Personal Finance Bank accounts

How to close a Santander bank account

Zorica Lončar

19.01.22 (updated more than 1 year ago)

Read time 2 minutes

If you’re a Santander customer but are thinking of moving to another bank, you’ll need to know how to close your account.

We’ll walk you through the process here in this guide, including how to close a Santander 123 account and options for closing an account from abroad.

And if you regularly send or receive payments internationally, you may also be interested to know about the Wise multi-currency account- a money-saving alternative to a traditional bank account.

But more on that later. First, let’s focus on getting your Santander bank account sorted out.

How to close a bank account with Santander

You can close a Santander 123 account or other current account with the bank in one of a number of ways.

Can I close a Santander account online?

The easiest and quickest way to close down an unwanted account is online. You can do it via online banking or the Santander mobile banking app. Here’s how¹:

Login to online banking or sign into the app
Select ‘Chat With Us’ - this is Santander’s digital live chat assistant
Request to close your account
Provide all required information (including which account you’d like your balance and any interest payments sent to).

Close an account in branch²

You can also close your account in person, by visiting your local Santander branch and speaking to a customer service advisor. You can find your nearest branch here.

Close an account by post²

The last - and slowest - option is to close your Santander account by post. You’ll need to write to: Santander, PO Box 297, Bradford, BD1 4YR.

In your letter, you’ll need to request the closure of the account and provide the following details:

Your name, address and telephone number
The account and sort code of the account you’d like to close
Instructions for where you’d like your balance to be paid
Your authority to cancel any direct debit mandates.

You should also enclose any cards (cut in half for security reasons) and cheque books linked to the account. Once your letter is received, you can expect your account to be closed within 14 days.

Is it possible to close a Santander account from abroad?

If you live outside the UK (or are planning to be away for a long time), the good news is that you should still be able to close your Santander account from abroad.

Ideally, you’ll visit a Santander branch in your country to return all your debit cards and cheque books related to the account.

However, if there aren’t any branches where you are, or this isn’t possible, there is an alternative. Follow these instructions²:

Photocopy the photo and signature pages of your passport
Write down your address, telephone number, account details and personal fax number
You’ll also need to destroy all cards related to the account, and provide a written statement that you have done so.
Provide details of where you’d like the closing balance on the account to be paid, bearing in mind that there may be charges to pay.
Fax these details and the photocopies of your passport to 704 207 8054.

Wise - a money-saving alternative to banks

Whether or not you choose to switch to a new bank, it can still be very useful to know about alternatives that could save you money - especially on overseas transactions.

The Wise multi-currency account could prove to be a lot cheaper than traditional banks, and it can be faster for sending and receiving money internationally.

You’ll only pay a small, transparent fee for transfers, and are guaranteed the mid-market exchange rate with no costly mark-up added on top. All payments are secure and trackable. Plus, you can hold, convert and switch between 50+ currencies whenever you want. There’s even a contactless Wise debit card for spending overseas.

So remember - a bank account is handy to have, but Wise is one of the best solutions around for managing your money across borders.

Join Wise today

After reading this guide, you should have all the info you need to close a bank account with Santander - in whatever way suits you best. You should find it pretty straightforward, especially if you take the online banking route.

Sources used for this article:

Santander - help centre
Santander - closing an account

Sources checked on 18-Jan-2022.

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.