OTP issues

Beci

My 84 yo mum is IT savvy enough to have a PC and use online banking, but does not use a mobile phone. She banks with Santander and is normally able to access it using her normal username and a pass code. But in the recent few weeks she is now required to generate a OTP. I am aware that banks require this as I need to do this every time I access my own bank account, but the problem is that it gives her 30 seconds in which to access her email, refresh it, hope that the OTP email arrives. Note down the 8 random letters and numbers and then go back to her login screen and type them in.

Frankly this is near impossible for every the most tech savvy to manage!

 Santander don't appear to be interested in helping her find an alternative method of generating the OTP (I'm thinking some sort of secure token device or similar) so I wondered if there are any more user friendly bank accounts out there that might be worth moving her to?

noh

Having a mobile phone is the easiest way to solve this. It doesn't have to be a smart phone she doesn't need to use it for anything else just receiving SMS.

elsien

Can they send the code to her landline? 

It’s still a faff because the digital voice isn’t the most understandable and she still has to be quick enough to write it down, but it’s a workaround if she doesn’t have a mobile.

eskbanker

Beci said:

Note down the 8 random letters and numbers and then go back to her login screen and type them in.

Wouldn't the savvy thing be to copy/paste?

Katiehound

Halifax & Lloyds will send OTP over a landline

Nationwide allows you to use the card reader or OTP to log in

I have a mobile phone- not smart- and it nearly drove me mad trying to access the OTP as the message was so slow in coming (can't remember if that was for Santander or another bank)- because    some web pages will log you out if the time lapse is too great with no activity.

grumbler

eskbanker said:

Beci said:

Note down the 8 random letters and numbers and then go back to her login screen and type them in.

Wouldn't the savvy thing be to copy/paste?

IIRC, Santander is the only one from many banks I have accounts with that disabled 'paste' OTPs in their online banking. I hate IT people doing these stupid things just for fun.

I know this because I use Phone Link on my PC and do copy&paste most OTPs sent by SMS.

BTW, I can be wrong, but I don't think that they can send OTP by a e-mail - https://www.santander.co.uk/personal/support/fraud-and-security/one-time-passcodes

grumbler

Beci said:

...the problem is that it gives her 30 seconds in which to access her email, refresh it, hope that the OTP email arrives. Note down the 8 random letters and numbers and then go back to her login screen and type them in.

Frankly this is near impossible for every the most tech savvy to manage!

Teach her to have two windows opened side-by side.

MikeJXE

Can she not set up a banner alert that brings the email up while she's in the bank system.Whatever I'm working on my email pops up when ever one arrives because my emails are on push not fetch. That works on Apple devices so I don't know about Windows or Android 

Band7

Get her a smartphone, or a tablet so she can use the app. A tablet will be very similar to her PC but will make her banking much easier as she will rarely need the OTP. 

If the tablet has a SIM, she can also receive the OTP via text msg, and she can transfer the OTP with one single click.

xylophone

https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/mobile-phones/1409584/best-simple-mobile-phone-for-older-people-senior-pensioner

might be worth a look.

elsien

Natwest also offer card reader option.