Bank of Scotland

Bank of Scotland is a Scottish high street bank offering current accounts, savings, credit cards, mortgages and personal loans, with a mobile banking app used by around a million people¹. It has been part of the same family as Lloyds and Halifax since 2009², and it trades under a range of names including Halifax, Birmingham Midshires, Intelligent Finance and BM Solutions³. That matters for deposit protection: because Halifax is one of its trading names, money held across the two brands counts towards one shared compensation limit⁴.

The bank's everyday business is built around its current accounts, with savings, ISAs, credit cards, mortgages and loans sold alongside them. Applications can be made online, in branch or by phone⁵, and existing customers can switch an account held elsewhere to Bank of Scotland through the app or online banking⁶. This page explains what the bank offers, what its charges and checks involve, how it handles fraud, and where the protection on your money starts and stops.

Bank of Scotland accounts and products

Current accounts. Bank of Scotland's main current accounts are open to people aged 18 or over⁶, and you can apply online, in branch or by phone⁵. The bank carries out identification and verification checks on you and on anyone else who will be able to operate the account⁵. If you apply for a standard current account and the bank's soft credit search shows a full account is not right for you, it may offer you its Basic Account instead: you cannot apply for the Basic Account directly, and the soft search it runs will not impact your credit score⁹. The Basic Account comes with 24 hour access to online and mobile banking, plus telephone banking and branch services⁹. If you already bank with Bank of Scotland and want to move an account from another bank, you start the switch in the app under 'Apply', then current accounts, then 'Switch to an existing account', or do the same in online banking⁶. The wider rules are explained in our guide to current accounts.

Savings and ISAs. The bank offers a range of savings accounts, including accounts for children such as a child's cash ISA, although that particular account cannot be applied for directly¹⁰. Savings held with Bank of Scotland can also be linked to certain mortgages: with the bank's offset mortgage, your savings sit alongside your mortgage and you keep easy access to them, managing accounts and viewing balances online at any time¹¹. How savings accounts compare in general is covered in our savings and ISA guides.

Credit cards. Bank of Scotland sells cards for everyday spending, balance transfers and credit building, with an eligibility checker that shows your estimated limit before you apply¹². How its cards work, including credit limits and balance transfers, is covered in the next section, and the general ground rules are in our credit cards guide.

Mortgages. The bank offers mortgages, including an offset mortgage that links to your savings¹¹, and existing mortgage customers can apply to borrow more by calling the bank¹³. If you are weighing up a mortgage generally, start with our mortgages and home buying guides.

Loans. Personal loans are available to customers who have held a Bank of Scotland current account for at least one month¹⁴. Existing customers can log in to Internet Banking to see how much they could borrow and whether they are likely to be approved, and a quote at that stage will not affect their credit score¹⁴. See our loans guide for how personal loans work.

Pensions, investing and insurance. Bank of Scotland's own site centres on banking and borrowing; for pensions, investing and insurance the group's specialist brands operate in those markets, and our guides to pensions, investing and insurance explain how those products work and who provides them.

How Bank of Scotland credit cards work: credit limits and balance transfers

Bank of Scotland's card range includes cards for purchase offers, combined balance and purchase offers, low rate cards and balance transfer cards¹⁵. Whichever card you apply for, credit is available subject to status¹⁶, and your credit limit is based on an assessment of your income and borrowing commitments, with the limit confirmed after your application is accepted¹⁷. The bank works out your limit from three things: the application you submit, information from a credit reference agency, and your history with the bank¹⁸. You can find your limit on your credit card statement, in Internet Banking and in the Mobile Banking app¹⁸. If you would rather not be offered credit limit increases, you need to call the bank to opt out¹⁸.

Fees depend on how you use the card. Providers may charge fees for cash transactions, non-sterling purchases, and non-promotional balance transfers and money transfers¹⁵. A balance transfer moves a debt from another credit or store card onto your Bank of Scotland card, and you may incur a fee when you do this¹⁷. Transfers are possible from most non-Bank of Scotland credit cards and some store cards¹⁶, with a minimum of £100 per transfer, as many transfers as you like as long as you stay within your credit limit, and transfer fees applying¹⁹. Once approved, balance transfers normally arrive the next working day¹⁹. The bank does not accept balance transfers from other Bank of Scotland credit cards, so you cannot shuffle a debt between two of its own cards²⁰. If you hold two Bank of Scotland cards, you can move a minimum of £100 of credit limit between them²⁰.

A money transfer moves money from your credit card to a current account, and once approved it should reach your account by the next working day; money transfer fees are usually a percentage of the amount and apply to each individual transfer²¹. Paying the card bill is fastest from a Bank of Scotland account, online, in the app, by phone, in branch or by post, with the payment reaching the card within 2 hours²². Payments from another bank, including through the app, should also reach the card within 2 hours²². The mechanics of all of this are explained in our balance transfer fees guidance within the credit cards section.

International payments: how the fees and exchange rate work

Bank of Scotland charges a fee of £9.50 for international payments from your account, described as applying to "all other payments"⁷. On top of the fee, the exchange rate you are offered is not the wholesale rate the banks themselves use: it includes a margin. Bank of Scotland does not publish its margin figure on the page cited here, but the structure is standard across the market. Royal Bank of Scotland, for comparison, publishes its margin for its own international payments and states that it will not be more than 3.25%, varying with the amount sent²³. Its worked example, sending £1,000 to Spain in euros, puts the margin at about £32.50, already included in the rate offered, meaning the recipient receives fewer euros²³. Royal Bank of Scotland also charges £10 to cover foreign bank handling fees if you choose to pay all fees yourself, and charges for receiving: £7 for payments received over £100, and £1 for non-euro payments received under £100²³. Those figures are Royal Bank of Scotland's own; Bank of Scotland's equivalent charges are on its international payments pages.

Delivery times depend on where the money is going⁷:

For everyday UK payments to someone new, the bank runs security checks and payments normally arrive within 2 hours, with a receipt available²⁴. Once a payment is made it cannot be cancelled²⁴. Our money transfers guide covers the wider options for sending money in the UK and abroad.

Applying to Bank of Scotland: credit scoring, eligibility checks and declined applications

When you apply for any credit product with Bank of Scotland, whether a mortgage, current account, personal loan or credit card, the bank uses a system called credit scoring as part of its assessment⁸. For credit cards, it also usually checks your credit history with a credit reference agency¹⁷. The decision takes account of your current level of borrowing and existing financial commitments, your employment and residential status, whether you have kept up with loan or credit card payments, and how long you have held a current account¹⁶.

Before applying for a card, you can use the bank's eligibility checker, sometimes branded One Check. You answer a few questions and see whether you are likely to be approved, with your estimated credit limit shown up front and an indication of whether you are pre-approved for any cards¹². The check will not affect your credit score and there is no obligation to apply⁸. To use it you must not have been declined for a Bank of Scotland credit card in the last 30 days⁸, and you will need your addresses for the last three years, your annual income and employment status, your main current account number and sort code, and details of other spending commitments⁸. If you then submit a full application, the bank completes a hard credit check, which is noted on your credit file and may impact your credit score⁸. To apply in the app you must be registered for online banking⁸.

You find out whether you have been successful about halfway through the application¹⁶, and if accepted, your card arrives within seven working days and your PIN within five working days¹⁶. The full terms and conditions relevant to you are sent once you have been accepted¹⁶. If your application is declined, you can appeal: the bank says it cannot guarantee to reverse the decision but is happy to review any further supporting information you provide⁸. Our credit scores guide explains what goes into a credit file and how to improve it.

Banking with Bank of Scotland: app, Internet Banking, branches and phone

The Mobile Banking app is available to Internet Banking customers with a UK personal account and a valid registered phone number, and the bank reports around 1 million app users¹. Through the app you can bank around the clock, and you can also call the bank from it: select 'Message us 24/7', choose the category matching what you want to discuss, follow the onscreen instructions and select 'Call us' to speak to an adviser²⁵. The bank's credit card operation uses UK call centres for account queries¹⁵.

In the branch network, Community Bankers provide in-person help for personal customers, including card and PIN services such as reporting lost or stolen cards or ordering replacements, updating personal details, ordering replacement cheque or credit books, viewing and ordering statements, closing an account, help with online and telephone banking, payments and transfers, adding a third party to an account, and proving your identity²⁶. For business customers, Community Bankers offer guidance on general account management and selected card and payment services²⁶. They can also connect you to specialist telephone teams for life events or money worries, and help you find the right support online²⁶.

Accessibility support is built into the branch experience. The bank can arrange deaf and blind manual interpreting for an appointment if you ask when booking, along with longer appointment times, a private and quiet meeting room, a welcome for support workers, paperwork to take home, and video call appointments from home²⁷. Easy Read guides for current and savings accounts, using pictures and simple words, are available on request²⁷. Customers worried about their finances can book a free Helping Hand appointment to review their money in branch with a Banking Consultant²⁸.

Security checks and logging in to Internet Banking

To use Internet Banking you need a phone number and a trusted device, such as one you own¹. When you set up a new payee or make certain payments, the bank may check it is really you by texting a passcode to enter on the payment or login screen, asking you to verify a purchase in the Mobile Banking app, or making an automated call to confirm the set-up of a new payee²⁹. An additional card holder can ask the bank to send a code to their registered phone number, if they have one¹.

The app itself runs checks before you log in: it reviews your details, your device and its software as part of a 'safe start'³⁰. If you use biometric login, such as a fingerprint or face recognition, and it is unsuccessful, you will need to enter your memorable information, and the bank may still ask for your Internet Banking password from time to time, so it is important not to forget your password and memorable information³¹. These checks exist to satisfy the industry's strong customer authentication rules, which are explained in our consumer protection guide.

Scams and fraud: how authorised push payment refunds work

If you think you have been scammed, Bank of Scotland's instruction is simple: contact the bank right away to report it³². The bank publishes information on the latest scams so customers can recognise current tactics³².

For push payment (APP) scams, where you are tricked into sending money yourself, there are now firm rules. If you made this type of payment on or after 7 October 2024, and the payment was sent from a bank in the UK to another bank in the UK, your bank will usually have to give you a refund³³. The rules set a maximum amount the bank has to pay, currently £85,000³³. The bank can deduct £100 from the refund unless you are considered vulnerable under the rules³³. The same limits and conditions are set out in the guidance for Scotland³⁴.

Bank of Scotland says that if you become a victim of a scam it will be more likely to refund you if you have done everything you can to keep your money secure²⁹. Its app security guidance similarly states that victims of APP scams who have taken necessary precautions to protect their personal information and devices may be refunded³⁰. In practice this means following the bank's warnings, not sharing passcodes, and reporting quickly. Our scams and fraud guide covers the warning signs, and free debt advice charities publish guidance on dealing with fraud if the money is not recovered³³.

Help with managing money and arranging power of attorney

Bank of Scotland has a range of support services covering mental health, accessibility and disability, serious illness, financial abuse, someone to manage your affairs, gambling, money worries and general money management³⁷. Customers worried about paying their mortgage can be helped in various ways³⁷. For gambling-related spending, the bank has partnered with PayPlan, whose specialists go through your monthly income and outgoings with you³⁸. The bank's money worries route in Internet Banking sits under the 'Our products and services' tab, then 'Need help with debt or payments?', where you select the mortgage, credit card, loan or current account you need support with²⁸. Free, impartial help is also available from debt advice charities.

If someone needs to manage your affairs, or you manage someone else's, the bank has a process for registering a power of attorney or third party access. If you registered a lasting power of attorney after September 2019 and received a digital code, you can use this instead of paper documents³⁹. In Scotland, if the power of attorney was registered electronically, you can show organisations your digital certificate of registration, which includes a link to verify the registration with the Office of the Public Guardian⁴⁰. If nothing is in place yet and you need to talk to someone, the bank asks you to call: it may be able to help in the short term while you apply for longer-term access³⁹. The general steps are in our guide to setting up power of attorney.

FSCS protection: Bank of Scotland and Halifax share one limit

Money held with Bank of Scotland is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which covers deposits up to £120,000 per person⁴. The critical point for this brand is the shared licence. The FSCS states that if you have money in multiple accounts with multiple banks that are part of the same banking group and share a banking licence, they are treated as one bank, with the £120,000 limit applying across all of them⁴. Which? names Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds as banks that share a licence and count as a single provider⁴¹.

There is one wrinkle worth understanding. Lloyds' own guidance states that money held with Lloyds Bank is protected separately from money held with Bank of Scotland and Halifax². So the documents differ on whether the Lloyds brand counts with the others: the safest reading for a saver is that Bank of Scotland and Halifax money definitely counts together towards one £120,000 limit, and if you also hold money with Lloyds Bank, check with the FSCS's own protection checker before assuming you have two separate allowances. The FSCS's full rules on banks and building societies are in our consumer protection guide.