Here are some checks you can do that may help you identify an unrecognised transaction.
Ask another account holder
Check to see if anyone who has access to the account has made the transaction.
Pending transactions
A pending transaction is a recent transaction you've made that hasn't been fully processed yet. You can look at your pending transactions on Mobile or Online Banking. Once logged on, pick the account you want to check and you’re pending transactions will be at the top of the page.
You’ll need to contact the merchant or seller to ask them to cancel a pending card payment.
If you need help with a payment that is not pending, you can visit our card dispute page.
Check for ongoing subscriptions
Many online services now use a subscription plan. This means they'll automatically bill you after an initial free or discounted period expires. Check any services where you've previously subscribed but haven't cancelled.
For example, Amazon charges an annual fee for their Amazon Prime service. This is automatically taken from your account each year unless you cancel. If you see an unrecognised transaction from a retailer known to you, check directly with them before contacting us.
For more information on payments like this, please see our future-dated card payments page.
Check the exchange rates
If you make a purchase in a foreign currency, the exchange rate conversion is very likely to show a different amount in Sterling.
Check the business name
Some businesses use a different name on your statement to the one you may recognise. This is common with online services. Use a search engine to browse for the name appearing on your transaction to see if it’s connected with a business name that you know.
See our top 5 most commonly unrecognised transactions
| Unrecognised company | What could it be? | What should I do |
|---|---|---|
| WLY*COMPLETESAV | Complete Savings UK, an online savings programme | Contact the company in the first instance |
| Amazon Prime | Membership for Amazon's TV, films and next day delivery services | Contact the company in the first instance |
| TFL | Transport for London | Contact the company in the first instance |
| DRI*AVG | Antivirus Software subscription | Contact the company in the first instance |
| Netflix | Online streaming service | Contact the company in the first instance |
If you've paid for goods or services that haven't arrived, or were not as expected, see our card disputes page for your next steps
If you don't recognise a transaction on your card, you can find out how to dispute this in our Mobile Banking app.
In the app, you can see:
- when the payment was made (date and time)
- the location, which will be shown as a map or text (if there's enough information available)
- fees incurred (such as exchange fees, transaction fees, cash machine fees).
Follow the steps below to learn how to find the details of a card transaction in Mobile Banking.
1
On the homepage, pick the card you’d like to find out more about
2
Tap on a transaction for more information
3
You’ll see the details about your transaction
If you're already using Online Banking, download our mobile banking app for your phone or device. Then you can log on with the same details you use for Online Banking and you're ready to go.
You can download our app on your mobile phone or device from the iOS App Store or the Google Play Store. Just click on one of the logos below to get started. We don’t ever recommend downloading apps from other third-party sites.
If you haven't signed up for Online Banking yet, you can get started today.
We've added some new features in Mobile Banking to help you stay on top of your card payments and transfers.
- Each transaction will have a category icon in the top-left corner to help you know where it came from.
- You can see the status of a payment in the 'Payment cleared' section. It'll say 'Pending' until the payment's cleared and later tell you the settled date.
- For international transactions in a currency other than (£), the exchange rate will be shown.
- The location of a transaction will be shown to help you find where it came from. If there's enough information, we’ll also show you a map or address.
Still need help?
If you still don’t recognise a transaction after these checks and think this could be fraud, you can report this in the Mobile Banking app. Or if you don’t have the app, you can contact us.
Already reported an unrecognised transaction? You can track your claim and find the most recent updates using our Mobile Banking app. Tap on the ‘More’ menu and choose ‘My card transaction disputes’.