Current account options
Useful information
Royalties Gold
Get this package of benefits for just £12.95 a month
- Green Flag car breakdown cover - even on your driveway
- Mobile phone insurance - including smartphones
- Annual 5 Star Defaqto rated worldwide travel insurance for trips up to
31 days (Members and their partners aged 70 years and over must pay
an additional annual premium of £50)

For the third year running, the independent financial research company Defaqto gave Royalties Gold their 5 Star rating for product features, benefits and charges (February 2011).

Travel - 5 Star Defaqto rated UK & worldwide multi-trip travel insurance and holiday discounts.
Protection - mobile phone insurance, car breakdown cover, identity theft protection, home emergency cover, extended warranty and great home and car insurance discounts.
Entertainment - 25% cash-back (up to 6 tickets per event) selected concerts, events, shows and more - when you book through Royalties Membership Services (subject to availability).
Banking - a mortgage offer and preferential rates on overdrafts, tailored rates loans and credit cards. Plus cover if your debit or credit cards are lost or stolen.
- The monthly fee for the Royalties Gold current account is £12.95.
- Our Royalties Guarantee
- With our Royalties Guarantee in the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the benefits in the first 60 days of account opening you will be entitled to a refund of all account fees that you have paid.
- Apply or talk to us
- Show me all the Royalties Gold benefits
Travel benefits
- 5 Star Defaqto UK & Worldwide multi-trip travel insurance - cover for you, your spouse or partner and children aged 18 or under if they are unmarried (or aged 23 or under if in full-time education), permanently residing with the account holder (children are only covered when travelling with an adult insured under this Policy). Members and their partners aged 70 years and over must pay an additional annual premium of £50. Full Terms and Conditions apply.
- Travel Service – up to 10% off - selected holidays and flights when you book through Royalties Membership Services.
- UK airport executive lounges - complimentary access to selected UK lounges, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Available when you book travel through Royalties Travel Booking Service (a Royalties Gold extra benefit).
- Discounted hotel booking - up to 60% savings at more than 21,000 hotels when you book through Royalties Membership Services or online.
- Travel money - Preferential exchange rates and complimentary delivery on commission-free travel currency - when you order through Royalties Membership Services.
- Overseas money - get money in local currency at cash machines and buy goods abroad wherever you see the logo shown on your card.
- Days out for less - discounts at big name UK attractions and activities.
Protection benefits
- Mobile Phone Insurance – you're covered for one mobile phone and SIM card against accidental or malicious damage, loss and theft up to a maximum retail value of £1000 (including VAT). You're also covered for up to £1500 (including VAT) of unauthorised calls per claim for monthly contract phones and up to £100 (including VAT) for pay-as-you-go. Plus if you have a joint account we will cover up to 2 handsets. Cover commences 14 days after registration.
- Identity Theft Protection - Up to £5,000 cover for expenses incurred by you in defending and restoring your credit status after fraudulent activity plus a complimentary credit report, online card monitoring and CIFAS registration
- Home emergency cover - call our 24-hour helpline for assistance in an emergency situation, with cover up to £500 towards the cost of emergency home repairs (a Royalties Gold extra benefit).
- Home insurance - an additional 10% off our home insurance in the first year, with 4 Star Defaqto rating. Excludes offers where we Guarantee to Beat your existing or renewal premium from another provider.
- Extended warranty - get an extra two years' cover on domestic electrical goods when purchased in full, in one transaction, using a Royal Bank credit, debit or cheque guarantee card (a Royalties Gold extra benefit).
- Car Insurance - you now receive a 10% discount on your RBS car insurance premiums for the first year. Subject to minimum premium criteria.
- Car breakdown cover - Relax in the knowledge that Green Flag are there to help if your car breaks down. Can't start your car in the morning or broken down near home? HomeCall comes as standard. Your cover has now also been extended to cover all cars owned by you and registered at your address.
- Accidental Death Insurance - £15,000 accidental death insurance (£200,000 if you are travelling as a fare-paying or pass-bearing passenger on licensed transport such as a train or plane). For Joint Royalties Gold account holders, the cover is split equally amongst the account holders. And for persons aged 70 or over, Accidental Death Insurance is reduced by 50%, although passenger cover stays the same (a Royalties Gold extra benefit).
Entertainment benefits
- 700 UK restaurants for 25% less - save on your food and drinks bill when you book through Royalties Membership Services or online. The standard Royalties account offers 450 restaurants (a Royalties Gold extra benefit).
- 25% cash-back on top gigs and live shows - receive cash-back on up to six tickets per event - including plays, concerts, stand-up comedy, musicals and exhibitions.
Banking benefits
- Tailored rates - get tailored rates on your credit card, personal loans and access to our mortgage offer for Royalties Gold.
- Tailored credit card rate - Royalties and Royalties Gold customers will get an initial 1% discount on their APR for at least 12 months. Rates variable. Monthly fee for Royalties account is £6.95. Monthly fee for Royalties Gold account is £12.95. Representative 15.9% APR (variable). Find out more about our credit cards.
- Royalties Saver Account - an instant access savings account offering preferential rates for Royalties Gold customers. A minimum deposit of £2,000 is require to open a Royalties Saver Account
- Protect your cards - with just one call, you and your household are protected when any registered debit or credit card is lost or stolen. Lose your cards abroad, and we can advance you up to £250 in emergency cash.
- Lower cost overdrafts - you'll pay no arrangement or renewal fees on overdrafts up to £15,000. And pay no interest on agreed overdrafts up to £250.
Potential Savings
| Account Benefit | Potential Saving |
|---|---|
| Annual Worldwide Travel Insurance | £160 |
| Mobile Phone Insurance | £155 |
| Car Breakdown Cover | £68 |
| Payment Card Protection | £20 |
| Accidental Death Insurance | £18 |
| ID Theft Protection | £69 |
| Home Emergency Service | £71 |
| Extended warranty | £212 |
| Travel money home delivery | £20 |
| Travel Service | £187 |
| 25% cash-back on top gigs and live shows | £57 |
| Hotel booking service | £68 |
| UK airport executive lounge access | £35 |
| Total value | £1140 |
| less Annual account fee | £155.40 |
| Savings Worth up to | £984 per year |
The examples are for illustration purposes only and are not based on actual RBS customers. The savings shown are representative of those that can be achieved by opening a Royalties Gold Account.
Mobile Phone Insurance
Saving based on the Vodafone Cover Me plan at £12.99 per month (February 2012).
25% cash-back on top concerts and live shows
Savings based on 25% cash-back on two tickets for We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre, London on 14 April 2012 at a cost £83.00 (cash-back £20.75) and 25% cash-back on four tickets for Dancing on Ice at the SECC, Glasgow on 4 May 2012 at a cost of £145.00 (cash-back £36.25) when booked through the Royalties Ticket Booking Service or through our Ticket Concierge Service – total saving £57.00 (February 2012).
Freetime Activities
Freetime Activities service is operated by Affinion International Limited. Registered address: Charter Court, 50 Windsor Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 2EJ, No. 1008797. The price can change on a regular basis and it’s advised you check directly with the venue before visiting. Please refer to freetime activities guide for full terms and conditions.
Car Breakdown Cover
Saving based on Green Flag Level 2 Cover for a 40 year old male in EH49 6QG, driving a 2003 Ford Fiesta
(March 2012).
Home Emergency Service
Saving based on Home Emergency providing £500 cover worth up to £71. Based on Policyholder age 49, living in a
three bed semi, built between 1946-1979, in EH49 6QG. Based on property being mortgaged or owned own permanent residence with up to five occupants (February 2012).
Extended Warranty
Saving based on Domestic and General Insurance company two year extended warranty on a Samsung LCD television with a value of £1,249 for £17.67 per month or £212.00 per annum (February 2012).
Identity Theft Protection
Saving based on Sentinel Identity Theft Protection (February 2012).
Card Protection
Saving based on the price of 1 year Sentinel Card Protection Policy (February 2012).
Accidental Death Insurance
Saving based on accidental death cover up to £15,000. Save £18 based on Aviva £1.99 per month, providing £20,000 worth of cover (February 2012).
Hotel Booking Service
Saving based on a 3 night stay for two adults at Le Littre - Montparnasse Hotel, Paris, France on a bed and breakfast basis. Saving for the hotel is £68.40 (February 2012).
Airport Lounge Access
Saving based on two people departing from Glasgow International Airport, Holiday Extras standard retail price
(February 2012).
Travel Insurance
Saving based on annual multi-trip worldwide family RBS Travel Insurance with winter sports cover worth up to £160, with no pre-existing medical conditions and all family members under 70, provided by U K Insurance Limited (February 2012).
Travel Service
Saving based on a 7 night holiday for two adults and two children to Sharm El Sheikh, Eygpt, departing Glasgow
on 29 Sept 2012 and staying 7 nights at the 3* Tropicana Tivoli, on a bed and breakfast basis, with 15kg luggage
allowance. Saving for the holiday is £187.00 (February 2012).
Travel Money
Saving based on preferential exchange rates, 0% commission and complimentary home delivery for: one short break with £400 currency (worth £2 + £5 saving on home delivery); and one holiday with £800 of currency and £300 of commission free travellers cheques (worth £10 + £3 saving on sterling travellers’ cheques commission) (February 2012).
This page provides a summary of the rates and charges that apply to RBS current accounts.
For customers with current accounts opened before 4th July 2011 who have not been notified of a change to their current account and the applicable Terms, and for customers with savings accounts:
For customers with current accounts opened on or after 4th July 2011 plus customers with current accounts opened before 4th July 2011 who have been notified of a change to their current account and the applicable Terms:
- 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, 630KB)
- Royalties Gold Account Insurance Policy Summaries (includes Keyfacts about our insurance services) (PDF, 296KB)
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).
Account fees
Monthly account fees are payable on the following accounts. Membership includes access to all the benefits listed in the appropriate brochures and user guides.
| Type of current account | Account fee |
|---|---|
| Royalties Gold | £12.95 per month. Payable from your Royalties Gold account. |
Application of account fees
The monthly account fees will be applied 16 days after the end of the charging period (or on the next business day if this is a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday) and will appear on your account statement as “CHG”. The charging period normally ends on the date that we send your statement to you.
Interest Rates
Interest we pay you
The annual rates of interest paid on credit balances are as follows:
The following rates are effective from 22/09/2010
Historic Credit Interest Rates
The previous rates were effective from 02/10/06
| Previous Gross Rate % | Previous AER % | Previous Net Rate % |
|---|---|---|
| 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.12 |
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
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
Royalties Gold £250
The following rates are effective from 02/08/10
Previous rates
The following previous rates were effective from 28/04/08
| Type of account | Previous Nominal monthly rate % | Previous Nominal annual rate % | Previous EAR % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalties Gold All Amounts | 1.32 | 15.80 | 17.00 |
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.
back to topUnarranged overdrafts
With effect from 01 February 2011, we no longer charge debit interest on unarranged overdrafts.
Previous Rates
The following previous rates were effective from 02/08/10 until 31/01/11
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 Default Notice Fee or other sum (apart from interest) you must pay us in connection with a breach of your obligations under your agreement with us; or
- a Returned Item Fee or Unarranged Overdraft Fee Personal Banking - Charges and Rates of Interest
(PDF, 267KB)
Arranged Overdrafts, Unarranged Overdrafts, Returned Items and Enforcement Charges
| Arranged Overdrafts – arrangement and renewal fees | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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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 How to make the most of your account
(PDF, 490KB).
Enforcement Charges
| Enforcement | ||
|---|---|---|
| A Default Notice Fee will be payable if we need to serve a default notice on you (for example, if you fail to repay your overdraft on demand or we wish to enforce any security we hold). This is in addition to any other charges that may apply. | Within four days of the Default Notice being served. | £30 per notice |
Important Information
A monthly fee of £12.95 is payable for Royalties Gold from your Royalties Gold Account. The monthly account fee will be applied 16 days after the end of the charging period (or on the next business day if this is a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday) and will appear on your account statement as "CHG". The charging period normally ends on the date that we send your statement to you.
Conditions apply to benefits. Full details of the Royalties Gold current account benefits are contained in the Service Guide you will receive after you open your account.
New customers will be asked to provide proof of identity, verification of address and signature.
System updates will mean that our telephone and online banking services are unavailable for short periods in the early hours of the morning.
Credit facilities
Over 18s only.
Royalties Car and Home Insurance
Royalties Motor Insurance and home insurance are underwritten by UK Insurance Limited. Breakdown assistance is provided by Green Flag Motoring Assistance. All are members of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. UK Insurance Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered Office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England No. 1179980. Cover is subject to their normal acceptance criteria.
Royalties Gold Payment Card Protection and Extended Warranty
Royalties Membership Services is operated by Affinion International Limited acting as agents for the Royal Bank of Scotland plc.
Sentinel® Card Protection is a trading name and registered trademark of Affinion International Limited. Registered address: Charter Court, 50 Windsor Road, Slough, SL1 2EJ, United Kingdom. Registered in England No. 1008797. Affinion International Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in respect of insurance mediation activities only. Affinion acts as an intermediary for arranging the insurance and provides the administration of the card registration and associated services.
Payment Card Protection and Extended Warranty are underwritten by Allianz Insurance plc Registered in England No. 84638. Registered Office: 57 Ladymead, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1DB, United Kingdom. Branch Address: Allianz Schemes, 6 Vale Avenue, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1EH, United Kingdom. Allianz Insurance plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Their authorisation can be confirmed by the FSA by calling 0845 606 1234 or at www.fsa.gov.uk. Their FSA registration number is 121849.
Royalties Payment Card Protection and Extended Warranty are subject to Terms and Conditions, a copy of which is available in the back of the service guide you will receive after you convert your account.'
The Royal Bank of Scotland plc.
Registered Office: 36 St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB
Registered in Scotland No. 90312.
Important Information – Royalties Guarantee
If you open your Royalties Account on or after 20 April 2009, you will be eligible to benefit from our Royalties Guarantee.
If you use any of the Royalties Account benefits within 60 days of your account being opened and are not satisfied within that 60 day period, we will refund all account fees you have paid for your Royalties Account in the first 60 days of account opening.
We reserve the right to change or withdraw the Royalties Guarantee at any time without giving you prior notice.
To claim a refund please call our freephone helpline 0845 30 30 600 (minicom number 0845 600 0512).
Lines are open 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 6pm Saturdays. Calls may be recorded.
