Frequently asked questions

All Scottish Widows Bank products can be accessed online (with the exception of our non-personal accounts and our Policy Loan product).

Please note that Internet Banking cannot be accessed or operated by a Power of Attorney, Third Party Mandate or Guarantor.

Existing Scottish Widows Bank customers

Call our customer service team on 0345 845 0829 to set up your registration. Our lines are open 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday. We’ll send you a Customer ID and Password, which you’ll need to get started.

New Scottish Widows Bank customers

If you are applying for a new mortgage or savings account, you can register for Internet Banking by completing the Internet Banking question in your application form. Alternatively, you can call our customer service team on 0345 845 0829 after your account has been opened.

You can use Internet Banking to perform a variety of tasks:

• Check account balances and interest rates
• View details of your recent transactions
• Transfer money between your accounts (not available for fixed term deposit accounts)
• Set up regular overpayments to your mortgage*
• Update your personal and security details
• Apply for other Scottish Widows Bank products

* regular mortgage overpayments are available with variable, tracker and stepped discount mortgages

Click the ‘Log in’ button, which can be found at the top of every page on our site.

The first time you log in to Internet Banking, you need to enter your Customer ID and Password (we’ll send your Customer ID and Password separately by post to your home address). After entering this information, you’ll then be prompted to change your Password and to create a five digit PIN Number.

Subsequently, each time you log in to Internet Banking, you’ll need to remember your Customer ID, the new Password you created, and your PIN Number.

Please call our customer service team on 0345 845 0829, and we’ll help re-set your Internet Banking access.

The ‘Open a New Account’ option (located in the left hand menu on any Internet Banking screen) lets you you apply online for savings accounts. Applying whilst logged in is quick and easy as we already have your details.

You can make general enquiries using our secure online form. For information about your account or transactions you’ll need to call us on 0345 845 0829 during our opening hours.

During any Internet Banking session, you can quickly access a variety of useful information. At the top and bottom of each screen, you’ll see the following links:

FAQ Frequently asked questions
Contact Us Our contact details and email enquiry form if you have a question
SWB Home Takes you to www.scottishwidows.co.uk/bank — our website homepage.
Accessibility Details of how we've made our website customer friendly
Security Simple guidelines about how to use Internet Banking safely
Terms and conditions The terms and conditions of our Internet Banking service.

As an Internet Banking customer, you’ll also receive a Welcome to Internet Banking brochure (PDF, 600KB) along with your login details . Extra copies are available by calling us on 0345 845 0829.

We’ve made sure our Internet Banking service is safe, however you should also do as much as you can to make sure your banking details stay secure. There are a few simple things you can do to protect yourself.

• Don’t write your Password or PIN Number down.
• Change your Password or PIN Number if you think someone may know it.
• If you’re using the internet in a public place (for example an internet cafe), ensure nobody is watching what you are typing, don’t leave the PC unattended, and always log out at the end of each session.
• Always log out when you have finished using the Internet Banking service.

Our online promise

We will refund any losses you incur in the unlikely event that your Internet Banking account is affected by online fraud, provided you have taken reasonable care in respect of your account and have taken appropriate steps to keep your Password and PIN Number safe.

We may occasionally email you, however we will never email you requesting your Internet Banking login details or direct you to a web page that asks for this information.

You can help protect yourself from fraudulent emails by:

• never responding to suspicious emails,
• checking for your name at the top of the email fraudsters are unlikely to address you personally
• never disclosing your Internet Banking (or Telephone Banking) login details
• using up-to date anti-virus and personal firewall software.

If you receive an email that looks like it may be from Scottish Widows Bank but you suspect is fraudulent, please forward a copy by email. 

This information will be used to help reduce online fraud.

The facility to change a mortgage payment amount is only available with variable, tracker and discount rate mortgages. If you cannot select your mortgage account from the drop down box, then this facility is not available for your mortgage product. However, if you have a fixed rate Flexible, Graduate, Professional or Buy to Let mortgage, you can still pay up to 10% of the loan balances once a year by cheque without any early repayment charge — please contact us on 0345 845 0829 for more information.

You can nominate up to four different bank accounts for an Offset Saver Account or Mortgage Reserve Account. To add a new nominated bank account, you’ll need to download a Direct Debit and post it to us. For money laundering proposes, you’ll also need to enclose a bank statement or cancelled cheque for your new nominated bank account.

Download the Direct Debit (PDF, 90KB)

If you’d like us to send you a paper version, you can also call us on 0345 845 0829. Our address to send your Direct Debit to is:

Scottish Widows Bank, PO Box 883, Leeds LS1 9TY

Please call us on 0345 845 8555 and we’ll arrange this for you.

If you have a variable, tracker or discount rate mortgage you can make one off payments in the form of a personal cheque made payable to Scottish Widows Bank, with your mortgage account number on the back of the cheque. Please send your cheque to:

Scottish Widows Bank, PO Box 883, Leeds LS1 9TY

If you have a fixed rate mortgage, you can pay up to 10% of your mortgage balance once per year, by cheque.

We only collect direct debit payments on the first working day of each month

If you have a Scottish Widows Bank mortgage (excluding buy to let and lifetime mortgages) on a variable rate or two year fixed rate, offsetting could let you use your savings to help save money on your mortgage at no extra cost. You can download the application form (PDF, 136KB) here. Alternatively, please call 0345 845 8555 for more information, or visit www.scottishwidowsbank.co.uk.

Transfers will be made free of charge and will reach your nominated account by the end of the following business day (provided you give us the agreed notice period, if applicable to your account).

Before you can transfer money into your Scottish Widows Bank account, you must complete a Direct Debit mandate and send it to us.

If you’d like us to send you a paper version, you can also call us on 0345 845 0829. Our address to send your Direct Debit to is:

Scottish Widows Bank, PO Box 883, Leeds LS1 9TY

If you’ve already set up a mandate however you haven’t made any transactions for 12 months or more, then a new mandate is required.

The maximum is £25,000. Larger withdrawals can be arranged by calling our customer service team on 0345 845 0829.