Overpaying with Santander

Lovelyjoolz

Hi all

I'm a new recruit to the MFW board! I've just spoken to my mortgage provider (Santander) enquiring about how to make regular overpayments. It's straightforward enough they said - just send it through internet banking with the mortgage account number as a reference.

Great! I thought. They they said "oh and then you'll have to phone us and tell us you have sent the payment so that we know how to apply it to the account" OK I said, just this first time? Oh no, they said, you'll need to phone us every time you make an overpayment to tell us that you want us to take it off the capital and its not just an advance on the monthly installment....

This is going to be a pain in the bum isn't it? Navigating their automated phone system every month? Might be easier to send a cheque with a pre-printed "take this off my capital please!" note included with it!

How do other Santander customers make their overpayments?

happycamel_2

Tried Internet banking but they tended to cancel the next DD anyway, even if I phoned (and you have to). If you must do it this way call 0800 0320617 rathe than paying on their 0870 number.

I think they are far worse about using the money as a standard payment and cancelling the dd since I got a 123 account because then they don't pay the £10 cash back.

Now I send a cheque (and !!!!! about the cost of the stamp instead)!

Lois_E

Hi Lovelyjoolz and welcome to MFW. :wave:

Are you going to stick around and do a diary? We are all very encouraging.

Lovelyjoolz

Oooh - thanks for the freephone number! Much appreciated!

Think I will go for the cheque option though. I haven't got the time to keep chasing them up if they cancel the DD every month.

And perhaps at remortgage time I'll switch to someone who can cope with the overpayments a bit better!!

Have they ever cancelled the DD when you've sent a cheque?

edinburgher

We took at mortgage with them in 2012, one OP so far.

Phoned them in advance (freephone number like HC) and then sent in a cheque with a covering letter. The cost of a second class stamp isn't the end of the world

JCL

That seems like a complicated process to go through! First Direct just setup an additional standing order which I can alter easily online each month.

[Deleted User]

Lovelyjoolz wrote: »

Hi all

I'm a new recruit to the MFW board! I've just spoken to my mortgage provider (Santander) enquiring about how to make regular overpayments. It's straightforward enough they said - just send it through internet banking with the mortgage account number as a reference.

Great! I thought. They they said "oh and then you'll have to phone us and tell us you have sent the payment so that we know how to apply it to the account" OK I said, just this first time? Oh no, they said, you'll need to phone us every time you make an overpayment to tell us that you want us to take it off the capital and its not just an advance on the monthly installment....

This is going to be a pain in the bum isn't it? Navigating their automated phone system every month? Might be easier to send a cheque with a pre-printed "take this off my capital please!" note included with it!

How do other Santander customers make their overpayments?

That's what I had to do when I had a mort with them. Total faff just like their service in general.

edinburgher

That seems like a complicated process to go through! First Direct just setup an additional standing order which I can alter easily online each month.

Like everything FD offer - that sounds sensible. I'd love to switch to them if they're offering competitive rates when we remortgage.

ladymarmalade222

I am with Santander for my mortgage, I have been with them since 1997 (in the Abbey days). My mortgage balance and account shows with my bank accounts/credit cards online with them and I can send money over electronically and change direct debit whenever I like.

Just curious why some people have to send cheques for overpayments and some can use online facilty.

Hope you manage to sort it anyway:)

happycamel_2

I cant see an online balance, I think that's only available for offset accounts.

No problems with cancelled DDs when OPing by cheque.

I'm in the process of swapping to HSBC

Metranil_Vavin

I also have a mortgage with Santander, and went through the initial faff with them of having to phone them every time I made an overpayment blah blah. They said 'we need to know how to allocate the overpayment' -???????

Got fed up with this after a month or so, so rang them again, asked why it can't be simpler, and now just have an additional £100 on top of my regular payment going out by standing order which comes off the capital (I have double checked this with them).

Not sure why they couldn't do it this way to start with...