Frequently asked questions

Great. Once you’ve found the account that’s right for you, open an account online by clicking the the ‘Open an account’ button.

You need to be aged 18 or over and a resident in the United Kingdom to open a savings account with us.

You can also open a joint account with another person.

Apply online using the ‘Open an account’ button.

Existing customers can apply for extra accounts in just a few clicks when logged into our online savings portal.

As a responsible bank we need to be confident in knowing who our customers are. We check your address and identity using various electronic databases.

If we’re unable to verify you in this way, we’ll get in touch and may ask you for some documents to help us complete our checks. Read what verification documents we may ask for. You can send clear photos or photocopies of these to us by email at kyc@htb.co.uk. Please don’t send us originals. You’ll need to send these within 14 days of applying for your account, otherwise we’ll cancel the application.

If you apply online we’ll open your account and provide confirmation as soon as you submit your application. We will also tell you if we need any further information from you.

We’ll get in touch to confirm your new account details and any further information we require.

You can pay money into your account by sending an electronic payment (Faster Payment or CHAPS) to your Hampshire Trust Bank sort code and account number, which we will tell you once we have opened your account. If you open your account online we will provide your sort code and account number at the end of the application. However you apply, we will write to you to confirm your sort code and account number as soon as we have opened your account.

You’ll need to make at least one payment within the first 14 days of the date you applied for the account to keep it open.

You can also pay money into your account by cheque. We will usually bank your cheque on the working day that we receive it. You should make the cheque payable to yourself and send it to us at our freepost address:

Freepost RTXE-RYYB-AYZY
Hampshire Trust Bank (Savings)
PO Box 74003
London EC2P 2QR.

If you are opening an easy access or notice account you can send as many payments as often as you like.

If you are opening a fixed rate bond you can send as many payments as you like within 14 days of the date you applied for the account.

We will only accept payments into your account made from your Nominated Account.

You can make a payment into your account by cheque, we will usually bank your cheque on the working day that we receive it. You will start to earn interest on the second working day after it is deposited. (Full information is in our T&C’s).

Or you make a payment into your account by electronic payment and we will apply it to your account on the day we receive it. If we receive it after 1pm, we will apply it your account on the next working day. You will earn interest from the date it is applied.

A new security measure has been introduced by the big clearing banks, but at the moment it does not check accounts held outside the big banks, and that is why you are seeing the warning message.

It is nothing to worry about and you have done the right thing by checking with us.  To offer some comfort you can visit the Financial Services register where they can check we’re a bona fide bank.  You can also visit the Faster Payments sort code checker to confirm that the sort code we have given them is registered with Hampshire Trust Bank.

Yes, you can cancel any account with us within the first 14 days after the opening date. This is the date on your account opening confirmation letter. You can do this by calling us on 020 7862 6222 during business hours.

If you have already paid money into your account we will return this to you, along with any interest you have earned, when you tell us you would like to cancel it.

To open an additional account simply log in to our online savings portal. You’ll be able to see all our available accounts and apply in just a few clicks.

No if you don’t fund your account within 14 days it will automatically close.

If we receive your payment before 1pm on a working day you will start earning interest the same day. Should we receive your payment after 1pm on a working day or on a non-working day you will start earning interest the next working day.

If you send us a deposit by cheque you’ll start to earn interest on the second working day after we receive it.

Our sort code is 23 62 47.

Yes you can make payments into your account by cheque.

Please make the cheque payable to yourself.

When you apply we will ask you to give us a nominated account, which must be a current account you hold with a UK bank. If you are applying for a joint account your nominated account can be in both or either of your names.

We will check the nominated account details you give us and occasionally we may need you to provide evidence that you are the account holder, such as a copy of your bank statement showing the account number, sort code and your name.

All payments you make into your savings account must be made from your nominated account. If we receive an electronic payment from a different account we will return it to the paying account. If we receive a cheque from a different account we will return it to you uncashed.

We will make all withdrawals by electronic payment to your nominated account.

Most deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Read more information on our FSCS page.

Yes, the same compensation limits are applied if you’ve used an aggregator as for other bank accounts.  Savings marketplace, cash platform, savings service – this new type of financial company (also known as a deposits aggregator) spreads your money across multiple accounts with different banks. If an aggregator deposited your money with a regulated bank, your eligible deposits are protected up to a total of £120,000 per authorised entity.  The FSCS will check and pay these claims as soon as possible, and always within three months.

For any further information please visit the FAQs section at the top of the FSCS web page.

Your User ID can be found on the email we sent you when we opened your account (if you joined us from May 2024).

If you managed your account online before May 2024 and have registered for our new online portal, your User ID will be your email address, so you could try that first.

You can view, search and download your account transactions in our online portal. You can log in here.

No if you don’t fund your account within 14 days it will automatically close.

Our sort code is 23-62-47.

It can. Tracker interest rates are variable and can be increased or decreased depending on the Bank of England (BoE) base rate. 

We can also adjust the margin to BoE base rate at any time at our sole discretion as outlined in the account Summary Box. 

The margin is the percentage below the Bank of England base rate we detail on your Summary Box when you opened your account. This will move in line with the Bank of England Base rate minus the margin. This will move within 5 business days of a base rate change. 

We can change the margin by giving you 14 days’ notice and you can close an easy access account at any time. 

Yes, you can make multiple payments into your account. You do not earn interest until the minimum balance is reached, after which the whole balance will earn interest. 

For example, if the minimum balance is £20,000, you could make payments of £10,000 and £7,000 – we’ll accept the payments onto your account and they would not be earning interest yet. Make an additional payment of at least £3,000 and you’ll start earning interest on the whole balance. 

You have 14 days from when you applied for the account to pay in at least £1 and initiate any Transfer In from your existing ISA provider.

Any accounts unfunded after this window will be closed, and any deposits received after the funding window may be returned.

ISA stands for Individual Savings Account. The main difference between an ISA and any other savings account is that it offers tax-free interest payments, so you could get more for your money. There is a limit to how much money you can put into an ISA in each tax year, which is called the ‘ISA allowance’.

To be eligible to subscribe to an ISA an investor must be an individual, aged 16 or over (if subscribing to a cash ISA), or 18 or over (if subscribing to a stocks and shares, innovative finance ISA, or a Lifetime ISA).

• Cash ISA, is simply a tax-free savings account.
• Stocks and Shares ISA, is a tax-efficient investment account that lets you put money into a range of different investments. These include unit trusts, open-ended investment companies (Oeics) and investment trusts, as well as government bonds and corporate bonds.
• Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA), allows you to make peer-to-peer (P2P) lending investments within a tax-free wrapper. This allowance can be fully invested in an Innovative Finance ISA, or spread across the different types of ISA. You can also transfer funds from existing cash or stocks and shares ISAs into an IFISA.
• Lifetime ISA (LISA), can be held alongside other ISAs, but has a £4,000 annual allowance (which is part of your overall £20,000 allowance).
• Help to Buy ISA, can be held instead of a Cash ISA,
• Junior ISA (JISA), is designed for under 18s.

You can open multiple cash ISAs each year. However, the total amount of money you deposit across all of your ISAs can’t be more than your ISA allowance.

HTB will only offer a Cash ISA.

A Cash ISA may only be held by an investor in his or her sole name. A Cash ISA cannot be a joint account or held on behalf of a person other than the account holder.

The total amount you can save in ISAs in the current tax year is £20,000.

The minimum amount you can pay in to a Cash ISA is £1.

HTB ISAs can be opened online.

Yes, you can view your accounts through our online savings portal.

As a responsible bank we need to be confident in knowing who our customers are. We check your address and identity using various electronic databases.

If we’re unable to verify you in this way, we’ll get in touch and may ask you for some documents to help us complete our checks. Read what verification documents we may ask for. You can send clear photos or photocopies of these to us by email at kyc@htb.co.uk. Please don’t send us originals.

You’ll need to send these within 14 days of applying for your account, otherwise we’ll cancel the application.

Yes, you can transfer your savings to a different type of ISA or to the same type of ISA. If you want to transfer money you’ve invested in an ISA during the current year, you must transfer all of it. For money you invested in previous years, you can choose to transfer all or part of your savings.

You can transfer your Individual Savings Account (ISA) from one provider to another at any time. Please click here to download our ISA transfer application form.

You can pay money into your account by sending an electronic payment (Faster Payment or CHAPS) to your Hampshire Trust Bank sort code and account number, which we will tell you once we have opened your account. If you open your account online we will provide your sort code and account number at the end of the application. However you apply, we will write to you to confirm your sort code and account number as soon as we have opened your account.

You can also pay money into your account by cheque. We will usually bank your cheque on the working day that we receive it. You should make the cheque payable to yourself and send it to us at our freepost address: Freepost RTXE-RYYB-AYZY, Hampshire Trust Bank, Savings, PO Box 74003, London EC2P 2QR.

Any instruction to break the term of your Bond Cash ISA will be subject to an early redemption fee as set out in the Key Features Document. If you ask us to break the terms of your Bond Cash ISA, we will pay funds to your nominated account net of any such early redemption fee.

When you apply we will ask you to give us a nominated account, which must be a current account you hold with a UK bank. We will check the nominated account details you give us and occasionally we may need you to provide evidence that you are the account holder, such as a copy of your bank statement showing the account number, sort code and your name.

All payments you make into your savings account must be made from your nominated account.

We will make all withdrawals by electronic payment to your nominated account.

A Cash ISA should take two weeks:

• New ISA manager five business days to forward a Transfer Authority Form to old ISA manager
• Old ISA manager five business days to send the Transfer History Form and the funds to the new ISA manager
• New ISA manager three business days to apply the funds to the chosen ISA

Allowing two days for 1^st class post, this equates to a total of 15 business days.

We’ll get in touch a few weeks before your fixed term comes to an end (the ‘account maturity’) to let you know your options and ask for your instructions.

You can give us – and amend – your maturity instructions through our online savings portal up to 2 working days before your account matures.

If you need some support while doing this, send us a secure message when you’re logged in, or get in touch.

And, if we don’t hear from you, we’ll move your balance into our maturity easy access account to keep it protected while you decide what to do.

If you change your mind about opening the Cash ISA, you have the right to cancel it within 14 days of it being opened. Just tell us that you wish to cancel by calling or writing to Customer Services.

If your spouse or civil partner has passed away, you may be entitled to an extra ISA allowance equal to the value of their ISA savings — this is called an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS).

While we don’t currently offer APS on our ISAs, we’re happy to guide you through the process. Just get in touch and we’ll help however we can.

If you wish to transfer your Cash ISA with us to another ISA provider then you should request this through your new ISA provider, making a separate request for each Cash ISA you have with us and that you wish to transfer. You should not withdraw the funds from your Cash ISA and then pay them to your new ISA as those funds will lose their ISA status.

Deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

You can login to our online portal here.

If you managed your account online before May 2024 and have not yet registered for our new online portal, you can read more and register here.

You can manage your account when logged in online and by telephone (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and closed on bank holidays).

If you’ve always managed your account with us in a different way, for example by post, you can keep doing this.

Your User ID can be found on the email we sent you when we opened your account (if you joined us from May 2024).

If you managed your account online before May 2024 and have registered for our new online portal, your User ID will be your email address, so you could try that first.

If you have an online account you will see the balance for each account you hold with us and your total balance when you log in to your account.

If you do not have an online account we can tell you your balance over the phone.

We will send you an annual statement by post on the anniversary of account opening.

You can view, search and download your account transactions in our online portal. You can log in here.

If you have an online account you can see the interest rate for each account you hold us when you log in to your account.

If you do not have an online account we can tell you your interest rate over the phone or by secure message, when logged in.

If you have an online account you can give notice to withdraw money by logging in, selecting your notice account by clicking its account number and choosing ‘withdraw funds’.

Alternatively, you can give us an instruction by calling 020 7862 6222 during business hours.

You can make a partial withdrawal or ask us to close your account and return all of your money.

We cannot accept instructions by email.

You cannot withdraw money from our fixed rate bond accounts before the end of the term.

We’ll get in touch a few weeks before your fixed term comes to an end (the ‘account maturity’) to let you know your options and ask for your instructions.

You can give us – and amend – your maturity instructions through our online savings portal up to 2 working days before your account matures.

When your fixed term comes to an end, you’ll be able to:

• See all of our available accounts by logging into our online savings portal
• Reinvest into any of these new account with us
• Pay your balance back to your nominated account.

To let us know what you’d like to do at maturity, or change your previous instructions, simply:

• Log in to our online savings portal (here)
• Find the maturing account and click View account
• Click the Set maturity instructions button.

From there, you can:

• Reinvest some or all of the balance into one of our available accounts, by choosing the account and adding the amount to add.
• Return some or all of the balance by selecting your nominated account under Transfer funds to my selected account and enter the amount to return.
• You can do one or both of the these and click Submit to save your preferences.

Interest will be paid to either your nominated account or reinvested account, based on the advice you selected when you open the account. Your balance will be adjusted accordingly.

If you need some support while doing this, send us a secure message while you’re logged in, or get in touch.

And, if we don’t hear from you, we’ll move your balance into our maturity easy access account to keep it protected while you decide what to do with it.

If you have a sole account and wish to add a second account holder you will need to get in touch by email or post, giving the account details, full name, address and date of birth of the new account holder. We will need to carry out some checks on the new account holder and may ask them to provide some documentation to verify their identity.

Alternatively, you can select a joint account when you apply for a new account online.

If you hold a joint account and you both wish to remove one of you from the account you need to write to us asking us to do this. The letter needs to be signed by both of you.

No problem. Give us a call 020 7862 6222 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and closed on bank holidays).

Get in touch on 020 7862 6222 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, excluding bank holidays).

If you managed your account online before 1 May 2024, your User ID will be your email address, so you could try that first.

Call us on 020 7862 6222 during business hours.

To help to prevent unauthorised access to your online account it is critical that you do not share your password or memorable word with anyone and we advise you not to write it down.

If you know or suspect that someone knows your password and/or memorable word you should tell us immediately and we will suspend your online account to prevent unauthorised access. We may do this without giving you prior notice if we suspect someone knows your password or if we see any unusual activity on your account. If we do suspend your online account we will re-register you to allow you to continue to securely use your account.

Yes. Both account holders will receive their own security details for our online savings portal.