Changing Direct Debits to Another Bank Account

chaotic_j

Hi guys,

I have another bank account that I applied for some time ago but I don't really use. I am intending on using it and I would like to transfer my direct debits over from my old bank account to the new one.

Any ideas how I would go about this? Do I need to contact the businesses that I have the direct debits with, or can I cancel the direct debits on my old bank account and attempt to set them up on my new bank account?

Thanks in advance I do not have much of a clue about this as it's never been something I've needed to do before.

Cheers!

benjus

Most banks offer a service to transfer direct debits on your behalf - you could call your new bank and ask them if they could do it for you.

Having said that, last time I switched bank account the direct debit transfer process didn't go very well and I ended up having to contact many of the organizations I had DDs with myself - so it might be easier just to do them one by one yourself. You would need to contact each organization you have DDs with and give them your new bank details - you can't just switch the DDs over from your end. Once the DDs are active on the new account, check whether any DDs are still active on the old account - if there are any, just cancel them yourself.

olly300

I second benjus with doing it yourself.

One of the reasons why the bank's process doesn't always work is some organisations won't action things unless they come from the individual who they have the contract with.

melorablack

I have recently swiched banks and I waited until each dd went out of my old account and then the next day called the company involved to change my bank details, that way I didn't miss any payments or end up owing two dd's in one month. I wouldn't trust the banks to do it lol!