Personal
Current accounts
Joint bank accounts

Open a joint current account

Joint bank accounts

To open a joint account, you must both be 18+ and a UK resident. Specific account criteria and eligibility apply.

On this page

What is a joint bank account? Open in new window

Our joint current accounts Open in new window

How to set up a joint bank account Open in new window

Frequently asked questions Open in new window

Ready to add someone Open in new window

An easier way for two people to manage money

Sharing a bank account with your partner or friends can make it easier to take care of shared expenses and bills.

A joint account still lets you do all the things you can do with a sole account, but you’ll share control and responsibility with someone else.

Once you’ve added someone to your account, you’ll both get a contactless bank card and access to the joint account on our mobile app and Digital Banking.

Ready to add someone Open in new window

Choose the best joint bank account for you

Our Select, Reward, Premier Select and Premier Reward accounts allow you to add a second account holder. You can either add them to an existing account or open a new account and add them later.

If you hold a Reward Silver, Reward Platinum, or Premier Reward Black account, you also have the option to add a second account holder, provided they already have an account with us.

Select account

Our basic current account

Our Select account is a basic bank account that gives you everything you need for your day-to-day banking needs:

Monthly fee free banking.
Take care of your bank account on the go with our mobile app and Digital Banking. Criteria apply.
Pay however you like with Apple Pay, Google Pay™ and contactless. Limits apply.

To apply, you need to be 18+ and a UK resident.

Information Message

Find out about Select Open in new window

Reward account

Earn money back in Rewards

With the Reward bank account, for a £2 fee, you could:

Earn up to £5 a month back in Rewards.
Redeem your Rewards as cashback, gift-cards or e-codes with a range of retailers.
Even donate your Rewards to charity if you like.

To apply, you need to be 18 or over and a UK resident. To hold this account, you need to pay £1,250 into an eligible Royal Bank account every month. To earn £5 rewards, you earn £4 a month back in rewards for two or more Direct Debits (at least £2 each) and an additional £1 a month back in rewards with one mobile app log in. If you have an existing Select account you’ll need to covert it to Reward.

Information Message

Find out about Reward Open in new window

How to open a joint bank account

You have two options for opening a joint account. You can either add the person to an existing account or open a new account and add them later. To find the best option for adding someone to your account, please use the filters provided below.

Are you new to us?

We’re both new Royal Bank of Scotland customers

To open a new joint account with us, you just need to follow 3 steps:

Open a new account
One of you will need to open a new bank account. You’ll need to open it as a sole account first and then add the other person later. We’ll email you to let you know when the account is open.
Create a Customer Profile
While one of you is setting up your new bank account, the other person will need to create a Customer Profile. A Customer Profile is an online profile for people who have never banked with us before, it lets us get the info we need to add them to a bank account and check their identity.
Add the Customer Profile to the bank account
You'll get confirmation that the bank account is open and the Customer Profile has been created.

After this, you'll be able to add the profile to the bank account. You can use the link in your 'account is ready' email to start adding the profile to the new bank account. You can also do this either through the mobile app or by using the link on this page.

Once you've followed the steps to add someone, they will get an email invitation to finish adding the Customer Profile to the bank account.

Information Message

You can only add someone to our Select, Reward, Premier Select and Premier Reward accounts.

Ready to add someone Open in new window

One of you banks with us

Do you want to open a new account or add someone to an existing bank account?

Information Message

You can only add someone to our Select, Reward, Premier Select and Premier Reward accounts.

We want to open a new account that we’ll share

The person who’s new to Royal Bank should open the new account.
We’ll email them to say when the account is open.
Once they get the confirmation email, they can add you to the account. They can do this either through the mobile app or by using the link on this page.

I want to add someone to an existing account

We’ll need to check the ID of the person you’re adding to your account. We can do this by getting them to create a Customer Profile. A Customer Profile is an online profile for people who have never banked with us before, it lets us get the info we need before we can add them to your bank account.
Once their Customer Profile is set up and the person you're adding has followed the steps in the email they received, you’ll be able to add them to your account. You can do this either through your mobile app or by using the link on this page.
When you've followed the steps to add someone, they will get an email invitation to finish adding the Customer Profile to the bank account.

Ready to add someone Open in new window

You both bank with us

Do you want to open a new account or add them to an existing bank account?

Information Message

You can add someone to our Select, Reward, Premier Select, and Premier Reward accounts. As you're both existing customers, you can also add someone to your Reward Silver, Reward Platinum, or Premier Reward Black account.

We want to open a new account that we’ll share

One of you opens a new account.
We’ll email to let you know when the account is open.
Once you get the confirmation email, you can add the other person to the account, either through the mobile app or by using the link on this page.

I want to add them to an account I already have

You can do this either through the mobile app or by using the ‘Ready to add someone’ link on this page.

Ready to add someone Open in new window

Switch in a joint current account

Choose the option that applies to you.

We want to switch in a joint current account to a new account

If the account held elsewhere is joint, don't instruct the 'Switch in' during your initial application.
One of you will need to open a new individual current account.
Then add the other person to the new account.
You'll get an email from us to confirm your account is now a joint account.
You're now ready to 'Switch in'. You can find out more on how to get started by using the 'Ready to switch' button below.

We want to switch into an existing joint account

The account you are switching into and from is in joint names.
Select the 'Ready to switch' button below.
Select 'I want to switch into an account held elsewhere'.

Ready to switch Open in new window

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch a joint account held elsewhere to a RBS joint account?

Yes, you can use the Current Account Switch Service to switch a joint account from another bank to RBS in the same way you can a sole bank account.

Can I have a joint account with more than one person?

RBS joint bank accounts are only available between two parties.

How do we close a joint account?

To close your joint account, you both need to agree. If there are any regular payments, or any debt to be paid off, you will need to decide how these will be settled before the account can be closed.

In the unfortunate situation of a dispute between the parties, then you can cancel the joint account mandate. Neither of you will be able to use the account until the dispute has been settled, and each of you will be held liable for any debt on the account.

If you wish to close your joint account, then you need to pop in to a branch or write to us.

We’ll also need the number of signatories to match our records. For example, if the account is set up with 'one to sign' then it can be closed by either person on the account. If it’s set up as 'two to sign' then both need to sign to close the account.

Do packaged joint bank accounts cost the same as packaged sole bank accounts?

Yes they do. The fee you pay for one of our packaged accounts (such as Reward Silver or Reward Platinum) is only dependent on which account you choose.

What happens if joint account holders become separated or break up?

In the unfortunate situation of a dispute between you, then you can cancel the joint account mandate. Neither of you will be able to use the account until the dispute has been settled, and each of you will be held liable for any debt on the account.

If you wish to close your joint account, then both parties need to agree. If there are any regular payments on the account, or any debt to be paid off, you will need to decide how these will be settled before the account can be closed.

What happens if one of the joint account holders passes away?

In the circumstance that one joint account holder passes away, we can change the joint account to a sole account. The best thing to do is speak with your nearest branch, or write to us.

Can I apply for an Arranged Overdraft on a joint account?

Yes, you can apply for an Arranged Overdraft on your joint account within our Mobile Banking app or Digital Banking.

During the application we only need one of the account holders to give us information about income and outgoings. We will run a full credit check to confirm the overdraft limit we can offer. If you go overdrawn on your joint account, each account holder will be responsible for paying off any money you owe.

Why have I received an email about my joint account application?

Have you started a joint account application?

The application is complete, and we have emailed the other customer to complete their part.
The application hasn’t been completed, and we have sent a reminder to complete the process.
The application has been rejected or expired.

Are you being added to an account?

The process is complete, and we have successfully added the other customer to the account.
Someone has started a request to add you to an account.
You haven’t completed your part of the application, and we have sent a reminder to complete the process.
The application has been rejected or expired.

What if I’m having issues accessing the link in the email or if I'm seeing an error message?

We use a special link which will direct you to the mobile app to complete the joint account request.

You can contact Cora for help and support, to troubleshoot any issues.

If you see this message, it can be related to your internet or browser service:

‘Sorry something’s gone wrong.

We’re having some issues at the moment, and we need to start again. If you’re still having problems, you’ll need to try again later.'

Here are a few fixes that might be able to help:

Clear your cache/cookies.
Disconnect from your wi-fi and use mobile data or other internet provider.
If you’re using a VPN (virtual private network) try disconnecting from it.
If you’re in the mobile app, make sure you’re using the most up to date version.

How your information might be used

It's important for you to understand how we use and share your information. Please read this short summary before you continue with your application.

As part of the checks that we will complete to verify your identity, we’ll take an image of your face so that it can be compared with your photo ID and this biometric data is captured.

Get ready to add or remove someone

To speed up your application, we’ll need to do a few final checks with you. They'll only take a minute.

If you’re adding someone to your account, they’ll need to be aged 18+ and a UK resident.
If you’re removing someone from an account, you’ll need to make sure you have their permission.

Please note that it's not possible to add someone to our Savings, Student, Revolve, Select Silver, Select Platinum or Black accounts, or bank accounts that use "Travel account".

Continue

Are you adding or removing someone from your account?

Please choose an option below to continue

Adding someone to my account

Removing someone from a joint account

Which account are you adding the person to?

Please choose an option below to continue

Select or Reward (including Premier) or Foundation

Reward Silver, Reward Platinum or Premier Reward Black

Another account/I'm not sure

Are they also a Royal Bank customer?

Please choose an option below to continue

Yes

Do you have our mobile app?

Let us know if you have our mobile app on the device you're using right now.

Please choose an option below to continue

Yes, I have the app on this device

No, I don't have the app

I have the app, but it's on a different device

You're all set

Adding someone to your account is a big change. Before you commit, take time to think about the following:

Adding someone to your account will change it into a joint account.
You’ll both share responsibility for the joint account and any money in it.
Once added, you’ll need the other person’s permission to remove them from the account

What you’ll need

You’ll need the full name, date of birth and postcode of the person you’re adding.

You'll need our app to continue

To add someone to your account, you’ll need to use our mobile app.

It won’t take long to download and get set up.

You just need:

Your Digital Banking PIN and password.
Your mobile phone to get your one-time passcode.

Get our app

Apply using your mobile device

Scan the QR code on your mobile device that you’ve got the app on. You’ll then be able to apply in a flash.

Set up a Customer Profile for the person you’re adding

Before we can add someone to your account, we need to get some info from them and check their identity.

They can do this by creating a Customer Profile. You can find out more by visiting our Customer Profiles page.

More about Customer Profiles

Are they also a Royal Bank customer?

Please choose an option below to continue

Yes

Do you have our mobile app?

Let us know if you have our mobile app on the device you're using right now.

Please choose an option below to continue

Yes, I have the app on this device

No, I don't have the app

I have the app, but it's on a different device

Ready to make your account joint?

You can apply quickly and securely through the Royal Bank mobile app.

When you're ready, just tap ‘Start application’ and follow these steps:

Log in to the app and select the account you’d like to make joint.
Scroll down and tap ‘Account settings’.
Choose ‘Add a person’ to begin your application.

Start application

You'll need our app to continue

To add someone to your account, you’ll need to use our mobile app.

It won’t take long to download and get set up.

You just need:

Your Digital Banking PIN and password.
Your mobile phone to get your one-time passcode.

Get our app

Ready to make your account joint?

Scan the QR Code:

Open the camera app on the device where you have the Royal Bank mobile app installed.
Point the camera at the QR code on screen and tap the banner that appears to open the Royal Bank app.
Log in to the app, then select the account you’d like to make joint.
Scroll down and tap ‘Account settings’.
Select ‘Add a person’ to start your application.

The person being added must also be a Royal Bank customer

To add someone to your Reward Silver, Reward Platinum or Premier Reward Black account as a joint account holder, they need to be a Royal Bank customer.

If they don’t already bank with us, they’ll need to open a Royal Bank account first. Once that’s done, you can come back and add them as a joint account holder.

For more information on our current and savings account options, please visit our website.

Explore our accounts

We need to know which type of account you want to add someone to

You can check your account type using Digital Banking or our mobile app.

You can only add someone to the following account types:

Select and Reward (including Premier)
Foundation
Reward Silver, Reward Platinum or Premier Reward Black

Have a different type of account?

Unfortunately, we can’t add someone to certain account types, including our Savings, Student, Revolve, Select Silver, Select Platinum or Black accounts.

You're all set

What you’ll need:

You will need to have access to our mobile app.
The person you're removing will also need to have access to our mobile app to complete the request.

To start your request click 'Continue' and choose the option to 'Remove an account holder'.

Continue