Santander OTP texts asking to change payment reference

sherbetlemons

Hi everyone, I’ve recently started banking with Santander and get an OTP code sent to my phone to confirm bank transfers. I have an iPhone so the code automatically pulls through from the text message and then it automatically archives the message so I don’t actually need to open/read the full message. I’ve just noticed when looking for something else that if I open the full message with the OTP on it actually tells me to amend the payment reference to something else which I obviously haven’t been doing. Is this likely to cause issues going forward? The transfers look like they’re going through okay but wondering whether I need to ring the bank and explain 

PRAISETHESUN

What do the messages from Santander actually say? I don't think I've ever had a OTP message suggest I need to change my payment reference - often times it actually needs to be a specific reference or else the transfer will get messed up on the receiving end!

If it's not a payment that requires a specific billing reference then it should be fine to just leave it blank, or put whatever (assuming you have the correct sort code/account number). Alternatively, could you just ask the recipient if they have received the payment? No need to contact Santander unless the money isn't being transferred correctly.

SiliconChip

Either this is an iPhone thing or the message has changed since May (which was the last time I had one for a Santander transfer on my Android phone) as I've never had one that says anything about amending the payment reference.

However, it's unlikely to cause any issue except that it may make it difficult to identify what a payment was for if it has a reference that's not relevant and the same as other payments. I wouldn't bother to ring them up, if the payments went through successfully it shows they don't care what the reference says.

sherbetlemons

This is the message- it tells me to amend the reference to the persons account number and sort code which is why I’ve blacked them out. It’s transfers to friends for booking holiday etc.. so the references id put in had just been generic like “air bnb booking” or “flights” it does the same when I pay my nail tech too. Payments have definitely went through fine. 

glennevis

That reads to me as Santander are advising you that you have amended the payment reference. Which is why it says call us if this wasn't you.

Did you perhaps save your friend's details in your payees list with, for example, a blank reference first time. Then subsequently send the payee the amounts shown but added a reference (e.g. flights) to the transaction to advise your friend what the payment was for.

MikeJXE

Santander always say call us if this wasn’t you when sending out an OTP code 

sherbetlemons

Hmm that could be it! I did change the reference for the £134 but the £40 is the same reference every month and I get the same message- it could well be me reading the message wrong though

njkmr

Santander recently told me to change the reference description because I was transferring some money to my son after he had paid for a takeaway on his phone app.
I had put "chinky" which is what I have called a Chinese takeaway for the last 40 years. It was on my account and for my eyes only and in no way derogatory to anyone else. Or certainly never meant to be.
 I told them to !!!!!! Off....!

TheBanker

njkmr said:

Unfortunatly the banks have been getting complaints about people using offensive words in the payment reference fields. So they have to crack down on it.

I don't know about Santander, but some banks have built it into their apps so that payments with bad language won't be accepted. 

subjecttocontract

Your OTPs are all numeric.. I never get that. Mine are always 8 digits & a combination of letters & numbers.

Shakin_Steve

If Santander are advising to change the reference number to the recipients account number and sort code each time you pay them, you would have no way of differentiating between payments. I regularly send my son money at uni from my Barclays account and , looking back over the year, I know what each payment was for by looking at the reference.