SANTANDER is making a big change to its banking services this spring, and experts say it’s bad news for customers.
The bank, which has 14million UK customers, is scrapping its text alerts service that allows users to get notified when certain things happen to your account.
Currently, you can set up free text and email alerts for various updates, like your weekly balance or whenever large withdrawals are made.
Customers can set alerts up via online banking, at a branch or over the phone.
Most major high street banks offer this service including Nationwide, NatWest, Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays.
But from May, Santander customers who have set up these alerts will no longer receive them.
Consumer experts have branded the move “a bad thing” for savers.
It comes as part of a push by the bank to get its customers to use its app and online banking services.
The bank said: “We’re doing this because you can get a more detailed view of your account activity with Mobile or Online Banking.”
In total, the bank is scrapping five alert services for customers, The Sun has learned.
These include alerts for:
- When a deposit is made for more than a certain amount
- When a withdrawal is made for more than a certain amount
- A weekly balance and transactions roundup
- When a customer’s balance reaches a certain limit
- When a customer’s balance falls below a certain limit
It will not stop sending alerts that it’s required to send under regulatory rules, like activity that could lead to account charges being triggered.
This could include when someone’s balance is close to their overdraft limit or if they enter an un-arranged overdraft.
Banks are regulated by the City watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority, as well as the Prudential Regulation Authority, which means they have to adhere to certain rules to protect customers.
Santander recently wrote to its customers to let them know about the change, which will come into effect from May 12.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D108679%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]A spokesperson for Santander told The Sun: “We have written to customers to advise that, from 12 May 2025, we will be removing five non-regulatory text message alerts from our alerts service.
“These specific alerts were set-up pre-mobile banking and customers can now obtain a more accurate up-to-date view of their account movements through mobile, online or telephone banking or via push notifications.
“We will continue to send regulatory text message alerts as usual, including notifying customers of any account activity that could lead to additional charges.”
It’s understood that 90% of the customers who use the alerts being scrapped are signed up to online or app-based banking, meaning 10% can’t currently view this information digitally.
While the bank says customers will be able to get this information online, experts are concerned that removing the alerts could mean they end up missing activity in their account.
Consumer rights expert Martyn James said: “With the closure of the bank networks, it’s more important than ever that banks and financial institutions make sure we know about the important things that affect our money.
“Text alerts are vital as people actually read them and act on them. We forget about checking our online accounts – or go in to denial about them – and most people don’t read their app messages.
“So, this decision can only be a bad thing for consumers and I hope that it is reversed.”
How to check your activity in future
Santander customers who rely on these alerts will need to monitor their accounts more closely in future.
If you haven’t already, downloading the app is a convenient way to check your bank balance and any recent transactions on the go.
You can also log into your bank account online, but make sure to do so in a secure environment – it’s best to avoid public computers and networks if possible.
However, if you want to continue relying on text alerts, it could be worth switching to a different bank.
Most major high street banks offer a free text and email alert service. Check with the bank before switching to make sure it offers what you need.
Some banks currently have cash incentives to switch to them. For example, First Direct is offering up to £175 to switch to its current account, while you can still nab a £150 deal at Co Op bank until March 6.