Basic Bank Accounts

Basic Bank Accounts

If you don’t have a bank account, we may be able to open a basic bank account for you. We work in partnership with the Royal Bank of Scotland, Virgin Money, Barclays, and the Bank of Scotland to offer you a choice of basic bank accounts. This service is currently only available in our offices and outreaches based in Scotland.

"Staff were friendly, service was quick and reliable"

Basic bank accounts are now designed to help people who may have faced financial difficulty in the past, even if you have previously been bankrupt. 

What do I need to open a basic bank account?

• Proof of ID – this can be a benefit award letter or paper driving licence if no photographic ID is available.
• Proof of address – this can be a benefit award letter or paper driving licence if not used as proof of ID, a recent utility bill, a recent bank statement from another bank or a post office account statement.

Some of the ways a basic bank account could help you:

• Wages or benefits can be paid direct into your account.
• You can choose to have the account in your own name or with a partner.
• If you pay your bills by Direct Debit you could pay less for some things, especially gas, electricity or telephone.
• Easily pay for your purchases in shops using your card, plus you can access online shopping.
• You can pay cheques into your account and withdraw cash when cleared instead of using an expensive cheque cashing service that is not connected to a bank.
• You will be in a better position to shop around and find the best deal on other financial products if you have a bank account. For example, many insurance companies will only sell you insurance if you can pay your insurance premiums from a bank account, so you could get cheaper insurance.
• You will be given a debit card which will allow you to take out money at any ATM - but watch out for those that charge a fee!
• Manage your money with internet or telephone banking.