Pay & transfer’ from the bottom navigation bar.

2. Select the account you want to transfer from and to.

3. Type the amount you want to send.

4. Hit ‘Continue’.

Sending money outside the UK or in a foreign currency

You can set up payments from the online service to send funds overseas electronically.  See our payments section for more information.

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