Our service quality information

The Financial Conduct Authority requires us to publish the following information about our personal current accounts.

The first table displays how you can speak to us about the services we offer. The second table displays how you can make use of our services.

The Financial Conduct Authority requires us to publish the following information about our personal current accounts:

How and when you can contact us to ask about the following things:

24 hour help? Telephone banking Internet banking Mobile banking
Contact details Not applicable +44(0)3457 212 212 smile.co.uk smile mobile banking app
Checking the balance and accessing a transaction history No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
Sending money within the UK, including setting up a standing order No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
Sending money outside the UK No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
Paying in a cheque No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
Cancelling a cheque No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
Cash withdrawal in a foreign currency outside the UK No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
A lack of funds: including unarranged overdrafts, payments we allow despite lack of funds and payments we refuse due to lack of funds No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
A Direct Debit, or allowing someone to collect one of more payments from your account using your debit card number No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
Third party access to an account, for example under a Power of Attorney No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
Problems using internet banking or mobile banking No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
Reporting a suspected fraudulent incident or transaction Yes 24 hours Not Possible Not Possible
Progress following an account suspension or card cancellation, e.g. following a fraud incident No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
Account opening: including eligibility for an arranged overdraft, what is required to open an account and an indication of what arranged overdraft may be available No 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible

Note: This is a list of common queries. It does not represent the full list of queries you can raise in relation to your account, or queries you can raise in one of our branches.

How and when you can use your bank account to do the following things:

Telephone banking Internet banking Mobile banking
Checking the balance 24 hours 24 hours 24 hours
Accessing a transaction history Not Possible 24 hours 24 hours
Sending money within the UK Not Possible 24 hours 24 hours
Setting up a standing order Not Possible 24 hours Not Possible
Sending money outside the UK 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible
Paying in a cheque Not Possible Not Possible Not Possible
Cancelling a cheque 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday. 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday Not Possible Not Possible

Note: This is a list of common actions. It does not represent the full list of actions you can take in relation to your account, or actions you can take in one of our branches.

Information about operational and security incidents

We are obliged to notify the Financial Conduct Authority if we become aware of a major operational or security incident which prevents our customers from using our payment services.

In the 3 months between 1 July 2024 and 30 September 2024 In the 12 months between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024
Total number of incidents reported 3 5
Incidents affecting telephone banking 0 0
Incidents affecting mobile banking 3 5
Incidents affecting internet banking 2 4

Please note: The number of incidents shown affecting telephone, mobile and internet banking may not add up to the total number of incidents reported to the Financial Conduct Authority. This is because an incident may not affect any of or all of our services.

Complaints Data

Financial Conduct Authority rules require us to provide them with a report of our complaints data every six months. In certain circumstances, we are also required to publish a summary of our complaints data.

The most recent summary is available at The Co-operative Bank website.

The Financial Ombudsman Service publishes its complaints data every six months. You can see their complaints data about us at www.ombudsman-complaints-data.org.uk/

Opening a current account with us

Go to our current account page to find out how you can open an account and what information and documents you need to give us to open an account.

How quickly do we open personal current accounts?

We give customers an account number and enable them to start paying into the account:

  • the same day, for 0% of customers
  • on average, in 6 days; and
  • within 48 days for 99% of customers

These figures are based on the time taken from our receiving all the information and documents we ask for at information and documents, in a case where we don’t need any further information or documents to open the account.

How quickly do we give customers a debit card?

Once an account is open, we give customers a debit card:

  • the same day, for 0% of customers
  • on average, in 5 days; and
  • within 5 days for 99% of customers

How quickly do customers get internet banking?

Once an account is open, customers have internet banking:

  • the same day, for 100% of customers
  • on average, in 0 days; and
  • within 0 days for 99% of customers

You can register for internet banking once your account is open.

How quickly is an overdraft available?

Once an account is open, the overdraft is available:

  • the same day, for 100% of customers
  • on average, in 0 days; and
  • within 0 days for 99% of customers

If you apply for an account and we agree to open it, the overdraft will be available as soon as your account is open.

Replacing a debit card

How quickly do we replace debit cards which have been lost, stolen or stopped?

We replace debit cards:

  • the same day, for 0% of customers
  • on average, in 5 days; and
  • within 5 days for 99% of customers

What is the interest rate being charged on our products?

Product Annual interest rates payable for arranged overdrafts on 30 September 2024 Annual interest rates payable for unarranged overdrafts on 30 September 2024 Refused payment fee on 30 September 2024
Current Account 35.9% 35.9% £0
Smilemore 35.9% 35.9% £0

Smilemore has an automatic £260 interest free overdraft amount. You will be charged debit interest at an annual interest rate of 35.9% when you enter an arranged or unarranged overdraft above your interest free amount.

How do our overdrafts compare?

A good way to compare the cost of our overdraft with other overdrafts or other ways of borrowing is to look at the APR. The APR shows the cost of borrowing over a year.

Information about overdraft pricing in the 3 months between 1 July 2024 and 30 September 2024

Product Advertised APRs during the quarter
Current Account 35.9% Representative APR

How to open a current account

To open any of our accounts, a new customer will need to provide us with the documents and information set out on our documents and information page. We may request additional information or documents in individual cases.

You can open an account
Without visiting a branch Yes
Where a visit to a branch is required, without an appointment No*
By sending us documents and information electronically No
By post No

* It isn't possible to apply for a smile current account in branch.

Find out more about the ways we can support our personal current account customers on our supporting the needs of all of our customers page.

Open Banking service

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires us to publish the service quality levels we have with third party providers for our open banking platform. It evaluates how well we are delivering security and access for you to share your data and make payments through other providers.

So you are able to make an informed decision about joining our open banking program or evaluate how we are performing, please review our service quality statistics.

The Co-operative Bank and smile are trading names of The Co-operative Bank p.l.c. We offer Open Banking functionality for both these brands.