Why is my card not working?
There may be a simple reason why your card isn’t working when you try to use it in a shop, at a cash machine or online. Take a look at our suggestions below to help get your card working again.
Is there enough money available in your account?
Is there enough money available in your account to cover the payment? You can check your account balance:
- In Mobile Banking
- In Online Banking
- In your local branch
- At a cash machine
You can also set up Quick Balance, which allows you to see the balances of up to 5 accounts on your device without needing to log on to Mobile Banking.
Are you using your latest card?
If you’ve recently received a new card, double check you’re using the latest one, and not one that’s expired.
Check our service status page
If you’re having problems with card payments or cash machines, check our service status page to see if it’s part of a wider known issue. This page will be updated when issues are being investigated, and when they’ve been fixed.
Making your payments more secure
To help protect you and your money, all UK banks are now introducing more frequent verification checks to let us know it's you when making a purchase online.
You'll need to make sure that your mobile number is up to date so we can send you a One Time Passcode (OTP) or ask you to log on to the mobile app to verify your transaction.
If your card payment is declined, the retailer may not have updated their functionality to allow this authentication to take place, which means you may need to check if they offer an alternative payment method.
To learn more about these checks, please visit our Strong Customer Authentication page.
How do I activate my card?
You can use your new debit card right away, though you’ll either need to buy something using a chip and PIN machine or visit a cash machine so contactless payments can start working.
You can also easily activate your credit card in Mobile and Online Banking with our digital assistant Sandi, available 24/7.
In Mobile Banking:
- log on to Mobile Banking
- click ‘More’ in the bottom-right corner then ‘Help and contact us’
- choose ‘Chat with us’
- ask to activate your new credit card and follow the steps.
In Online Banking:
- log on to Online Banking
- click ‘Chat with us’ on the right-hand side of the screen
- ask to activate your new credit card and follow the steps.
Alternatively, you can contact us if you’d like more support.
Chip and PIN isn't working
If you’ve received a new card because your previous card has expired, you can still use your existing PIN.
If you have forgotten your PIN you can view it in Mobile Banking.
- Log on to Mobile Banking.
- Tap ‘More’ in the bottom-right corner.
- Choose ‘Cards’.
- Pick the card you want to see the PIN for and click ‘View PIN’.
- Complete a security check to see your PIN for a limited time.
For further support on how to view your PIN or unblock your PIN, please visit our PIN management page.
Order a new card
If you have reported your card as lost or stolen, we’ll immediately cancel that card and send a replacement to you in the post. You’ll get your replacement card in 4-5 working days.
If your card is damaged, you can order a replacement in Mobile Banking.
- Log on to Mobile Banking.
- Tap ‘More’ in the bottom-right corner.
- Choose ‘Cards’.
- Pick your card and ‘Report as lost, stolen or damaged’.
If you still haven’t received your replacement card then please contact us or visit our lost, stolen or damaged card page.
If you’re trying to use your card to make an online payment, just check that the following details have been added correctly.
- The long card number.
- Expiry date.
- Account holder’s name (as it appears on the card).
- The 3-digit CVV number (or security code) on the back of your card.
- We may ask you to enter a One Time Passcode (OTP) for some online card payments. Take a look at our One Time Passcodes page to find out more.
Mobile payments
If you’re trying to use your phone or device to make a secure cashless payment, check that:
- your card is linked to your device
- you’ve not gone over the retailer’s specific limits
- you have enough funds in your account
- your phone is held correctly near the contactless terminal.
Please see our mobile payments guide for information on how to link your card, how to make payments, and much more.
Contactless payments have a limit of £100. If you're trying to buy something for over £100, you’ll need to use chip and PIN to make the purchase.
If you’ve received a new contactless card, you’ll need to buy something using a Chip and PIN machine or use a cash machine before you can use contactless payments.
To learn more about contactless payments and how to change your limit, please visit our contactless card payments page.
If you think contactless might be blocked on your card, you can turn it back on again. Take a look at our block contactless guide to learn how.