Payments & Transfers - Bill Payments

Bill Payments Explained

A bill payment moves money from your Nationwide FlexAccount to an account outside Nationwide. This can be an account of an organisation e.g. British Gas, British Telecom, or another person's account. You need to set up an arrangement from your FlexAccount first.

Please note: The maximum amount for each bill payment is Ł10,000 per request.

Where account details are updated overnight, this assumes that both days are working days. Account details are not updated on Sundays and Bank Holidays therefore please allow longer on these days.

Setting Up a Bill Payment Arrangement

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.

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.
Next to the 'Bill Payments/Pay a Person' option click on the 'Set up new arrangement' link.

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

To set up a bill payment for an individual person:

In the 'Choose your category' drop-down menu, select 'Pay a person' then click on 'Go'.
Enter the name, sort code and account number of the person you wish to make the payment to. In the Internet Bank Description, you can enter anything you wish - this will appear on your bill payment options once it is set up. Click on 'Go'.
All the details you have entered will be re-displayed. You can amend any of these by clicking on the links to the right of them. If you are sure these are correct, click on the 'Confirm and set up' button.

To set up a bill payment for an organisation:

In the 'Choose your category' drop-down menu, select the relevant category for your new payment arrangement, then click on 'Go'.
Select the name of the organisation you wish to pay then click on 'Go'.
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 'Go'.
All the details you have entered will be re-displayed. You can amend any of these by clicking on the links to the right of them. If you are sure these are correct, click on the 'Confirm and set up' 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, sort code and account number 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 'Go'. All the details you have entered will be re-displayed. You can amend any of these by clicking on the 'Change details' link. 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 on and click on the red 'Make a Payment' button to the right.
Enter the amount you wish to pay and the date you wish the payment to be made.
Click on 'Make a Payment'.

Please allow up to five 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.

Viewing a Bill Payment Arrangement

Click on the FlexAccount from which you want to view the bill payment.
Choose 'Payments & Transfers' from the left hand menu.
Click on the name of the bill payment you wish to view from the list of bill payments.

Amending a Bill Payment Arrangement

Click on the FlexAccount from which you want to amend the bill payment.
Choose 'Payments & Transfers' from the left hand menu.
Click on the name of the bill payment you wish to amend from the list of bill payments.
Click on 'Edit Detail'.
Amend the details you wish to change and choose 'Save Changes'.
Your details will be updated the following day.

Any payments set up for future dates will use the amended bill payment details.

Cancelling a Bill Payment Arrangement

Click on the FlexAccount from which you want to cancel the bill payment arrangement.
Choose 'Payments & Transfers' from the left hand menu.
Click on the name of the bill payment you wish to cancel from the list of bill payments.
Click on 'Cancel Arrangement'.
Your details will be updated immediately and the arrangement removed to the Cancelled/Expired Payments section. They will be removed permanently from your records every two years.

Any bill payments set up for future dates will not be made.

You cannot cancel a bill payment arrangement if you have asked for a payment to go today.

Making a Bill Payment Today

Click on the FlexAccount from which you want to make the bill payment.
Choose 'Payments & Transfers' from the left hand menu.
Choose 'Make a Payment' next to the bill payment you wish to make the payment to.
Enter the amount and the date. The amount can be no more than Ł10,000.00.
Click 'Make A Payment'.

The bill payment system allows you to make unlimited same day bill payments. You may make more than one payment today for Ł10,000.00. The rules are different for future-dated payments (see below).

Making a Future Dated Bill Payment

Click on the FlexAccount from which you want to make the bill payment.
Choose 'Payments & Transfers' from the left hand menu.
Choose 'Make a Payment' next to the bill payment you wish to make the payment to.
Enter the amount and the future date. The amount can be no more than Ł10,000.00.
Click 'Make A Payment'.

You may set up one bill payment to an account to go out on a future date which can be up to 28 days in advance. When a future dated payment has been requested you can view the pending payment on the 'Payments & Transfers' page, from the day after the payment was arranged and up to 24 hours before the due payment date.

You can amend the amount and date of the future dated payment up to the day before it's due to be paid.

The future dated bill payment will not debit the account until midnight of the date requested.

If you request another future dated payment to an account which has one already scheduled, then this further request will overwrite the existing payment details. However, you can make unlimited same day payments without overwriting a scheduled future dated payment.

Cancelling a Bill Payment for Today

You cannot cancel a bill payment you have asked to go today.

Cancelling a Future Dated Bill Payment

Click on the FlexAccount from which you want to cancel the bill payment.
Choose 'Payments & Transfers' from the left hand menu.
Choose 'Change/Cancel' under Payment Options next to the bill payment you wish to cancel.
Click 'Cancel Payment'.

Changing a Future Dated Bill Payment

Click on the FlexAccount from which you want to change the bill payment.
Choose 'Payments & Transfers' from the left hand menu.
Choose 'Change/Cancel' under Payment Options next to the bill payment you wish to change.
Click 'Change'.
Amend the amount or date and 'Confirm Changes'

When you change your bill payment, the old details will clear straight away, however, the amended details will not appear until the next working day.

You may also find these help sections useful...

Cancelled Payments
Direct Debits
Internal Transfers
Paying a Standing Order into Nationwide
Payments & Transfers
Regular Transfers
Standing Orders
Transfer Money