We’re here to help
If you’re having problems with making repayments and feel you’re falling behind, we’ll do our best to help you get back on track. Get in touch with us as soon as possible and our trained staff can talk you through your options.
There are a couple of things that you might not have thought of which could be useful. The first is filling in a budget planner before you call us. This helps both you and us know how you spend. Take a look at the section below to find out more.
Also, there are organisations not associated with Santander that can give you advice and can help you speak to the people you owe money to. There are also organisations that can help you deal with the stresses of financial difficulties so that you don’t struggle in silence. Take a look at our independent support page for more information.
If you’re looking for information on ways to manage your money in general, for example, how you can cut your spending, please visit our help with managing my money page.
Taking control
- It’s a good idea to contact the companies you may have Direct Debits, standing orders or repayments set up with.
- Explain your circumstances to them and see if they can help with lowering repayments, or changing dates to better suit you.
- Make sure you’ve cancelled non-essential spend. Take a look at our ways to cut your spending page for hints and tips.
- We also suggest completing a budget planner so that you can get an overall picture of your incomings and outgoings. Our ‘Budget planning’ section on this page shows you how to get started.
- The amount of arranged overdraft interest you pay depends on the amount of the overdraft you use in a month.
- We might be able to organise a long term payment plan for you to pay back the arranged overdraft back at an affordable cost.
- Look at completing our budget planner, found in the ‘Budget planning’ section on this page, to provide us with your incomings and outgoings and we can figure out an affordable amount for your plan.
- Independent organisations like PayPlan and StepChange may also be able to help you. Check our independent help and support page for more.
- Arranged overdrafts can be reduced if you ask us online, over the phone or in a branch. See our ‘Ways to get in touch’ section to speak with us.
- We can reduce arranged overdrafts down by £50 at a time. You'll need to have at least £50 in your account for us to reduce your arranged overdraft. When you're ready just let us know you'd like us to reduce your limit.
- If you're using your overdraft and you're struggling to repay it, it's really important that you talk to us about it so we can work out if there's a better option for you.
- If you're unsure what your overdraft might cost please visit our cost calculator
- Have a look at completing a budget planner (see our ‘Budget planning’ section on this page on how to get started). Then you can see what repayments you may be able to afford.
- Once you've done this and if you feel able to pay off your overdue amount in full, you can use this form to arrange the payment
- If you're a current account or personal loan customer and you'd prefer to pay back your arrears in monthly instalments up to 3 months, we can get you set up for this online
- If you have an overdue amount on your credit card or mortgage, and you want to repay in instalments, you'll need to speak to us, take a look at the ‘Talk to us’ section below.
- If you feel you need longer than 3 months to pay off your overdue amount, and you’ve completed our budget planner, please do get in touch. A member of our team will be able to discuss the options available and find a solution that works for you. See our 'Ways to get in touch' section for more info on getting in contact with us.
Tips to stay on top of your money
- Plan your budget and keep referring back to it. You can find out more about budget planning in the section above.
- Take some time to list how much you owe, who you owe it to and when. Consider changing due dates of Direct Debits and standing orders to coincide with money coming into your account.
- My Money Manager looks at what you do in your Santander accounts and sends you ‘insights’ to help you be smarter about your spend.
- Get in touch with the people you owe money to – hiding from money worries makes them worse, never better.
- Check price comparison sites to see if you could save money on regular payments such as energy, broadband and insurance bills. Our Ways to cut your spending page offers more tips on this and other ways to reduce your spend.
- In case you're entitled to benefits you're not claiming, take a look at the Department of Work and Pensions website
- If you think gambling is having an impact on you, we're here to help. Visit our gambling help page to learn more.
- Our free text and email alerts let you stay up-to-date with what's happening in your accounts. Take a look at the account alerts page to find how to get them.
- We have a range of video guides available to support you, from budgeting to borrowing and where to get help if you're struggling.
- If you'd like some more information about understanding overdrafts, statements, managing your money, setting up account alerts and more, please read our 'Managing your money (1.45 MB)' leaflet.
We’ve got loads more helpful information for you in our ‘Help with managing my money’ section.
The idea of looking at your budget may feel daunting and it may even be something you’ve never done before, but it’s your first step towards getting back on track if you’re worried about your finances. Plus, when you speak to us, we’ll already know what you earn and how much you spend, which helps us to offer more personal support. It may also help you to quickly identify ways to save money, and start to reduce your debt straight away. If you’ve recently completed our MyFinances budget planner, take a look at the bottom of this section for what to do next.
- See where your money is going
- Organise your spending
- Reach your financial goals
- Manage financial difficulties
We'd suggest 2 planners
Before you start, get as much information ready as you can. Things like bank statements and bills will help you get the details you need to put into the budget planner right.
MyFinances
Our budget planner is called MyFinances. Use this planner if you want to speak to us about your finances. We’ll ask you to create an account the first time you use it so have your reference number ready. If you already have an account then simply log in here. Use this budget planner if we've asked you to fill one in, or you need to speak to us about your finances.
Budget Planner
This is an anonymous budget planner, which you can use without sharing your personal details with us. Use this planner if you just need a sense of your situation and your outgoings. Santander won’t see this information or be able to discuss it with you.
You can create an account and revisit this planner any time you’d like. You’ll also be given some personalised tips to help you make the most of your money and it’s free to use.
To complete the Santander budget planner you’ll need a reference number, which you can get by typing in ‘uniquereference’ into the ‘Chat with us’ banner on the right hand side of this page.
If you’ve recently competed our budget planner (MyFinances), here’s what to do next:
- If you feel you can afford to do this, visit pay or manage an overdue amount where we’ve made it easier to do this without needing to call us.
- If the budget planner shows you’re spending too much, take a look at ways to cut your spending info page.
- Organisations such as PayPlan can offer free help and advice. Take a look at our independent help and support page.
- We’ll discuss your options, using your completed planner to give you tailored help that’s right for you.
- See the ‘Ways to get in touch’ section if you’d like to chat with us. Or call us on 0800 085 1479.
If you’re having problems with your payments it’s vital that you talk to us as soon as possible as there are a number of ways we may be able to help you.
- Filling in a budget planner before you talk to us could give you a picture of how things are for you – take a look at the ‘Budget planning’ section of this page.
- You could also chat online with us. Take a look at the ‘Ways to get in touch’ section.
Mortgages
If you’re struggling with your mortgage repayments then the take a look at the Money Advice Service website for the government help that would be available to you
Current accounts
Before you contact us, please complete our ‘Understanding your circumstances’ form and if we ask, a budget planner, which will help us give you more tailored support
Credit cards
There’s also some ways to help you pay off any credit card debt on the PayPlan website, so take a look
Personal loans
You may want to consider consolidating your debt, especially if you have multiple loans. Learn more
Interest-only mortgages
More information for interest only mortgage customers can be found on our webpage
Business Banking
Take a look at our Survive and Revive which could help you rebuild, reshape or evolve your business in response to coronavirus. Or for take a look at our Bounce Back Loans pages
Talk to us
Chat with us
The quickest and easiest way to get in touch is by clicking on ‘Chat with us’ in our Mobile Banking app, or when you’re logged on to Online Banking.
Being logged on to Online Banking or the app when you click to chat means we’ll know it’s you and will be able to discuss things in more detail.
Once you’ve clicked on ‘Chat with us’, type in ‘Money Worries’ and tell us a bit about your situation.
We’ll use the information you give us to decide the best way to help:
- We may connect you to our helpful team.
- We’ll let you know about charities and debt advice organisations who can help you.
- We’ll take a look at your account to see what we can do to help you.
- We’ll never share your information.
Prefer to call us?
See the ‘How we can help’ section for the number to call.
Manage an overdue amount
Our online form lets you manage any overdue payments with us
Independent help and support
Organisations that can help you with free help and advice