UK Basic Bank Account Comparison Table

Many people in the UK don’t have a personal bank account. Some of those people find it difficult to open a standard current account with a full function debit card, cheque book and overdraft facility because of either a previous bad credit history or a low credit score due to them not being in full time employment, not being on the electoral register or not owning their own home, for example.

To overcome this problem UK banks are obliged to offer stripped down versions of their current accounts without the overdraft, cheque book or fully functioning debit card. These accounts are called basic bank accounts. Many of them still come with debit cards (real time authorisation type) and most of the facilities that the standard accounts provide such as online/telephone banking and Direct Debits/standing orders. Banks don’t really publicise these accounts as they are not a profitable service to offer. Despite the accounts being easy to obtain, the banks are still required to carry out identity and residency checks which could still be an issue for some individuals.

There are even accounts available to undischarged bankrupts. However, anyone with a CIFAS fraud flag on their credit file is still likely to be refused by the high street banks.

See the basic bank account comparison table below for details of the accounts available including the ‘managed’ guaranteed accounts for those who have exhausted all other avenues.

Representative example. Purchase annual interest rate 59.94% (variable). Amount of credit £250. Representative 59.9% APR (variable).

Basic Bank Account	Card Type	Min. age	Buffer	Unpaid item fee	Branch Counter Access	Post Office Access	Free ATM Access	Restrictions/ Fees/Other Info.	Apply
Current Account		18	No	No	Pay in cash or cheques at Barclays for free. Can use most other banks for a fee. Pay in cash at 20,000 Payzone outlets.	No	No. £0.50/£2.25 UK/Non-UK withdrawal fee. MasterCard ATMs only. No LINK ATMs. Some ATMs may charge a fee.	Proof of identity and address/residency required. £12.50 set-up fee/monthly fee. Undischarged bankrupts/IVAs accepted.
Personal Account		18	No	No. However, these facilities may be withdrawn if this is done more than once.	Pay in cash or cheques at NatWest / RBS for free.	No	Not necessarily. MasterCard ATMs only. No LINK ATMs. Some ATMs may charge a fee. Non-UK withdrawal fee 2%.	Proof of identity and address/residency required. £14.50 monthly fee. Undischarged bankrupts/IVAs accepted.
Current Account		18	No	No	Pay in cash or cheques at NatWest for free.	Pay in cash (£1 fee). Can't deposit cheques.	No. £1.50/£3.00 +2.75% UK/Non-UK withdrawal fee. MasterCard ATMs only. No LINK ATMs. Some ATMs may charge a fee.	Proof of identity and address/residency required. £12.50 monthly management fee. Undischarged bankrupts/IVAs accepted. No Direct Debits.
Prepaid Debit Card Account		18	No	No	Pay in cash at 1600 Cashplus stores for free or epay outlets for £3.	Pay in cash for free.	Generally no. MasterCard ATMs only. No LINK ATMs. Most account holders will pay a £2.00 UK withdrawal fee. All withdrawals abroad incur a fee of £3.00. Some ATMs may charge a fee.	Proof of identity and address/residency required. Undischarged bankrupts/IVAs accepted. Choice of account types. Fees and charges may apply.
Basic Current Account		18	No	£5 Direct Debit. £0 Standing Order. However, these facilities may be withdrawn if this is done more than once.	Pay in cash at 23,000 PayPoint locations (3%).	Pay in cash for free.	No. UK/Overseas ATM withdrawal fee £0.50/£2.25. Visa ATMs only. No LINK ATMs. Some ATMs may charge a fee.	Proof of identity and address/residency required. £12.50 opening fee/monthly fee. Undischarged bankrupts/IVAs accepted.
Basic Account		18	£10	£6 (max. £60 in charging period).	Deposits, withdrawals, balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries. No cash/cheque deposits.	Yes but ONLY RBS Group ATMs can be used in the UK (NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank branded). Withdrawals abroad can be carried out at any Visa ATM subject to fees/charges.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Basic Account		18	£10	£6 (max. £60 in charging period).	Deposits, withdrawals, balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries. No cash/cheque deposits.	As above (RBS Group Bank).	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Step Account		18	No	£10 (max. £100 in charging period).	Deposits, withdrawals, balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries. No cash/cheque deposits.	Yes at RBS Group ATMs (NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank). Withdrawals at other Visa ATMs may incur a fee.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags. Suitable for residents of Northern Ireland as all branches are there.
Cash Account		18	£10	£10 (max. 3 items per day).	Deposits, withdrawals, balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries, cash/cheque deposits.	Yes at Lloyds TSB, Halifax or Bank of Scotland cash machines. Withdrawals at other Visa ATMs may incur a fee.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No IVAs. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Cash Card Account		18	No	£8 (max. per day).	Deposits, withdrawals, balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals. No cash/cheque deposits or balance enquiries.	Yes at Barclays and LINK ATMs.	Proof of identity and address required. Undischarged bankrupts accepted. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Cash Account		18	£10	£10 (up to 3 times per day).	Deposits, balance enquiries. No withdrawals.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries. No cash/cheque deposits.	Yes but ONLY Bank of Scotland, Halifax, Lloyds TSB or Sainsbury’s cash machines can be used in the UK.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Cashminder		16	No	£15 (max. £150 per quarter) (possibility that 3 failed payments could result in the account being closed).	Deposits, withdrawals, balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries, cash/cheque deposits.	Yes at ATMs displaying the LINK symbol. Withdrawals from VISA/PLUS ONLY ATMs will incur a fee.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags.
FlexAccount		16	No	£15	Deposits, withdrawals (min. £100). No balance enquiries/mini statements.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries. No cash/cheque deposits.	Yes if using a Nationwide cash machines. Withdrawals from VISA/PLUS ATMs may incur a fee.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No IVAs. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Cash Card		18	No	£15	Deposits, withdrawals (min. £100). No balance enquiries/mini statements.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries. No cash/cheque deposits.	Yes if using a Nationwide cash machines. Withdrawals from VISA/PLUS ATMs may incur a fee.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No IVAs. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Basic Bank Account		18	£10	Possibly £0 but not specified in T&Cs (possibility that 3 failed payments could result in the account being closed).	Deposits. No withdrawals. Balance enquiries?	Cash withdrawals, cash deposits. No cheque deposits. Balance enquiries?	Yes at most ATMs in the UK. Some ATMs may charge a fee. Overseas ATM cash withdrawals are subject to fees and charges.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Readycash		16	No	£35	Deposits, withdrawals, balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries. No cash/cheque deposits.	Yes if using a Yorkshire/Clydesdale Bank ATM. Withdrawals from other Maestro branded ATMs may incur a fee. Non-UK withdrawals are subject to fees.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Readycash		16	No	£35	Deposits, withdrawals, balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries, cash/cheque deposits.	Yes if using a Clydesdale/Yorkshire Bank ATM. Withdrawals from other Maestro branded ATMs may incur a fee. Non-UK withdrawals are subject to fees.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Basic Banking		18	No	No	Deposits, withdrawals (4 free per month). No balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries, cash deposits, cheque (Northern Ireland Post Offices only) deposits.	Yes if using a Danske Bank ATM. Although usually free to use, withdrawals from other Maestro branded ATMs in the UK may incur a fee. Withdrawal fee abroad at Maestro ATMs is 2.75%.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags. Permanent residents of Northern Ireland only.
Easycash		16	£10	£10 (max. 3 items per day).	Cash withdrawals (min. £300 unless balance is £10 or less). No deposits or balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries, cash/cheque deposits.	Yes at Halifax and Bank of Scotland cash machines or ATMs displaying the LINK symbol. Although mostly free to use, some LINK cash machines may charge a fee.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No IVAs. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Cash Account		11	No	No outward payments.	Deposits, withdrawals, balance enquiries.	No	Yes at Metro Bank UK ATMs and, usually free of charge, ATMs that display the MasterCard or LINK symbol.	Proof of identity and address required. No CIFAS fraud flags? No Direct Debits, Standing Orders or any other outward payments.
CallSave MoneyManager		16	No	£20	Deposits, balance enquiries. No withdrawals.	No	Yes, in UK. Coventry BS ATMs and LINK, VISA and PLUS branded cash machines can be used. Most of these are free to use. The withdrawal charge abroad at VISA and PLUS ATMs is 2%.	Proof of identity and address required.
Basic Current Account		16	No	£25	Deposits, withdrawals (min. £300), balance enquiries.	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries. No cash/cheque deposits.	Yes at Santander cash machines and LINK ATMs. Most LINK cash machines are free to use.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags.
Basic Cash Account		16	No	Not explicitly specified in T&Cs (could be £21 + £21 = £42) but 3 failed payments within 12 months will result in the account being closed.	Deposits? Cash withdrawals? Balance enquiries?	Cash withdrawals (1 withdrawal allowed per day), balance enquiries. Cash/cheque deposits?	Yes at Bank of Ireland, First Trust, Ulster Bank and Danske Bank cash machines in Ireland or LINK cash machines anywhere in the UK. Most LINK cash machines are free to use.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags. Must apply in branch which are all in Northern Ireland so suited to residents there.
Basic Bank Account		16	£9.99	£35	No	Cash withdrawals, balance enquiries. No cash/cheque deposits.	Yes at First Trust Bank Banklink cash machines, certain First Trust Bank euro cash machines in Northern Ireland and AIB cash machines in the Republic of Ireland.	Proof of identity and address required. No undischarged bankrupts. No CIFAS fraud flags. Suitable for residents of Northern Ireland as all branches are there. No Standing Orders.
Cash Transactor		16	No	£20	Deposits, withdrawals, balance enquiries.	No	Yes. Only LINK branded cash machines can be used. Most of these are free to use.	Proof of identity and address required. Minimum opening balance of £100 is required. This can be withdrawn once account is opened.

Notes:

Branch Access information has been obtained from the Bank/Building Society/Financial Company websites directly and some other crossing referencing.

Post Office Counter Access information has been obtained from the Post Office website and this Post Office document.

Our comparison table should be used as a guide only and we make no guarantees about the information presented. Applicants are advised to check the details with the banks before making an application for an account.

Other UK Bank/Building Society accounts are available that allow someone with an adverse credit history to carry out very basic money management. These include savings and other accounts. However, as they don’t really offer what one would call ‘proper’ banking facilities such as Direct Debits or Standing Orders then they haven’t been included in our comparison table.

A few such accounts include the Post Office Card Account for those in receipt of benefits/pensions/tax credits and the Derbyshire Cash Account.

Some debit cards such as the Visa debit card that comes with the NatWest basic account, for example, may not work at petrol pumps as these particular cards require real time authorisation.

All the accounts listed offer Direct Debit and Standing Order facilities unless otherwise specified.

Unless otherwise stated none of the accounts require a minimum opening balance.

The ‘Buffer Zone’ amount is the amount by which you can go overdrawn without incurring any unauthorised overdraft fees.

Cash withdrawals at Post Offices (where this service is available) can be carried out free of charge.

To open any of the above accounts including the guaranteed managed ones such as the thinkmoney account, applicants need to provide proof of identity and proof of address. Proofs of identity usually mean photo ID such as a passport or driving licence and proof of address could be a council tax or utility bill, for example. The relevant bank will provide a list of acceptable documents. Also see the ID Handbook for full details about providing ID.

Although banks will not generally carry out a credit check with a credit reference agency when someone applies for a basic account, they may make an electronic identity check which can often be used as an acceptable alternative to providing hard copies of ID.

Foreign nationals residing in the UK (students, for example) are also able to open basic accounts using their overseas passports/ID cards as acceptable forms of ID.