Transfering money into E-saver question

RobLondon1984

I want to transfer money from my Natwest current account to my Abbey E-saver account. On the Abbey E-saver website, it states you can transfer online, and my sister has done it and it works. However it states on the E-saver website that you need to ring Abbey to nominate an external account. So I rang them, and they said they would send me some forms to set up a direct debit.

I realise that maybe I should of just transfer it online, rather then the hassle of completing the forms.

Is there any advantages to setting up a direct debit? I have no idea why I rang them in the first place.

Thanks

DeepSporran

The direct debit allows Abbey to 'pull' the money from your Natwest account when you make the online request on the Abbey website. Without the direct debit mandate, there's no way Abbey can get the money out of your Natwest account. Once it's set up, you can go onto the Abbey website and ask for money to be moved in either direction whenever you want (though there will still be a day or two of delay till the transfer actually completes.)

EDIT The direct debit mandate won't have any dates on it - it's not like (for instance) a direct debit for your monthly mortgage payment where you know that a certain amount is going to come out of your current account on the same date each month. Money will only come out when you make the request on the Abbey website - but you have to complete the direct debit mandate in the first place to give Natwest the permission to allow Abbey to request the transfers.