Unknown Direct Debit

ROSIEGLOW255

Just checked my bank statement and there is a payment gone out to Santander Cards UK for £5.99. It is marked as first direct debit payment and to the best of my knowledge I haven't taken any new products out with Santander, also the reference stated is 18 digits long rather than the usual 16 digits for a credit card. Does anyone know what it might be?

I rang Barclays who said ring Santander who then said to ring Barclays to find out the what type of card it was, i.e. debenhams, asda, etc I rang Barclays and apparently all the info they get is Santander so don't know who to ring at Santander. Barclays have cancelled future direct debits and have told me to call back tomorrow to see about doing an indemnity claim. I don't want to waste their time if it is a genuine transaction but I can't for the life of me think what it can be for. I really wish they would provide more information to track direct debits once they go out.

Sorry for long post but really can't think how to trace what this payment is for.

pointypenguin

If this is a direct debit will it not be listed under your internet banking? Even if it is cancelled it should still show up. Could it be for some sort of insurance on a credit card that you signed up for without realising?

ROSIEGLOW255

I don't think so I usually stay well clear of any such products.

It's just so frustrating that it can be so hard to trace what a payment is for, it seems daft just putting Santander down as this covers so many different companies.

ROSIEGLOW255

Well managed to trace what the transaction was. Turns out it was Debenhams account which I closed a couple of months ago. However, there was a payment which went through on the card after the account closure request which reactivated it. Glad I didn't go through the claim process. Don't know why they didn't use my credit card number as the reference, at least it would have been easier to trace it.

Oh well, mystery solved.

sarahhavard

For other people who have searched on a Santander Card direct debit issue - an amount was coming out of my account each month to Santander Cards UK and I knew I did not have a Santander card. I traced it in the end to a direct debit set up with the furniture store DFS.

I also wish they could be clearer with who it is you are actually paying!

altpink

sarahhavard wrote: »

For other people who have searched on a Santander Card direct debit issue - an amount was coming out of my account each month to Santander Cards UK and I knew I did not have a Santander card. I traced it in the end to a direct debit set up with the furniture store DFS.

I also wish they could be clearer with who it is you are actually paying!

Thank you for this - I have just had the exact same problem, wondered where this money had been going to! Trawled the internet and found your comment and remembered the Sofas we had bought from DFS! How hard would it be for them to call their Direct Debit, I don't know, something like "DFS"? Just a thought...!

But thank you, problem solved!

rising_from_the_ashes

On the original paperwork, you should have a direct debit guarantee - somewhere on there, it should say something like "payments will be collected under the name xxxx" which is often very different from who you've bought the item from.