Payment notifications

Instant notifications

Notifications are a great way to keep on top of your spending, know when you received money, check you’ve been charged the right amount and quickly spot anything suspicious on your account.

You'll get notified when you send money or receive money into your Sterling current account or savings account and when you spend on your debit card.

If you have authority on another account, you may also receive notifications from payments and domestic ATM withdrawals made from this account. For example you may have authority as a parent over your child’s account. If you wish to turn these off you will have to turn off all transaction notifications.

How to switch notifications on or off

To switch notifications on/off just follow these simple steps:

Selecting the profile icon at the top right corner of your app
Tap on ‘Settings’
Tap on ‘Notification Settings’
Tap on ‘General Notifications’
Switch the 'Money in and out' toggle on or off

More about our mobile app

App available to customers aged 11+ with compatible iOS and Android devices and a Channel Islands, Isle of Man, UK or international mobile number in specific countries.

Frequently asked questions

What transactions will generate a notification?

Why have I been charged a small amount without purchasing anything?

Retailers may process a small charge on your card to confirm it is active. This will usually be refunded and disappear after a few days. If this charge has not been refunded or you do not recognise the merchant then please get in touch.

If you are using your card to make a contactless travel payment with costs calculated at the end of your journey, such as with Transport for London, please visit the travel company’s website for more information on how your fare will be calculated.

What should I do if I get a notification for a transaction that I don’t recognise?

Don’t recognise the amount spent?

For some types of purchases, such as payments at pump fuel or hotel bills, your card may be authorised for an amount that is different to the final amount of sale. If this is the case, you may get a notification for the authorised amount rather than the sale amount. The final price paid will be shown in the mobile app within a couple of days.

Don’t recognise the retailer?

Retailers sometimes use a different trading name when processing your transaction. For example, if you bought something from Argos, it could appear on your statement as 'Home Retail Group'.

Check our list of common trading names for details of the companies trading under that name or a quick internet search may help identify a retailer.

Common retailer trading names

You can also use the mobile app to look up common retailer names by clicking on the transaction and then tapping ‘Need help with this transaction?’.

Still don't recognise the transaction?

If you still think the transaction is suspicious and may be fraudulent, please get in touch to report it.

How to report fraud

Why do I receive duplicate notifications from Apple Pay or Google Pay?

When you make a transaction using Apple or Google Pay, you'll get one notification from them and one from us. It's easy to turn these off and make sure you're only receiving one:

For Apple Pay users

Open the 'Wallet' app
Select your debit card.
Click the three dots at the top right of the screen
Switch the 'Allow Notifications' toggle off

You can return to this page and turn the toggle back on at any time.

For Google Pay users

Open the 'Google Pay' app
Click on the three lines in the top left of the screen
Select 'Settings'
Switch the ‘Purchase Notifications’ toggle off

You can return to this page and turn the toggle back on at any time.

The Google Pay purchase notification toggle switches notifications on/off for all cards you have linked to your account.