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Santander is axing its text message alerts service in early May, it has told customers.
The bank, which has 14million customers, said it is getting rid of some of the text alerts it usually sends as part of its alerts service from 12 May.
Currently, customers can opt to receive free text alerts when a change is made to their account, such as when a large withdrawal is made and to view bank balances.
But the bank will axe five of its text alert services for customers.
Santander will scrap alerts for when a deposit is made for more than a set amount; when a withdrawal is made for more than a set amount; a weekly balance and transaction round up; and when the customer’s balance goes above a set limit or below a set limit.
From 12 May, Santander customers who have alerts set up for these actions will no longer receive them.
Santander is set to scrap five text message alerts for customers who are signed up to receive them
It means Santander customers will need to use its app or online service in order to check weekly bank balances and transaction history like withdrawals and deposits.
Santander will not stop sending text alerts it is required to send under rules set by the financial watchdog the FCA, for example those notifying customers of any activity that could lead to account charges.
Customers will still receive text message alerts about a refused payment due to lack of funds, when their balance is close to their overdraft limit, when their account enters an unarranged overdraft, insufficient funds for a payment due and when their account has entered an arranged overdraft.
Santander says less than 1 per cent of its 14million customers rely on its text alert service, amounting to around 140,000 people.
However, the change could prove an issue for those who with no internet or smartphone access, forcing them to call the bank in order to see their statement, rather than receiving a weekly update, especially in an age in which paper statements are seldom sent.
Some banks, such as Nationwide and Royal Bank of Scotland still offer text message updates for mini statements and balances.
Others such as Lloyds offer text message updates only for overdraft warnings and in situations such as when fraud is expected.
Last summer, we revealed that First Direct was axing its text message service.
A Santander spokesman said: ‘We have written to customers to advise that, from 12 May 2025, we will be removing five non-regulatory text message alerts from our alerts service.
‘These specific alerts were set-up pre-mobile banking and customers can now obtain a more accurate up-to-date view of their account movements through mobile, online or telephone banking or via push notifications.
‘We will continue to send regulatory text message alerts as usual, including notifying customers of any account activity that could lead to additional charges.’
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