Personal security information

To provide additional security for you, you may be asked to provide additional authorisation to carry out certain transactions while using online banking.

If you have a card reader, we may ask you to use this, with your Visa debit card to generate a one-time passnumber. You can find out more about this, in our card reader security section.

If you don’t have a card reader, we will ask you to provide answers to five security questions from a list. The answers you provide should be easy to remember as they are personal to you.

You’ll be asked to choose your questions and answers the first time you log in to online banking. We'll only ask you to enrol for this service once. You may then be asked to answer one of these questions whilst using our online banking service.

You may not have to answer a security question to authorise all online banking transactions.

To find out more take a look at our frequently asked questions below.

Why do I need to enroll for security questions?

These security questions offer additional peace of mind when you carry out transactions on our Online Bank as only you will know the answers.

Please remember that Nationwide will NEVER ask you for your security questions or answers.

If I don't enroll will it stop me from using online banking?

Yes, in order to use our online banking service you must enroll for security questions.

Can I change the answers to my security questions?

No, unlike the memorable data and passnumber you are not able to change the answers to your security questions once you have enrolled. However, if you think that someone else knows the answer to your questions or you have forgotten the answers you should contact us on 08457 30 20 10.

Why must the answers to my security questions be different from my memorable data and passnumber?

To ensure that you are able to securely transact online you must ensure that your passnumber and memorable data are different from your security questions. You should not disclose any of your answers to anyone including a Nationwide staff member.

Why have Nationwide chosen these types of questions?

The questions were chosen to meet the needs of our diverse membership. We have listened to the views of people across a variety of age ranges and lifestyles. We have also taken into account industry standards.

Questions should not be taken too literally, if you feel you're unable to answer a question, either choose a different one, or provide an answer that means something to you. For example, if you don't have a favourite song, you could answer with a song that is memorable to you, such as the song played at your wedding.

You can type whatever answer you like, it's not a test, as long as you give an answer that you will remember.

Please remember you only have to answer once from a list of questions. You won't be asked to answer a security question every time you use the Online Bank. You will only be asked to answer a question if you're carrying out an activity you wouldn't normally do, so it could be some time before you have to do this.

When will I be asked these questions?

You could be asked a security question at any point whilst using our online banking service.

I have enrolled, so why haven't I been asked a question yet?

You won't be asked to answer a security question every time you use the Online Bank. You will only be asked to answer a question if you're carrying out an activity you wouldn't normally do, so it could be some time before you have to do this.

How do I know my answers are secure?

All the questions and answers are fully encrypted, which means no-one will have access to the answers, and they are not retrievable by anyone.

You must not disclose your answers to anyone, this includes Nationwide employees. If you do this could expose you to phishing and Trojan attacks.

How long can my answer be?

Your answer must be at least one character long (a number or a letter), up to a maximum of 100 characters (numbers, letters or a combination of the two).

Can I use symbols in the answer?

No, answers must be either letters or numbers or a combination of the two. No punctuation or symbols can be used. Answers are not case sensitive.

I have forgotten the answers to my security questions what do I do?

To continue using our online banking service you will need to contact us on 08457 30 20 10.

What do I do if I think somebody else knows the answers to my security questions?

You should contact us immediately on 08457 30 20 10.