From July 2025 we will be introducing a charge for our international customers who do not maintain a minimum balance of £75,000 (or currency equivalent) across our range of products. This change is due to the increasing costs of servicing our international customers.
International customers (anyone residing outside the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, UK and the Republic of Ireland) will be charged a fee of £40 per month (or currency equivalent) if the minimum balance of £75,000 (or currency equivalent) is not maintained. The monthly fee will be applied the following month, with the first fee being taken, if applicable, at the beginning of August 2025.
If your account does not meet the minimum balance requirement, you can;
- Fund your account(s) to meet the minimum £75,000 (or currency equivalent) balance requirement, or
- Do nothing. If your account(s) does not meet the minimum balance by the end of July 2025, we will apply the monthly fee of £40 at the beginning of August 2025 and continue to do so at the beginning of subsequent month until the minimum balance is met.
If there are no funds in your account(s) at the end of July 2025, or subsequent months to cover the monthly fee, we will begin the process to automatically close your account.
If you have one or more sole account(s) in your name, we will look at the combined account balance when considering whether the charge will be applied. We will consider the type of account (current or savings), the highest balance account and the currency of the account before deciding which account the fee will be applied to.
You may have both sole and joint accounts with us. Please note that eligibility criteria apply separately for sole and joint accounts, and balances from sole accounts will not normally be combined with joint accounts.
If you have an Investment Account, a Mortgage or other products with us, or a Private or Corporate Banking relationship with another part of the Santander Group, please let us know as this could affect whether we apply the fee to your Santander International account(s).
Fixed Deposit Contracts: If you currently only hold a Fixed Deposit Contract(s) and do not meet the minimum balance requirement, upon maturity, you will start to be charged the monthly fee and will need to hold sufficient funds in your current or savings account(s) to allow for the fees before you will be able to re-fix into another Fixed Deposit Contract. The same will apply should you place any new Fixed Deposit Contract(s) whilst your balance remains below the minimum balance requirement.
Q&As
Q1 - How much will I be charged if my sole account has a balance less then £75,000?
A1 – You will be charged £40 per month, unless you increase the balance to £75,000.
Q2 – When will the first minimum account balance fee be taken?
A2 – If you don’t add additional funds to your account(s) in July 2025, then we will take the first minimum account balance fee at the beginning of August 2025.
Q3 – If I don’t have £75,000 in my account, can I still bank with you?
A3 - Yes. However, you will have to pay the minimum account balance fee each month to continue to bank with us.
Q4 - I have a joint account with my partner which has a balance less than £75,000, but my sole account has more than £75,000, will I/we be charged?
A4 – Yes, eligibility criteria apply separately for sole and joint accounts, and balances from sole accounts will not normally be combined with joint accounts. Therefore, the fee would be applied to the joint account if the balance remains less than £75,000.
Q5 – I have a number of accounts with you but they don’t have a combined total balance of £75,000, which account will you take the fee from?
A5 – We will consider the type of account (current or savings), the highest balance account and the currency of the account before deciding which account the fee will be applied to. This decision is at our discretion.
Q6 – I don’t have any funds in my account(s) so how will you charge me?
A6 – If your account(s) has a zero balance then we will start the process to close your account(s).
Q7 – I don’t think you should charge me as I have accounts with other parts of the Santander Group. Can the minimum account balance fee be waived?
A7 – Please contact us so that we can discuss your individual circumstances.
