At what point do direct debits become active?

liamcov

I'm switching to m&s which requires 2 active direct debits. I've just set up 2 for charities and the are showing on online banking but first payments won't go out until next week. Will these be deemed active or should I wait until first payments have gone out?

grumbler

Don't take my word for it, but I think it's from the moment it's set up until it becomes dormant/inactive: https://www.directdebit.co.uk/DirectDebitExplained/FAQs/pages/inactivedirectdebits.aspx

mgdavid

agree; once it is set up and there is a payment scheduled some time in the future then it's active.

alternate

Not even sure you have to have a future payment - only they eventually expire if you never use them.

If they are showing on your account then they are active. Only difference is accounts e.g. Halifax Reward, that require them to actually pay out each month.

PrettyFlower90

I'll disagree here and say that I had set up 3 DDs with my Halifax account just before i switched to Clydesdale and so the first payment hadn't been taken from 2 of them before the account switched over. I then never got my switching bonus because according to them I never switched 2 active DDs and they came up on my new account saying "first payment".. Was raging lol

alternate

Sounds like they are making up their own definitions for "active". I hope you complained.

Vortigern

I would wait until the DDs have paid out once - unless the incentive you are chasing has a deadline.

It has been reported previously on here that DDs created by a certain supermarket savings account might not be transferred by the current account switching service unless the said DDs have been used.

PrettyFlower90

alternate wrote: »

Sounds like they are making up their own definitions for "active". I hope you complained.

I did, but to no avail. They instead gave me £50 goodwill, so I took it and left immediately to another bank for their switching bonus. So if they ever do another offer again I could still be eligible lol Was one of the worst banks for me in terms of getting it set up and switching etc.

polymaff

liamcov wrote: »

I'm switching to m&s which requires 2 active direct debits. I've just set up 2 for charities and the are showing on online banking but first payments won't go out until next week. Will these be deemed active or should I wait until first payments have gone out?

This term has no accepted meaning, each institution taking its own line. M&S (HSBC) are poor on this - and the requirement appears to different for the M&S Gift Card and the Regular Saver offers. I think that you'd be wise to assume that the first of a series of regular payments has to have been made before it is an "active Direct Debit"

You did well to grab the £50 and run.


Direct Debit means a regular payment to someone
else’s account. The person or organisation you pay a
Direct Debit to can change the amount, but should
give you advance notice of this.

[Deleted User]

I switched a Tesco current account to M and S Bank on 5 April (switch date). Two direct debits moved over from Tesco to the M and S account with the switch, and were listed on the M and S account online from (and after) 5 April. Both had just paid out before the switch date, 1 or 2 April. Neither has yet paid out from the M and S account (will pay out this coming week).Yesterday (30 April) I received my £100 switch gift card in the post, so clearly there was no requirement for the DD's to actually pay out for the gift card offer. Hope this info is useful.

alternate

PrettyFlower90 wrote: »

I did, but to no avail. They instead gave me £50 goodwill, so I took it and left immediately to another bank for their switching bonus. So if they ever do another offer again I could still be eligible lol Was one of the worst banks for me in terms of getting it set up and switching etc.

At least you got something out of them.

Still not sure what happened though.

I had a look at my gf's account - she switched to YBS and she got the incentive payment, despite all of her DDs - 5 in total, 2 of which had been running for years - were marked as *first payment*. I assume because it was the first payment from that new account. I am not sure the new bank would even have access to full historic payment data of the switched DD.

Anyhow, a strange one.