Santander is set to discontinue its text alerts service this spring, which could spell “bad” news for millions of its customers. At present, Santander customers can set up free text and email alerts for various updates, such as weekly balance summaries, notifications of large withdrawals, or when their account balance reaches a certain threshold.
These alerts can be set up via online banking, phone, or in a branch. They are a popular service offered by many of the UK’s major banks. However, starting May 12, Santander, which serves around 14 million UK customers, will stop sending these notifications to users who have activated the service.
This change forms part of the bank’s strategy to encourage more customers to rely on its mobile and online banking platforms.
Santander explained: “We’re doing this because you can get a more detailed view of your account activity with Mobile or Online Banking.”
The bank will be removing five alert services, which include:
- Notifications for deposits above a certain amount
- Alerts for withdrawals exceeding a certain limit
- A weekly balance and transaction summary
- Alerts when a balance reaches a set limit
- Notifications for when an account balance falls below a specific threshold.
However, Santander will continue to send mandatory alerts required by regulatory rules, such as notifications about activities that could lead to overdraft charges or other account fees.
While the move is being marketed as a shift towards more modern, digital banking, it has sparked concern among consumer advocates. Many worry that the change could result in customers missing key account activity. Santander has contacted customers to notify them of the upcoming change, but it’s understood that 10% of those affected by the discontinuation of alerts currently don’t use the bank’s mobile app or online services.
Consumer rights expert Martyn James criticised the move, saying: “Text alerts are vital as people actually read them and act on them. We forget about checking our online accounts – or go into denial about them – and most people don’t read their app messages. So, this decision can only be a bad thing for consumers, and I hope that it is reversed.”
A spokesperson for Santander 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.”
