Santander Edge Explorer

Santander Edge Explorer is a packaged current account from Santander. It is one of a small group of accounts in the UK that combine day-to-day banking with insurance-style benefits for a monthly or annual cost¹.

The account is aimed at people who would use those benefits. The travel insurance covers the account holder and a partner up to age 75, plus dependent children or grandchildren under 18 at the same address, and it only applies if an account holder is on the trip². The mobile phone insurance covers the account holder, a partner and dependent children under 18 at the same address, or under 22 if they are in full-time education and living at home outside term time².

This page explains what the account includes, how the fee and charges work, how cashback is earned, what the insurance covers and where it stops, who can apply, and how to open or upgrade to it. It does not give the account's current rates or cashback percentages: Santander's own site carries today's figures.

What Santander Edge Explorer offers

Santander Edge Explorer is a current account with a contactless debit card and a chequebook⁴. Its selling point is the package of benefits attached to it: worldwide family travel insurance, 24/7 GP remote access, UK and European breakdown cover and family mobile phone insurance². Santander describes it as an account that earns cashback on selected household bills, at supermarkets and on travel costs⁵.

The benefits are not add-ons you buy separately. They come with the account, and they stop when the account stops. That is the central trade-off of a packaged account: you pay a monthly fee whether or not you claim, and in exchange you get cover that is already arranged rather than cover you shop for yourself. The Financial Ombudsman Service has published case studies of consumers who complained that a packaged account was mis-sold, and of a consumer who felt he had wasted money on benefits he never used⁶. Which? has also reported on complaints that packaged accounts were mis-sold¹.

The account sits alongside other Santander current accounts, including Santander Edge, Santander Edge Up and the Santander Edge Student account, which have different fees and different qualifying conditions⁴. Santander Edge Explorer is the packaged option in that range.

How the monthly fee and account charges work

That is the headline cost, and it applies from the point the account is open.

The fee is not the only cost to think about. Santander does not charge fees for allowing or refusing a payment because there is not enough money in the account². If you switch to Santander Edge Explorer from another bank, there is no arranged overdraft interest for the first four months². After that, overdraft costs depend on how much you borrow and for how long. Santander publishes an overdraft cost calculator and overdraft eligibility checkers so you can work out what a given overdraft would cost before you apply⁸.

Those conditions matter because they show how Santander structures its range: the higher the fee, the more the account bundles in.

If you would not claim on travel, breakdown or phone cover, the fee buys you nothing you would otherwise have bought.

How cashback is earned on bills and everyday spending

Cashback is paid monthly¹⁰. It applies to selected household bills paid by Direct Debit, to supermarket spending and to travel costs². Santander's comparison of its own accounts confirms that Santander Edge Explorer pays cashback on selected household bills paid by Direct Debit and on selected debit card transactions on essential spend⁴.

There are exclusions. Cashback is not paid on TV licences, LPG or Calor gas, maintenance contracts such as boiler repair cover, or for commercial use². Those exclusions matter most to people who pay for several household services by Direct Debit and assume everything counts. Cashback on selected household bills paid by Direct Debit is a feature of the Santander Edge Explorer current account².

The cashback is one of the reasons the account carries a fee rather than being free. Whether it offsets the fee depends on your own bills and spending, and Santander's site carries the current cashback rates and caps. The account also links to a separate savings product: the Santander Edge saver, which requires you to hold a Santander Edge or Santander Edge Explorer current account and to be signed up to Online or Mobile Banking¹¹. You can hold only one Edge saver per current account you hold, and a maximum of three in total¹¹. It can only be held in a single name, so if you have a joint Edge Explorer account, each of you can have your own Edge saver⁵. You must keep the current account to keep the saver, and if you do not keep to the saver's terms Santander may switch it to an Everyday Saver¹¹.

Travel insurance, breakdown and phone cover: what the packaged insurance includes

The insurance package has four parts, each provided by a different firm.

Travel insurance is administered and underwritten by Chubb European Group SE². It gives worldwide cover, including winter sports, for the account holder and their family². It covers cancelling a holiday or cutting it short unexpectedly up to £5,000 per person². Cover applies to the account holder and a partner up to age 75, and to dependent children or grandchildren under 18 at the same address, or 23 or under if in full-time education; the family is only covered if an account holder is on the trip². Once the account holder is 75, they are no longer eligible for the travel insurance benefit².

Breakdown cover is underwritten by AWP P&C SA and administered by Allianz Assistance². It covers the UK and Europe. If a breakdown in the UK cannot be fixed, the cover provides a replacement vehicle or public transport up to £50 per person, or overnight accommodation up to £500². There is no excess to pay in the event of a call-out².

Mobile phone insurance is administered by Likewize and underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited². It covers the account holder, a partner and dependent children under 18 at the same address, or under 22 if in full-time education and living at home outside term time².

24/7 GP remote access is arranged by Chubb and provided by Teladoc Health UK². It covers the account holder, a partner and dependent children under 18 at the same address, up to 23 if in full-time education, and is not available outside the UK².

Using your card abroad and making international payments

Santander does not charge for using a Santander Edge Explorer debit card outside the UK¹². Santander's travel guidance confirms the same point: there are no fees from Santander for using the card abroad¹².

That does not mean every cost disappears. When you use a card abroad you may be charged additional fees and interest for making non-sterling transactions, depending on the card and the transaction¹³. The bank receiving an international payment may also apply its own charges, even where Santander charges nothing¹⁴.

You can make and receive international payments in Online Banking, though not through the Mobile Banking app¹⁴. Santander Edge, Santander Edge Up and Santander Edge Explorer accounts can send money to friends and family abroad with no extra fees from Santander¹⁴. If you are travelling outside Europe, Santander asks you to let them know before you go, through Online Banking under Account Services and then Use Card Abroad¹². You can use Santander debit and credit cards abroad to make purchases and withdraw local currency from cash machines wherever you see the Visa or Mastercard signs¹⁵.

Who can apply for Santander Edge Explorer

To open the account you must be 18 to 73 years old and live in the UK permanently². For a joint account, both people must meet the age and residency conditions and both must live at the same address². You can only have one Santander Edge Explorer current account².

The benefits have their own age limits, which are separate from the account's eligibility rules. Travel insurance cover ends for everyone once the account holder reaches 75². The GP service covers dependent children up to 23 if they are in full-time education². Mobile phone insurance covers dependent children under 18 at the same address, or under 22 if in full-time education and living at home outside term time².

Santander carries out a credit check when you apply². You will need proof of ID and proof of address². If you are adding a second holder to a sole account, both of you fill in a current account form, the person being added completes a change from sole to joint form, and both forms go back to Santander with proof of ID for the new holder¹⁶.

How to open an account or upgrade from another Santander account

You can open a Santander current account online, in the mobile app or by visiting a branch, providing proof of ID and address⁵. You can choose to switch to Santander when you apply, or at any time after opening an account; Santander closes your old account and moves your payments across⁵.

If you already hold a Santander account, you can upgrade in the Mobile Banking app. Select Products and offers from the quick links at the top of the home screen, then Current accounts, then Change your Santander account, and follow the steps on screen⁵. Your account details, such as your sort code, account number and PIN, stay the same, but you get the benefits of the new account². To move between Santander accounts you can also click on the account and choose Change my existing account¹⁷.

If you are switching from another bank, the Current Account Switch Service moves your payments and closes the old account. Santander's own switching terms note that to qualify for a Santander switching incentive, the account you are switching from must be held with a bank outside the Santander Group, so accounts with Santander, Cahoot or Cater Allen do not count¹⁸.

Where the insurance cover does not apply

The travel insurance has limits that catch people out. Trips lasting more than 31 days are not covered, or more than 21 days if the trip includes winter sports; you can cover up to 62 days with the optional Trip Extension upgrade². Pre-existing medical conditions must be declared to Chubb once the account is opened, or the policy might be invalid and claims may be declined in part or in full³. Chubb can cover some pre-existing conditions, but all medical conditions and medications must be declared when getting a quote, for everyone named on the policy¹⁹.

Breakdown cover does not apply in the first 24 hours after the account is opened². The other benefits, including travel insurance, mobile phone insurance and GP access, are active as soon as the account is opened³.

Mobile phone insurance does not cover phones bought for more than £2,000, foldable phones with an unfolded screen greater than 8 inches, gadgets and connected home devices, rented phones, counterfeit devices or cosmetic damage².

If you close the account, you lose your insurance benefits and your insurance online access³. Claims for incidents that happened while the account was open can still be registered by phone, and existing claims are not affected³.

Problems and complaints

If something goes wrong with the account or the insurance, Santander has its own complaints route. Complaints relating to Santander Insurance go through the insurance support pages²⁰. Santander also publishes help for customers dealing with emergencies¹⁵.

If Santander does not resolve a complaint to your satisfaction, you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free and independent. The ombudsman has published case studies involving packaged bank accounts, including a complaint that one was mis-sold and a complaint from a consumer who felt he had wasted money on benefits he never used⁶. Those cases show the kind of dispute that can arise with a packaged account: whether the benefits were explained clearly and whether the customer would have bought the account knowing what it included.

For free, impartial help with money questions, MoneyHelper is the government-backed service. For debt problems, StepChange and other debt advice charities offer free advice. If you are struggling with an overdraft, Santander has its own support routes and there are free services that can help.