Not upheld: Account administration errors complaint against Santander UK Plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr G complained that Santander failed to notify him of payments due on his credit card account before reporting missed payments to credit reference agencies. Mr G had made payments in October 2025 believing he had cleared the balance, but a recurring payment continued to debit the account, resulting in missed payments in January and February 2026. Santander sent statements to his registered address and push notifications to his mobile phone showing the outstanding balance and payment due dates. The ombudsman found that Santander provided reasonable notification and correctly applied the account terms, including the late payment fee, and accurately reported the payment history to credit reference agencies. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Santander provided reasonable notification through statements sent to the registered address and push notifications to the mobile phone, both of which clearly showed the outstanding balance and payment due dates. The recurring payment would have appeared on each monthly statement. Santander was entitled to apply the late payment fee under the account terms and had a responsibility to accurately report the payment history to credit reference agencies. Although Mr G's personal circumstances may have caused him to overlook the recurring payment, this does not constitute an error or unfair treatment by Santander.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website