Digital Banking
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Select Account
Our Current Account lets you bank in your downtime, rather than your free time
- No monthly account fee
- Bank on demand with our award winning Mobile App
- Digital Banking, 24 hour days, 7days a week
- Emergency cash if you lose your card or it gets stolen
Why choose an RBS Select current account?
Mobile banking
Wherever your mobile has signal, you can bank. Check your balance, move money, Get Cash, and pay friends whenever and wherever you want. Mobile App available on iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android and Windows.
Everyday banking services for free
When you choose an RBS Select Account, we won't charge you for managing your money - All Select Accounts from RBS include a Visa debit card and cheque book, as well as standing order and Direct Debit facilities. Plus you get the advantages of 24-hour phone, digital and mobile banking, overdraft facility, fraud alerts and more.
Overdraft facility
Get extra cash when you need it - We understand that sometimes you may need a bit of extra money, so our Select Accounts come with flexible overdraft facilities. Pay interest only on what you borrow, and increase or reduce your limit as needed. (Subject to eligibility. Over 18s only).
Digital banking
Secure and easy digital banking - With an RBS Select Current Account, you can manage your finances 24/7. Paperless statements, online support, and our online security promise means your money's in safe hands.
Emergency cash
In the event of a lost or stolen card, RBS will be there to help - If you lose your card you can still get cash, as long as you've at least £25 available in your account, we'll give you an emergency code to withdraw up to £300 of your money if you're an online or telephone banking customer and up to £60 if you're not, until your new card arrives.
Overdraft Control
Control the cost of unarranged borrowing - Overdraft Control is an optional free service only available on our Select Account. It is designed to help you avoid unarranged overdrafts on your account by, where possible, rejecting payments that would take your account into an unarranged overdraft. You will not be charged Returned Item Fees for payments that we reject however, daily Unarranged Overdraft Fees may apply if we are unable to reject a payment that takes your account into an unarranged overdraft of greater than £25.
Fraud and suspicious activity alerts
We'll keep an eye out for fraudsters so your savings stay in place - We keep watch for suspicious activity on your Select Current Accounts to keep your finances secure. If we notice anything unusual, we will telephone you or send you an email or text to let you know.
Our commitment to excellent service
We're working every day to be Britain's best bank - We know you have a choice about who you bank with; that's why we continually work to improve our services. Our team works every day to listen to your concerns and make banking with us easy.
What else does a Select current account feature?
Telephone banking
When you need to do your banking, our team will be waiting. Talk to real people at our UK call centres 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Easy mobile top-ups
- Top up your mobile - without a fee
- Get credit for friends or family members
- Works with all the major mobile networks
Visa debit card
- Withdraw cash from your account any time (charges apply abroad)
- Accepted for payment at over 29 million outlets
- Shop online securely with RBS
Easy switching
We try to make switching us as easy as possible. Talk to our dedicated switching team for a smooth move to RBS.
Rates and important info
Information about, overdrafts, interest, charges and other services.
Branch banking
- Over 640 UK branches
- We're committed to reduce queue times
Ready to apply?
Want more from your account?
Navigation menu
How to apply
It's easy to apply for a Select account. There are three ways to apply:
Apply by phone
Call us on 0800 148 8328. Customers with hearing and speech impairments can contact us by Minicom number 0800 404 6160.
Lines are open: Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, except public holidays, and Saturdays 9am-6pm. Calls may be recorded.
At your nearest RBS branch
Making everyday banking easier
The no subscription fee account that makes banking easy
If you're looking for a straightforward everyday bank account with no monthly account fee, a Select Account could be just right for you.
- Visa debit card - lets you make purchases and withdraw money from any cash machine in the UK and overseas. Fees and charges apply to overseas withdrawals
- Overdraft (subject to eligibility; over 18s only) - extra breathing space for your finances
- Standing orders and Direct Debits - and a cheque book, making it easy for you to pay your bills
- Regular statements - check them online or receive a paper copy
- Free day -to-day banking - provided you remain in credit
Manage your account the way that suits you best
- UK only call centres - open 24 hours a day, seven days a week - and more than 640 branches
- Digital banking - easy and secure to use, available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week
- Mobile banking and text alerts - keep you up to date with your finances when you're out and about. Network call and data charges may apply
And enjoy other great support from RBS
- Fraud alerts - we'll call you if we identify unusual activity on your account
- Emergency cash - if you lose your debit card you could withdraw up to £300 of your money if you're an online or telephone banking customer, or up to £60 if you're not, from any NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank cash machine. You must have enough money available to cover what you have taken out and at least £25 available in your account
Switching to RBS is easy
- Our dedicated team will support you all the way
Overdraft
Extra breathing space for your finances
If you're over 18 with an RBS Select account, an overdraft can give you flexibility and access to some extra money (subject to eligibility).
Borrow up to your approved limit at any time, and:
- Increase or decrease your limit whenever you want
- Only pay interest on what you borrow - within your agreed limit
- No need to renew your overdraft
Mobile banking
Bank in your downtime, rather than your free time
We have apps for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android...
Mini statements
See your last six transactions for all your accounts that you manage using digital banking including:
- Current accounts
- Savings accounts
- Credit cards
- Loans
- Mortgages
Transfers
Move money between your accounts. Transfers are processed immediately and your balances are updated.
Payments
Pay your friends, family, credit card, or utility bills - just set up and make your first payment to each new payee in Digital Banking beforehand.
You can now pay any RBS Mobile Banking app user - all you need to know is their mobile number. Select 'Pay your contacts' from within your app to use this fantastic service. Want to pay someone else by mobile number? We're working on it...
Get Cash
Get Cash enables you to withdraw money without using your bank card. It is a great option for those times, such as popping out during your lunch hour, when you need small amounts of cash but don't have your wallet on you. Get Cash provides you with another method by which you can get access to your money quickly by simply using the mobile app.
How does it work?
With Get Cash you can quickly choose an amount of cash that you would like to withdraw from within the app. We will then provide you with a secure cash code that will be valid for 3 hours and can be used at any NatWest, RBS or Tesco cash machine to withdraw your cash. You can use this cash code yourself or text it to someone else. You can use this service up to twice a day, but can only have one cash code at any one time.
To use this service:
- Get Cash limits will apply for this service, including a maximum withdrawal limit of £100 over a 4 day period.
- The amount requested must be within the daily withdrawal limit for your debit card.
- You must have at least £25 available funds to withdraw from your account (including any overdraft facility).
Get Cash is available on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry.
Get Cash will be available for RBS Customers in Scotland (only).
Near me
Locate RBS cash branches and cash machines.
To use mobile banking you must:
- Be an RBS customer who is registered for Digital Banking
- Have an RBS personal account with a debit card
- Be over age 16 and have a mainland UK mobile number starting 07
RBS will not charge you for any mobile banking services, however, your mobile network provider may charge depending on your tariff.
Standard data download charges may apply. Please contact your network operator for details.
Digital banking
Our digital banking service helps you:
- Stay in control - online banking with your Select account makes looking after your money even easier
- Bank when it suits you - day and night, you can do your banking whenever it suits you
- Transfer money - make instant transfers to any RBS account - and transfer money other UK bank accounts
- Pay bills - forget cheques, it's quicker and safer to send money online. You can even set up standing orders for regular payments and manage your Direct Debits
- Manage your account - check balances and statements, searching through up to seven years of transactions. It's easy to find what you're looking for
- Stay safe - with free security software, card readers and secure servers, we're working hard to beat the fraudsters
To sign up for online banking you need to have an RBS account and be aged 11 or over.
Please note that system updates will mean that online banking is unavailable for short periods in the early hours of the morning.
Paperless statements
Why go paperless?
If you bank online you can choose to go paperless and receive online statements.
- Prove your identity - need paper statements to prove your identity or income? Get three months of statements, free of charge
- Search back up to seven years - track down transactions in a hurry, and keep tabs on your finances
- Added security - fraudsters like paper statements. Without them, it's more difficult to steal your identity
- Cut the clutter - we do the filing for you, as your online statements are stored on our secure servers
- Simple - online statements are easy to set-up and use
- Your choice - decide which accounts you'd like to switch to online statements. You can always switch back if you need to
Paper when you need it
Sometimes, you need a paper statement - perhaps to prove your identity or your income. Good news - it's free to order up to three months of duplicate paper statements. And you can do this twice in any 12-month period.
On hand in an emergency
Need emergency cash? Don't worry
Call us and we'll give you a code to withdraw up to £300 of your money from any NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank cash machine in the UK or Ireland.
- Withdraw up to £300 - of your money if you are an internet or telephone banking customer. Or up to £60 if you're not. You must have enough money available to cover what you have taken out and at least £25 available in your account
- 24/7 support - call us any time to report your missing card and ask for your emergency cash code
- No extra cost - we don't charge you any extra for this service
Fraud and activity alerts
Keeping you safe, and up to date
Alerts to keep you safe, and up to date.
- Fraud alert - we'll call you if we identify unusual activity on your account - could be a warning that someone is using your information
- Activity Alerts - get a text message when you carry out certain activities on your account - you stay informed and secure
- Act Now Alerts - get a text or email if you are about to become overdrawn, or are already using an unarranged overdraft - helps you minimise or even avoid overdraft and returned item fees
- Balance Alerts - get a text with your updated balance each week whenever it suits you - helps you stay in control of your accounts anytime, anywhere
- Limit alerts - we'll check your balance every day and aim to send you a text at 8am if your account balance hits limits set by you
- On demand balance or mini statement - we'll send your current balance and most recent transactions to your mobile
RBS will not charge you for any mobile phone banking services, received via text or by accessing the application. However, your mobile phone network operator may charge for certain services and there may be additional charges if you are overseas. Please check with your network provider.
Our commitment
Our commitment to our customers
We want to become Britain's most helpful bank and our Customer Charter is key to achieving that goal. It continues to be our long-standing commitment to you, our customers, as we provide the services you want and need. Everything in it is based on the things that you have told us are important and we are committed to acting on them.
Our knowledgeable staff will put your needs first
We’re here to help. All our staff are committed to doing just that. And we want to make sure you’re satisfied at all times with the help and guidance we give you.
1) Your satisfaction with the quality of our service will be an essential part of how we reward our staff.
2) Our branch staff will be accredited by the Chartered Bankers’ Institute to ensure they have the right knowledge to help you.
3) If we make a mistake we will apologise and fix it, quickly and fairly.
Tell us what you think. Go to Ideas Bank.
We will do more to help when you need us most
Life's full of surprises and they’re not always pleasant ones. We're here to help you as quickly as possible when things go wrong
4) We will refund money lost from your account if you have been a victim of banking fraud, in keeping with our obligations.
5) We will provide you with a free emergency cash service if your debit card is lost or stolen, and send you a new card the next day.
6) We will be proactive in doing what we can to help customers who may be facing financial difficulty.
Tell us what you think. Go to Ideas Bank.
We will provide convenient and quick service,
however you choose to bank with us
Whether you want to talk to us in person, on the phone, or choose to do your banking online we aim to make sure your banking experience is as efficient and helpful as possible.
7) We will serve 90% of customers in five minutes or less in our branches.
8) We will answer at least 90% of customer calls in less than a minute, from our UK-based telephone centres, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
9) We will continue to offer new and innovative mobile banking services that make banking faster and more convenient, wherever you are.
Tell us what you think. Go to Ideas Bank.
We will help to strengthen the communities in which we live and work
Communities are important, when they thrive we all benefit. That’s why we remain committed to supporting communities across the country.
10) We pledge to maintain banking services wherever we are the last bank in town, that is where the nearest alternative bank is more than 1 mile away.
11) We will provide every secondary school pupil with access to MoneySense, our financial education programme.
12) We will continue to offer all our staff a day of paid leave to help projects in their local community.
Tell us what you think. Go to Ideas Bank.
Telephone banking
Wherever you are - home or abroad - we're always open
Our UK based telephone banking call centres are always open - so you can talk to us any time, day or night. You only pay for the cost of the call.
24 hour service - use it whenever you need
- Use our automated service - or talk directly to a customer service officer
- Get real-time balances - and up-to-the-minute statements
- Make instant transfers - pay bills, make payments and manage standing orders
- Order foreign currency - cheque books, paying-in books and statements
Mobile phone top-ups
Mobile phone top-ups
Use one of our many cash machines across the UK to top-up your pre-pay mobile phone without the need to visit a shop, buy a voucher, or make a long phone call:
How does it work?
- It's completely free of charge
- Works with all the major mobile networks
- You can top-up a friend or relative's phone
- You can do it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Will it work with my network?
All major UK mobile networks are covered. So if you have an O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Virgin Mobile or Tesco Mobile pre-pay phone, you'll be able to top-up using this new service.
Will it work with my card?
If you have an RBS account with a Cashcard or Servicecard, you'll be able to use the service. E-top up cards are not required.
Which cash machines can I use?
You can top-up your phone at The Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest or Tesco Personal Finance cash machines. Use our Branch Locator to find your nearest RBS branch.
What's the maximum top-up amount?
The maximum in any one transaction is £50. However, you can use the top-up service more than once in a day, as long as you stay within your daily cash withdrawal limit and have enough money in your bank account.
Some mobile network operators may also apply a limit to the number/value of top-ups you can undertake. For details please contact your mobile network operator.
Whenever you use the cash machine top-up service your bank account will be debited with the top-up amount requested and your daily cash withdrawal limit will be reduced accordingly. If, for any reason, the top-up amount is not credited to your phone, please contact the Customer Services Department of your mobile network operator.
Visa debit card
Your Visa debit card is the easy way to pay - whether you're popping down to the shops, dashing off abroad, making online purchases or just need some cash.
- Withdraw cash - you can use your RBS Visa card at any cash machine in the UK and at overseas cash machines that display the Visa symbol. Fees and charges apply to overseas withdrawals.
- Pay for purchases - your Visa card is accepted at over 29 million retailers and outlets worldwide.
- Online security - make secure online purchases with your Visa card using RBS secure. This extra layer of security gives you greater peace of mind.
- Top up your mobile - top up your pay-as-you-go mobile at any of our UK cash machines. There's no charge for this service and it works with all the major mobile networks.
- Contactless technology - we are now issuing Visa Debit cards with contactless technology to all eligible customers. Contactless allows you to pay for everyday essentials like a coffee, lunch, travel or a newspaper - in less than a second.
Charges apply for using your debit card abroad and for certain transactions in the UK.
Effortless switching
Our dedicated switching team
You can choose to use our specialist switching team. They are dedicated to making your switch as simple and smooth as possible. They'll make most of the arrangements for you such as setting up Standing Orders and Direct Debits. They'll keep you informed on the progress of your switch and will be at hand to answer your questions.
Our switching guarantee
We'll do everything we can to make the process go as smoothly as possible. In the unlikely event that you incur charges from your old bank because of an error or unnecessary delay on our part, we promise to refund these charges in full.
Easy steps for switching to us
- Choose a bank account that is right for you and click 'Apply online'.
- Within the online application select 'yes' to the following question:
Are you transferring an existing account from another financial institution?
Have your old bank statement to hand to help you answer questions relating to your old account
- Sign and return the new account paperwork. If your application is successful you will receive a letter confirming your new account is open together with the new account switcher forms
- Sign the new account switcher forms and send them back in the envelope provided
- Our dedicated switching team will do all the hard work for you and keep you up to date with progress
Account switching is also available to applications opened in branch or by the telephone. Simply tell the Customer Advisor that you wish to use the New Account Switching Service when opening your account.
Rates & important information
From 12 July 2013 we are making some changes to overdraft charges. Find out more about these changes.
Financial Services Compensation Scheme
Your eligible deposits with the Royal Bank of Scotland Plc are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the UK's deposit protection scheme. This limit is applied to the total of any deposits you have with the following: Royal Bank of Scotland, Direct Line, the One Account, Child & Co, Drummonds and Holt's.
Any total deposits you hold above the £85,000 limit between these brands are not covered.
View further information (PDF, 515KB) or visit www.fscs.org.uk
Before you apply for this account please ensure you have read the product information and fully understand the rates and charges associated with this account.
- Download a copy of Current Accounts - Helping you get more from everyday banking (1.1MB PDF)
- RBS Personal & Private Current Account Terms; Personal & Private Current Account Fees & Interest Rates; Helping you get the most from your Personal & Private RBS Current Account (629KB PDF)
Common definitions
Throughout this page, you'll see various terms being used. Here's what they mean:
- Annual Equivalent Rate (AER) - this is a notional rate used for interest bearing accounts which illustrates what the gross credit interest rate (excluding any bonus interest payable) would be if paid and compounded on an annual basis. It helps you to compare the effective rates of credit interest on different accounts.
- Effective Annual Rate of Interest (EAR) - this is the real annual cost of an overdraft, stated as an annual rate, which takes into account how often interest is charged to the account. All other charges, such as arrangement fees, must be shown separately from the EAR.
- Gross Rate - this means the interest rate you are paid before the deduction of income tax.
- Net Rate - this means the interest rate you are paid after the deduction of income tax.
- Nominal Rate - the rate charged excluding compounding of interest and other charges associated with a borrowing, e.g. arrangement and security fees.
- p.a. - per annum (per year).
Interest Rates
Interest we pay you
The annual rates of interest paid on credit balances are as follows:
The following rates are effective from 04/07/11
| Gross rate % | AER % | Net rate % |
|---|---|---|
| 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Calculation and application of interest
Interest is calculated on a daily basis and paid into your account once a month, usually the day after we send your statement to you.
Interest due on Arranged Overdrafts
Arranged Overdrafts
If you have arranged an overdraft facility with us in advance and you use this facility within the thresholds shown below, you will not pay any interest. If the amount you overdraw under an arranged overdraft facility exceeds these thresholds, you will pay interest at the rates shown in the tables below on the overdrawn balance – please note that this includes the part of the balance which is within any interest free threshold that applies to your account.
Interest free thresholds
| Type of current account | Interest free threshold |
|---|---|
| Select Account | £100 |
Current rates
The following rates are effective from 04 July 2011
| Type of current account | Nominal monthly rate % | Nominal annual rate % | EAR % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select Account | 1.52 | 18.28 | 19.89 |
Representative Example:
Overdraft limit: £1,200
Arrangement Fee: £0
Interest Rates 19.89% p.a. (variable)
However, we will not charge interest on any part of the overdrawn balance which is an unarranged overdraft or represents fees, charges or costs of the kind described below under the heading Sums which do not bear interest.
Calculation and application of interest
Interest on arranged overdrafts is calculated on a daily basis and charged monthly. The interest we charge in each charging period will be debited from your account 16 days after the end of that charging period (or on the next business day if this is a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday). The charging period normally ends on the date that we issue your statement to you. If we are going to debit interest from your account, we will give you not less than 14 days’ notice of how much we are going to debit and when.
Sums which do not bear interest
We do not charge interest on unarranged overdrafts. Nor do we charge interest on any part of an arranged overdraft which represents a Returned Item Fee or Unarranged Overdraft Fee (see our leaflet RBS Personal & Private Current Account Terms; Personal & Private Current Account Fees & Interest Rates; Helping you get the most from your Personal & Private RBS Current Account (PDF) for details of these charges).
Arranged Overdrafts, Unarranged Overdrafts and Returned Items
| Arranged Overdrafts | |
|---|---|
| Arranged overdrafts less than £15,000 - arrangement or renewal fee | FREE |
| Arranged overdrafts of £15,000 or more - arrangement fee - annual renewal fee | 2% of amount 1% of amount |
Representative Example:
Overdraft limit: £1,200
Arrangement Fee: £0
Interest Rates 19.89% p.a. (variable)
Act Now Alerts
Our Act Now Alerts can help you stay in control and minimise or even avoid fees for unarranged overdrafts and returned items. They specify the time by which you should credit your account with cleared funds to cover all payments and/or to bring your account back into credit. Find out more about Act Now Alerts.
If we are going to charge you an Unarranged Overdraft Fee and/or a Returned Item Fee, we will give you not less than 14 days’ notice of how much we are going to charge you and when.
Unarranged Overdraft Fee
An Unarranged Overdraft Fee will be charged for each day on which there is an unarranged overdraft of greater than £6 on your account at close of business on that day.
Please note: we will only charge an Unarranged Overdraft Fee for a non-business day (i.e. a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday) if there is an unarranged overdraft of greater than £6 owing on your account at close of business on the first following business day.
When charged
16 days after the end of the charging period (or the next business day if this is a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday). The charging period normally ends on the date that we issue your statement to you.
Fee Amount
£6 for each day for which an Unarranged Overdraft Fee is payable
Returned Item Fee
A Returned Item Fee will be charged if:
- you informally request an unarranged overdraft by issuing instructions for a withdrawal or other payment; and
- the payment cannot be met from the funds in your account or any unused arranged overdraft facility; and
- we decide in our discretion not to make the payment.
When charged
16 days after the end of the charging period in which we decide not to make the payment (or the next business day if this is a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday). The charging period normally ends on the date that we issue your statement to you.
Fee amount
£6 for each returned item (subject to a maximum of £60 in any charging period).
Making an informal request for an unarranged overdraft means you will normally have to pay a Returned Item Fee and/or an Unarranged Overdraft Fee. Please note that it is possible to incur both a Returned Item Fee and an Unarranged Overdraft Fee on your account on the same day or as a result of a single transaction (for example, where we take a Returned Item Fee from your account and this creates an unarranged overdraft of greater than £6 on your account). For examples showing how our charges work, please see the section headed Unarranged Overdrafts and returned items in our leaflet RBS Personal & Private Current Account Terms; Personal & Private Current Account Fees & Interest Rates; Helping you get the most from your Personal & Private RBS Current Account (PDF).
Branch banking
Pay in cash and cheques and make withdrawals at any RBS branch
With over 640 RBS branches in the UK, we make it easy to stay close to your finances.
Our Customer Charter is helping us to improve the service you get at all of our branches.
We'll extend our opening hours in our busiest branches
During 2011 more branches opened on Saturdays and will continue to open either early in the morning, or late in the evening for our busiest branches. We will regularly review customer demand for longer opening hours.
We aim to serve the majority of customers within five minutes in our branches
This year we will serve 80% of customers within 5 minutes in our busiest branches.
We'll provide you with friendly, helpful service whenever you deal with us
We are aiming for 9 out of 10 customers to rate our service as friendly and helpful.
We will help you to make the right choices for you and your money, providing a clear product range with simply explained features and charges
In line with customer feedback, all of our branch literature, standard letters and key web pages will be rewritten to make them simpler and easier to understand.