Frequently asked questions

Payments and transactions

  • There are a number of reasons why your transaction may have been declined, these could be:

    • Insufficient funds
      Check your balance and make sure you have enough available funds to complete the transaction.
    • You’ve exceeded your ATM daily withdrawal limit
      All debit cards will allow you to withdraw £800 per day from an ATM. Learn more about your limit.
    • Your card has expired
      Check the expiry date on your card, we’ll issue you with a new card before your existing card expires. If you haven’t received it before the last week of your expiry month give us a call on the number below.
    • Your card isn’t activated
      If you’re using a credit card, check that the card has been activated. Follow the instructions on the sticker on the front of the card. Or find out how to activate your card here.

    If you’re using your card to pay for something online or over the phone, your transaction may have been declined because:

    • Your name and address do not match our records
      Always check your name and address details match what we hold for you. Your billing address should be the same as the address we hold for you. You can often choose to add a different delivery address if required. Find out how to manage your details online.
    • Incorrect CVV number
      If you’re using your card to pay for something online or over the phone then you should be asked for your CVV number. This is the last 3 digits of the security code on the signature strip on the back of the card. Check that you have entered this correctly.

    If you’re still having difficulty then please get in touch:

    Debit cards
    You can call us on 0345 720 3040, or if you're calling from abroad, you can call us on +44 (0)113 242 1984. Lines are open 8am – 8pm, seven days a week.
    Not all Telephone Banking services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    Credit cards
    You can call us on 0345 944 4555, or if you're calling from abroad, you can call us on +44 (0) 1733 573 189. Lines are open 8am – 8pm, seven days a week.
    Not all Telephone Banking services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    Calls to 03 numbers are charged at no more than local rate.

  • There are a number of possible reasons why your payment has not been sent. These could be:

    • You’ve exceeded payment limit
      There’s a maximum daily limit applied to all electronic payments. Learn about payment limits.
    • Payment made in error
      If you’ve sent a payment in error we’ll try and retrieve the funds, but will do so on a best endeavour basis only. You should contact the beneficiary and attempt to retrieve the funds before calling us as this is a quicker route.
    • Beneficiary hasn't received the funds
      If you’ve sent money to a person or a company and they haven’t received it, firstly check that their sort code and account details you used are correct. If you’re sending money to a company then they usually require a reference to be able to match it to you. Please check that the reference you entered is correct, e.g. for a credit card this will be the 16 Digit account number. You can check this in Online Banking, or in our Mobile Banking app.

    If you’re still having difficulty then please call us on 0345 720 3040, so that we can look in to this for you. Calls to 03 numbers are charged at no more than local rate. If you're calling from abroad, you can call us on +44 (0)113 242 1984. Lines are open 8am – 8pm, seven days a week.
    Not all Telephone Banking services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

  • When you use your card and the retailer tells us about the transaction we’ll deduct this from the money you have available to spend immediately. Sometimes the retailer doesn’t always let us know straight away and contactless payments under £15 are processed differently. This means we can’t always deduct the transaction from your available funds until we receive it a few days later.

    It’s a good idea to keep a track of your transactions to make sure you have enough money in your account to cover them and avoid going overdrawn or over your credit limit. You can keep track of your spending through our Mobile Banking app, or with Online Banking.

     

     

  • Some savings accounts will not permit Faster Payments, others will restrict withdrawals or impose charges. This is because our savings accounts are designed to put money aside and grow balances over time and not for ‘day to day’ payment facilities. You may find a current account better suits your needs if you need to pay bills, make purchases, or send money by Faster Payments.

    If you are still looking to make a payment from your savings account and hold a current account with us, you can transfer funds from your savings account into your bank account and use it to make a payment. You can do this through our Mobile Banking app, or with Online Banking.

    If you don’t hold a current account with us, then please visit one of our branches. We can provide you with cash, write you a cheque or arrange to send a CHAPs payment, but please note charges may apply.

    If you want to apply for a current account take a look at our range of current accounts.

    For more help or information, please call us on 0345 726 3646. If you're calling from abroad, you can call us on +44 (0) 113 242 2005.  Lines are open 8am – 8pm, seven days a week.
    Not all Telephone Banking services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Calls to 03 numbers are charged at no more than local rate.

Overdrafts

  • If you already have an arranged overdraft then we’ll review the limit at least once every 12 months. If you need to increase or remove your limit, you can apply to do this through our Mobile Banking app or Online Banking. If you’d prefer to speak to someone, or want to decrease your limit, then you can call us on 0345 720 3040. Lines are open 8am – 8pm, seven days a week.
    Not all Telephone Banking services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Calls to 03 numbers are charged at no more than local rate.

    If you're calling from abroad, you can call us on +44 (0)113 242 1984.

  • We want to make sure your current account meets your needs, so we review arranged overdraft limits at least once every 12 months. If we've noticed you are not using all of your arranged overdraft, then we may reduce it.

    If you need to increase your limit you can apply to do this through our Mobile Banking app or Online Banking

    If you want to discuss your overdraft with someone then please call us on 0345 720 3040. Calls to 03 numbers are charged at no more than local rate. If you're calling from abroad, you can call us on +44 (0)113 242 1984. Lines are open 8am – 8pm, seven days a week.
    Not all Telephone Banking services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Cards and PIN

  • If you report your card as lost or stolen, or request a replacement card or a replacement PIN, you should receive your card or PIN within 5 working days. 

    If your card is due to expire, we will issue you a new one before your old card expires. There is no need to activate the card. You should use it straight away and discard your old card securely. 

    If you haven’t received your card, then please contact us:

    Debit cards
    You can call us on 0345 720 3040, or if you're calling from abroad, you can call us on +44 (0)113 242 1984. Lines are open 8am – 8pm, seven days a week.
    Not all Telephone Banking services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    Credit cards
    You can call us on 0345 944 4555, or if you're calling from abroad, you can call us on +44 (0) 1733 573 189. Lines are open 8am – 8pm, seven days a week.
    Not all Telephone Banking services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    Calls to 03 numbers are charged at no more than local rate.

    You can view your card details and view your PIN in our Mobile Banking app.

Cashback Extras

  • When you’ve registered for Cashback Extras, whenever you select and use an offer on your credit or debit card, you’ll receive cashback directly into your Halifax current account on or before the last working day of the following month. If you have more than one current account with Halifax, we’ll pay it into your oldest account.

    If you’ve activated an offer but haven't received the money, firstly check the terms and conditions by signing into Online Banking and selecting the offer in the Cashback Extras section. You can view expired offers in the ‘My Cashback Extras’ menu. Find out more information in our Cashback Extras frequently asked questions.

    If you activated the offer and spent money at the retailer as shown in the terms and conditions but are still having problems, please contact us on 0345 606 6404.

    If you're calling from outside the UK, you can call us on +44 113 245 0060. Lines are open 8am – 8pm, seven days a week.
    Not all Telephone Banking services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    Calls to 03 numbers are charged at no more than local rate.

    You can call us using Relay UK if you have a hearing or speech impairment. There's more information on the Relay UK help pages.
    Sign Video services are also available if you’re Deaf and use British Sign Language.

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