Frequently Asked Questions

I'm trying to register for Online Banking. Why won't it accept my FlexAccount number?
I'm sure I'm entering my details correctly, so why can't I sign on to Internet Banking?
I have forgotten all or part of my sign on details, what do I do now?
How do I set up a Bill Payment/Single Payment?
Can I make future dated Bill Payments online?
Can I cancel an online transfer?
How do I pay my Nationwide Credit Card bill online?
How do I pay my Nationwide Mortgage online?
How do I pay money into another bank/building society account?
I've activated an e-Savings. When will this show?
Can I set up a regular transfer to my e-Savings?
When does interest get paid on my e-Savings?
Can I cancel a direct debit online?
Can I make a transfer from my passbook account?
I want to download my details into MS Money. How do I sign on?
Can I use Internet Banking at work?
Why does my Child Trust Fund have a zero balance?
How do I close my e-account?

1. I'm trying to register for Online Banking. Why won't it accept my FlexAccount number?

If you have a FlexAccount you should key the six digit sort code and the 8 digit number as it appears on your FlexAccount card or statement. Sometimes a FlexAccount number has 9 digits with a 6 as the first digit. If this is the case, you may ignore the 6 and use the following 8 digits with the sort code.

2. I'm sure I'm entering my details correctly, so why can't I sign on to Internet Banking?

The message, "your details have been entered incorrectly", only appears when the sign-on details entered do not match the sign-on details registered on the Internet. Please see below for advice on how to check your sign-on details and memorable data format:

Customer number:
This is not the same as your Account Number and would have been sent to you when you registered for the Online Banking service. If you have forgotten the number, please call Nationwide Direct on 08457 30 20 10. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will be happy to remind you of the number.

Memorable data:
Please check that you are entering your memorable data correctly:

A memorable date should be entered as an 8 digit number in the format "ddmmyyyy".
A memorable name should be words between 6 - 12 letters long.
A memorable place should be words between 6 - 12 letters long.

If the memorable data is entered incorrectly, you may use either of the two remaining pieces of data.

Passnumber:
If the passnumber is entered incorrectly, you will need to re-register as we are unable to find out your existing password due to it being encrypted as a security precaution.

To re-register, use the following link: http://www.nationwide.co.uk. Choose the 'Register' option below the Internet Banking logo, located at the top left corner of the page. You will receive a reminder of your customer number and a new passnumber in the post within seven working days.

Once re-registered, please do not attempt to Sign-On until you have received your new Sign-On details, even if you recall your old details. To do so will invalidate the new details.

3. I have forgotten all or part of my sign on details, what do I do now?

If you have forgotten your:

Customer number:
Please call Nationwide Direct on 08457 30 20 10. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We will be happy to remind you of the number.

Memorable data:
If you have forgotten one piece of your memorable data, you may use either of the two remaining pieces of data. If you are not able to remember any of the memorable data you supplied, you will need to re-register for the Online Banking service.

Passnumber:
We are unable to find out your existing password due to it being encrypted as a security precaution. You will need to re-register for the Online Banking service.

Once re-registered, please do not attempt to Sign-On until you have received your new Sign-On details, even if you recall your old details. To do so will invalidate the new details.

4. How do I set up a Bill Payment/Single Payment?

Bill Payments are now called Single Payments on the Internet Bank

If you would like to pay bills or make payments to other bank accounts using Internet Banking, you can arrange for them to be paid through your FlexAccount.

Bill payment arrangements can be set-up and payments made on the same day.

You can find out more about our bill payment facility in our Demo.

More detailed instructions of how to set up payments are below:

Step One - Setting up the bill payment

Sign-on to the Internet Banking service.
Select your FlexAccount from the list in 'My Accounts' screen.
Select the 'Payments & Transfers' option from the menu on the left.
Click on the 'Set up new single arrangement' link.

You will now be taken to the 'Setting up a new single arrangement' screen.

To set up a bill payment for an individual person:

In the 'Payment category' drop-down menu, select 'Person outside Nationwide' then click on 'Next'.
Enter the name, sort code, account number and reference of the person you wish to make the payment to. In the description, you can enter anything you wish – this will appear on your bill payment options once it is set up. Click on 'Next'.
All the details you have entered will be re-displayed. You can amend any of these by going back. If you are sure these are correct, click on the 'Confirm' button.

To set up a bill payment for an organisation:

In the 'Payment category' drop-down menu, select the relevant organisation for your new payment arrangement, then click on 'Go'.
Select the name of the organisation you wish to pay then click on 'Next'.
Now complete 'Your reference'. This will usually be your account number. Should you have any doubt about your reference, please contact the company concerned who will be able clarify this for you. Once entered click on 'Next'.
All the details you have entered will be re-displayed. You can amend any of these by going back. If you are sure these are correct, click on the 'Confirm' button.

Please note that we currently have around 1000 organisations listed in the database. If you are unable to find the organisation you wish to pay using the above method, you can click on the 'Search for Organisation' link to the right of the 'Choose your category' drop-down menu. Should you still be unable to locate the desired organisation you wish to pay, you can set up a bill payment manually.

To set up a manual bill payment:

In the 'Choose your category' drop-down menu, scroll to the bottom of the options and select 'Setup details myself'.
Enter the name, description, sort code, account number and reference of the organisation you wish to make the payment to.
Your 'reference/description' is usually your account number with the company you intend to pay. Should you have any doubt about what to enter here, please contact the company concerned who will be able clarify this for you.
In the 'Internet Bank description' you can enter anything you wish – this will appear on your bill payment options once it is set up.
Once you have entered all the details click on 'Next'. All the details you have entered will be re-displayed. You can amend any of these by going back. If you are sure these are correct, click on the 'Confirm and set up' button.

The bill payment arrangement will then appear on your 'Payments & Transfers' screen. To make a bill payment, please follow the steps below:

Step Two - Making the bill payment

Locate the arrangement you wish to make a payment to from the drop-down list in the 'Pay Bill/Transfer Money' tab.
Enter the amount you wish to pay and the date you wish the payment to be made.
Click on 'Next'. Your details will be displayed for you to confirm.

Please allow up to three working days for the payment to reach its destination after the payment has left your FlexAccount.

You can pay up to 99 different organisations regularly, for example; gas and electricity bills, credit cards, store cards and other financial organisations. Please note, the maximum bill payment that can be made is Ł10,000. If you wish to pay larger amounts, simply repeat as necessary.

You can make as many immediate bill payment requests as you wish for each payee. When you make an immediate payment, this will show on your Mini Statement online as soon as you have sent the request.

You can only set up one future dated bill payment per payee at a time. If you set up a future dated payment and an immediate payment to the same payee, on the same day, then both payments will debit your account (assuming that there are sufficient cleared funds).

If you set up more than one future dated payment or additional immediate payments to the same payee when a future dated bill payment is pending, only your last request will be processed. If you attempt to amend the amount or make a further request on the day the existing future dated payment is due to be processed, both payments will be made.

5. Can I make future dated Bill Payments online?

Yes, you can set up payments to a payee to go out on a future date which can be up to 1 year in advance. You can view these payments in the Payments Due tab.

When a future dated payment has been requested the details will be displayed on Payments Due until the date of the payment. You can amend the amount and date of it up to the day before it's due to be paid.

6. Can I cancel an online transfer?

The online transfer process is fully automated and we are unable to cancel requests once they have been sent. If you need to return the funds to your account, please complete another transfer.

The only exception to this is if you have set up a future dated internal transfer from the Payments & Transfers screen. If an Amount and Payment Date are present, the date and/or amount can be amended or cancelled.

7. How do I pay my Nationwide Credit Card bill online?

You can make one-off Payments (up to a maximum of Ł10,000 per payment) from your FlexAccount. If you do not have a FlexAccount you will need to open one as transfers cannot be made from other Nationwide accounts. See this section for further instructions.

Please allow two working days for the payment to be credited to your card account.

8. How do I pay my Nationwide Mortgage online?

You can set up a regular Standing Order or arrange one-off Payments from your FlexAccount. If you do not have a FlexAccount you will need to open one as transfers cannot be made from other Nationwide accounts.

To set up a Standing Order:

Select your FlexAccount from the list in My Accounts.
Select Payments & Transfers from the left hand options.
Locate Regular Payment from the Manage Arrangements tab and click on Set up new Arrangement.
On the next screen, a Choose your category list will appear. Please select the Set up details myself option which is almost at the bottom of the list. Then click on the Next button.
In the next section, you need to enter the following details:

In the Organisation field enter "Nationwide".

The Sort Code is "07-00-94"

The Account Number is "44444445".

Your Reference Number is your Mortgage account number. You can find this either on your mortgage year end statement (displayed on the top left hand side) or on your notice of mortgage rate change letter (displayed within the 'Payment Details' box at the bottom of the page). Your account number must be quoted in the correct format as it appears on your statement, including any spaces or dashes.

Once the details above are completed, click on the Next button to enter the next section.

Now select Frequency to determine how often the payment should be sent.

Enter the amount and start date when the standing order should begin (please allow five working days before the due date of the first payment).

To activate your new regular payment, click on the Next button.

To set up the facility to make one-off Bill Payments:

Follow the instructions as above, but use the Set up new arrangement link by the Bill Payments / Pay a Person option (instead of the regular payment option) on the My Accounts screen choose 'Set up details myself' and use the same Organisation, Sort Code, and other details as above. In the Internet Banking Description field enter "Mortgage". The Bill Payment arrangement is set-up immediately. You can then make payments as follows:

Select your FlexAccount from the list in My Accounts.
Select Payments & Transfers from the left hand options.
Choose your mortgage from the drop-down list on Pay Bill/Transfer Money.
Enter the Amount and Payment Date.
Click on the Make a Payment button.

Please note, The maximum bill payment that can be made is Ł10,000. If you wish to pay larger amounts, simply repeat as necessary. Please allow three working days for payments to reach their destination after leaving your FlexAccount. All payments received will be backdated to the day the money left your account so there will be no loss of interest.

9. How do I pay money into another bank/building society account

You need to set up a payment to transfer funds from your Nationwide account. To find out how to set up a bill payment see this section for further instructions.

10. I've activated an e-Savings. When will this show?

Once an e-Savings facility is activated it takes up to five working days for it to appear online. When it does show amongst your list of accounts, you will then be able to transfer funds to the e-Savings using the Transfer Money option.

Once your account has been opened, we will also write to advise you.

Your initial investment will be earning interest from the date the account was opened.

11. Can I set up a regular transfer to my e-Savings?

Yes, you can set up a regular transfer to your e-Savings from your FlexAccount as follows:

Select your FlexAccount from the list in My Accounts.
Select Payments & Transfers from the left hand options.
Locate Regular Payments from the Manage Arrangements tab and click on Set Up A New Arrangement.
A blank form should appear on your screen. You need to enter the following details:

In the Account Type drop-down list select your e-Savings account (the Account Type drop-down list will disappear once this is selected).

Choose the Payment Frequency from the drop-down list and enter the Payment Amounts and Dates.

Click on the Set Up Arrangement button.

To make a one-off transfer to your e-Savings today:

Choose your FlexAccount from the Quick Transfer option on the My Accounts screen.
Select your e-Savings (from the drop down list) to which you are transferring funds.
Enter the amount you wish to transfer.
If the details are correct, press Go.

To make a one-off transfer to your e-Savings at a future date:

Firstly, you need to set up the facility:

Click on the FlexAccount from which you want to set up the transfer.
Choose Payments & Transfers from the left hand menu.
Choose your e-Savings from the drop-down list

Enter the amount and date

Your Internal Transfer will be set-up immediately and is available for you to make future dated transfers:

Select your FlexAccount from the list in My Accounts.
Select Payments & Transfers from the left hand options.
Underneath Internal Transfers select the Make a Payment button to the right of the new arrangement.
Enter the Amount and Payment Date (up to 31 days in the future)*.
Click on the Make A Payment button.

Please allow five working days for the payment to reach its destination, after the payment has left your FlexAccount.

12. When does interest get paid on my e-Savings?

The interest is added to your e-Savings at close of business on 31 March and can be viewed via the Internet Bank from 1 April. Any interest earned will be added to your e-Savings. If you hold more than one e-Savings, each facility will be treated separately for interest purposes. Therefore, interest will be added to each of your e-Savings according to the balance held in that particular facility over the year.

13. Can I cancel a direct debit online?

You can cancel a direct debit with us at any time.

If the payment you wish to cancel is due to leave your account today, do not continue with this request online. Please call 08457 30 20 10.

Click on the FlexAccount from which you want to cancel the direct debit arrangement.
Choose Payments & Transfers from the left hand menu.
Locate Direct Debits and click on the name of the direct debit that you wish to cancel, or choose the Cancel link to the right of it.
Check the details of the direct debit you with to cancel then click on Cancel this Direct Debit.

Your details will be updated the following day. You should also inform the originator that the direct debit has been cancelled.

Please note that when you cancel a Direct Debit, all payments within this arrangement will cease. It is not possible to cancel just one month's payment and then reinstate the arrangement from the following month. Once a Direct Debit has been cancelled, we are unable to reinstate it unless the originator contacts us with your authority.

More than one arrangement with the originator

If you have more than one arrangement to a company, and wish to continue making a payment to the company, please check the reference number carefully to ensure that you cancel the correct arrangement.

If you have more than one arrangement to a company, and do not wish to make any further payments to the company, you will need to ensure that all arrangements are cancelled so that no further claims can be made.

You may be using one Direct Debit to pay for more than one service (for example if you have multiple insurance policies with one company and pay for these under the same direct debit). If you do not wish to cancel payment for all of these services, you should contact the originator and request that they cancel the relevant services and cease payment for these.

If you want to cancel a Direct Debit which is not showing on your account when you access it via Internet Banking, please call 08457 30 20 10 or contact your local branch.

Transferring your current account to another provider

If you are in the process of transferring your current account to another provider, you should not cancel any direct debit arrangements from your FlexAccount. You should instead contact your new provider who is in the process of amending all your Direct Debits.

When you view the details for the Direct Debit you wish to cancel, please note that if a 'Last Payment Date' is displayed, this date is when the payment was requested from Nationwide by the originator. This date is usually one working day earlier than the date showing on your FlexAccount statement for this payment.

Cancelled Direct Debits will appear under Cancelled Payments in Payments & Transfers by 6am the following day, and will continue to be displayed there up to 13 months after the date of cancellation.

14. Can I make a transfer from my passbook account?

At the moment it is not possible to make transactions online from your passbook accounts. All withdrawals from a passbook account must be completed at a Nationwide Branch.

15. I want to download my details into MS Money. How do I sign on?

When setting your sign-on details in Microsoft Money, you need to enter a ten digit Customer Number in the first field. If the existing number you have is not ten digits, please prefix this with leading zeros. In the second field, you need to enter any one piece of memorable data immediately followed by your six digit passnumber. To download your transactions, you need to enter any one piece of memorable data, again, immediately followed by your six digit passnumber.

16. Can I use Internet Banking at work?

You must first check with your employer that they are happy for you to use Internet Banking from your place of work. Many employers do not have the facilities or may not allow staff to access the Internet, so you will need to find out if this is at all possible.

If you use the Internet through a server or network, then you will need to check with your systems administrator or persons who support the network, to see if they have placed any security restrictions on Internet access, such as not supporting "secure page" connections (https://).

If the server/network does support "https://" and your PC meets the minimum requirements (details of which are listed in the User Guide), then there should be no problem with connecting to the Internet Banking service.

If you connect directly via a modem to the Internet and your PC meets the minimum requirements, then there should be no problem. If you have read the minimum specifications listed in the User Guide and are still in any doubt as to whether your PC meets the minimum requirements, ring our Customer Service Centre on 08457 30 20 10.

17. Why does my Child Trust Fund have a zero balance?

The Government voucher will be claimed within five weeks of the date of the acknowledgment letter. When the funds have been received from the Inland Revenue your account will be credited immediately. Other deposits should show the next working day.

18. How do I close my e-account?

To close your e-account you will need to complete the e-Savings / e-Bond Closure Request Form. This can be found in the ‘e-savings / e-Bond Other Services’ area of the Internet Bank. If you have more than one e-account then please ensure you specify which one you wish to close. We will then close your account, transferring the balance and any interest that has accrued to the linked FlexAccount.

If you wish to close your FlexAccount as well, all monies must first be transferred into the FlexAccount. You will then need to provide written closure instructions to your account holding branch together with any issued card(s) and unused cheque(s). If you wish to send your instructions by post, please complete the Withdrawal from / Close Account form in ‘FlexAccount / Other Services’ and follow the instructions on the form.

Please note that the above only applies to e-accounts and FlexAccount. If you wish to close any other account please visit your local branch.