What you can get
- Earn cashback of up to 15% at a range of major retailers when you use Retailer Offers with your Santander debit card
- 1|2|3 World offers
Eligibility
- You’re 18 or over and live in the UK permanently
- You’re studying or are about to begin an undergraduate course that is at least 2 years in length, or level 4 to 7 apprenticeship. If you’re about to begin your course, you must have an ‘unconditional’ or ‘confirmed conditional’ offer (i.e. you have your exam results) before you apply
- You pay in at least £500 per academic term
- You don’t already have an existing Santander current account. If you do, you’ll need to transfer it
There’s no monthly fee to maintain the account.
The Fee Information Document details the main fees and charges on this account. For further explanation of our main terms and services take a look at our Glossary
When you open your account you’ll get an Arranged Overdraft limit of £250. To increase this to £1,500 you’ll need to:
- register for Online Banking
- pay in £500 and continue to pay in at least £500 per academic term
- we’ll automatically increase your overdraft limit as shown below at the start of each year of study. You can ask to reduce the limit at any time.
Year of study |
Arranged Overdraft limit |
---|---|
Years of study 1, 2 and 3 |
£1,500 Arranged Overdraft limit |
Year of study 4 |
£1,800 Arranged Overdraft limit |
Year of study 5 |
£2,000 Arranged Overdraft limit |
Arranged Overdraft |
No fee |
Unarranged Overdraft fee |
£5 per day (capped at 10 days in each monthly statement period) |
Fee for allowing a payment despite lack of funds |
£5 per transaction |
Fee for refusing a payment due to lack of funds |
£10 per transaction |
The 1|2|3 Student Current Account has a monthly cap for Unarranged Overdraft fees of £50 which includes fees for allowing or refusing a payment due to lack of funds.
If you try to make a payment that would take you into an unarranged overdraft, we’ll decide whether or not to pay it depending on your circumstances. As a result, you may incur a fee for allowing a payment despite lack of funds or a fee for refusing a payment due to lack of funds.
Overdrafts depend on your circumstances and you must repay any overdraft when we ask in line with our General Terms and Conditions.
You can earn monthly interest on balances from £100 to £2,000.
Interest |
Account balance |
---|---|
1.00% AER/gross (variable) |
£100+ |
2.00% AER/1.98% gross (variable) |
£200+ |
3.00% AER/2.96% gross (variable) |
From £300 to £2,000 |
You’ll get a free Santander 16-25 Railcard which could save you 1/3 on rail travel in Great Britain letting you travel all over England, Scotland and Wales for less. The Santander 16-25 Railcard also gives you access to exclusive deals on holidays, eating out, top attractions and more.
- Once you’ve opened your 1l2l3 Student Current Account and registered for Online Banking, a unique code will be sent by secure message to your Online Banking within 5 working days of account opening.
- Use the unique code to at www.santander-railcard.co.uk to order your free 16-25 Railcard.
- You'll receive your 16-25 Railcard within 5 working days of completing your order.
- Your unique code is valid for 60 days from the date of issue and cannot be re-issued once expired.
For more information on the Santander 16-25 Railcard please see the Frequently Asked Questions in our help and support section or visit the Rail Delivery Group FAQs page.
- 1|2|3 Student Current Account Key Facts Document (pdf)
- 1|2|3 Student Current Account Fee Information Document (pdf)
- General Terms & Conditions
- Santander 16-25 Railcard Terms and Conditions
- 1|2|3 Graduate Current Account Key Facts Document
To view these documents you may need to download Adobe Reader
- You’re 18 or over
- You live in the UK for tax purposes
- You’re about to begin or have started an undergraduate course, or degree-level apprenticeship (level 4-7) that is at least 2 years in length.
If you're about to begin your university studies, you must have a ‘confirmed conditional’ offer (this is given once you have received your results) or an ‘unconditional’ offer of a university place. If you have a conditional offer only, please wait until your place has been confirmed following your results before applying.
If you're about to begin an apprenticeship, your place on the apprenticeship must have been confirmed. If your offer is subject to you achieving certain results, please wait until your place has been confirmed following your results before applying.
As part of your application:
• You'll need to provide proof of study e.g. UCAS Digital AS12, a student ID card (must include expiry date), a letter from your higher education provider, or apprenticeship confirmation from your university and/or employer.
You can access the 1|2|3 Student Current Account anytime, anywhere.
- Online Banking
- Mobile Banking
- Register to receive mobile-to-mobile payments with Paym
- Contactless payments with your mobile by linking your Santander debit or credit card to your Apple, Android or Samsung device.
Face-to-face support in branch and UK-based telephone support:
- In branch
- Telephone Banking
- ATM
- Post Office to make withdrawals, balance enquiries, cash deposits and cheque deposits
This is a paper-free account which means:
- Your documents, statements and some of your letters will be sent as e-Documents to your secure inbox on Online Banking (unless you require documents in an alternative format, such as Braille).
- You'll need to provide us with an email address when you open the account as we’ll send you an email to let you know when a document is ready to view.
- Once the account has been open for at least 24 hours, you can update your account settings at any time to start receiving statements and other correspondence by post.
We’ll send you alerts about your balance and payments to help you avoid charges. You can manage your alert settings through Online Banking, calling us on 0800 9 123 123 or visiting a branch.
Keep your banking details private and secure.
For more information about our approach to security as well as more useful information to help you stop the threat of fraud visit our Security Centre
As your course period may not match a standard university academic year, you may find that your overdraft limit changes earlier than expected (in line with the account’s overdraft structure) and, that your account may move to the graduate account before you finish your course.
Your account will automatically transfer to our 1|2|3 Graduate Current Account which comes with a £2,000 fee-free Arranged Overdraft.
This account also comes with
Why choose Santander?


Switch quickly and easily

We offer a simple, reliable and stress-free way to switch your current account to a new or existing Santander account
Information correct as at 11 January 2019.