CORONAVIRUS – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Is it safe to withdraw money and pay with cash?
3. How can I manage my money if I can’t get to a branch?
4. I have received a refund on my credit card, how can I transfer it to a bank account?
5. My travel booking which I paid for on my credit card has been cancelled, can I get a refund?
6. What should I do if I can’t keep up my payments on my loan or credit card due to coronavirus?
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To keep your money safe, we’d advise you not to carry large sums of money. A quick way to pay for your purchases is by using your debit card.
We’ve increased the contactless payments limit for debit cards and credit cards to £45. The £45 limit increase may not be available in all shops, as not all systems have been updated yet, so it’s best to check with the retailer first. You can also use your debit and credit card for online purchases.
If you lose your card or if it’s stolen, you can cancel your card and request a new one. You can freeze your card if you’ve temporarily misplaced it, with the handy Card Freezes feature on our Mobile Banking app. For added control, you can also choose how and where your card can be used.
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Yes and to protect you and our colleagues, we’ve put social distancing measures in place in our branches so you can bank with us safely. When you visit, we may ask you to wait outside if it’s busy and things may take a little more time to complete, but we’ll help you as quickly as we can, so please bear with us. Our branches will open again fully, ready to help you, as soon as it’s safe to do so.
We’ve made some changes to our opening hours and services we’re providing at the moment. Most of our branches are now open between 9:30am and 3:30pm Monday to Friday. To find out if your local branch is open and when please check our branch locator.
You can also do your everyday banking at your local Post Office.
You can also check your balance, make withdrawals and pay cash or cheques into your current account at Post Office counters. Make sure you check their website for up-to-date information about opening hours.
Use Internet or Mobile Banking to bank from home, and stay safe.
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A safe and easy way to bank right now is through Internet Banking and our Mobile Banking App.
Here are just some of the things you can do online:
- View your balance and transactions at any time, using any device.
- Pay bills and send money to people.
- Manage your direct debits and standing orders.
- Freeze transactions – using our app you can control how your cards are used, by freezing some transaction types.
- Pay in cheques using our app.
We keep an eye on every account and warn about scams. Find out how to stay safe from scams on our new scam code page. If you haven’t banked online with us before, you can register now or find help with our step by step guide to registering.
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Yes, you can pay in cheques through your Mobile Banking App – up to £1,000 per cheque and up to £2,000 in total per day. Check out our easy guide on how to pay in a cheque.
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You can send up to £100,000 per day quickly and easily through Internet Banking or our Mobile Banking App. Our useful guide shows you where to find this option. You’ll need the recipient’s details to hand when you make the payment.
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If you have received a refund that has put your card balance in credit, don’t forget you can just use this by spending on your card as usual. Alternatively, if you have a 'Money Transfer' option available, you can transfer credit amounts over £100 to your bank account.
Please note: You will not receive/or be charged interest on the value of any credit balance you hold on your card. Any fee charged for making a money transfer from a credit balance will be refunded within 28 days.
You can ask for a money transfer using Internet or Mobile Banking. Find more information about what you need to know on our money transfer page. Money transfer requests are subject to eligibility and security checks, but these won’t leave a footprint on your credit file.
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The company you booked with may be able to help. To resolve any travel disputes please contact the merchant in the first instance and check their website for helpful information.
Below are links to the web pages for the main travel providers used by our customers, which may help you further. We’ve also included the links for their Coronavirus web pages, however we suggest you ensure you look at information across all of their web pages to understand how they can best help you.
Lloyds Bank is not responsible for the content or function of third party websites.If you’re struggling to get a refund from the travel provider, and you paid on a credit or debit card, we may be able to help. Use our handy travel disruption tool to see the options available to you.
You can also find more information and support in our frequently asked travel questions.
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If you’re going to struggle to make your monthly repayment due to coronavirus, you may want to consider taking a repayment holiday. A repayment holiday is subject to approval, but if accepted you won’t need to make the usual loan repayments for up to 3 months. We have support available if you need more guidance.
To ask for a repayment holiday, please use our support tool and we’ll take care of the rest for you. There's no need to cancel your direct debit. But if you have, you need to make sure you can start repayments again after the repayment holiday. You can do this by re-instating your direct debit. If it is still cancelled when we try to collect again and you fall into arrears you may be charged interest on the arrears . Arrears will be reported to credit reference agencies and your credit rating may be affected.
If your loan repayment is due within the next 7 working days, you will still need to make this payment and any repayment holiday you are given will start the following month. If you have a joint loan, any repayment holiday will be given to both of you. If your repayment is due now and you can’t make the repayment, we won't charge you a fee.
We can only give a repayment holiday if your loan repayments are up to date or you have missed one payment due to coronavirus. If your loan is in arrears, we have other ways of helping you. Please visit our Money Worries page to find out more.
Repayment holidays may not be right for everyone as we’ll extend the length of your loan at the end. This is so you can make up the payments you missed. We still add interest to your loan during the break. Because you’ll be borrowing for longer and interest is still charged, the amount you repay overall will increase.
The Money Navigator Tool offered by the Money Advice Service, also gives instant help based on what you tell it about your circumstances. You can also call the Money Advice Service on 0800 138 7777. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Explore your options and find out more.
End of your repayment holiday
You may be coming close to the end of your repayment holiday period. Remember there is no need to contact us, we’ll be in touch before your current repayment holiday ends on how we can help.
Find out about your options at the end of your repayment holiday.
If you have Payment Protection Insurance you may be able to claim under your policy if you can’t work due to sickness or unemployment. Visit our Payment Protection Insurance page for details.
For Channel Islands or Isle of Man customers, please visit our Lloyds Bank Islands page.
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If you’re going to struggle to make your monthly payment due to coronavirus, you may want to consider taking a payment holiday. A payment holiday is subject to approval, but if accepted you won’t need to make the usual payments to your personal credit card for up to 3 months. We have support available if you need more guidance.
If your payment is due now and you can’t make the minimum payment, we won't charge a late payment fee or remove any promotional interest rates in the short term.
Payment holidays may not be right for everyone. Your minimum payment and the total amount you owe can go up. This is because interest is still charged throughout the payment holiday (unless you pay 0% interest).
Explore your options and find out how to apply online.
End of your payment holiday
You could be coming close to the end of your payment holiday period. We’ll be in touch before your current payment holiday ends on how we can help.
Find out about your options at the end of your payment holiday.
If you have Payment Protection Insurance you may be able to claim under your policy if you are unable to work due to sickness or unemployment. Visit our Payment Protection Insurance page for details.
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If you’ve bought a ticket for a cancelled event from an official seller, you could be entitled to a refund from them. You may not get back any additional costs paid such as postage or booking fees. The same rule should apply to entry fees if you’ve paid to take part in an event or competition – such as a marathon or cycling race – but you’ll need to check with the event organiser’s terms and conditions.
If you’ve bought tickets through a ticket reseller, you’ll need to check their terms and conditions to see if you’ll get your money back. Please consider these refunds can take longer than expected due to knock on impacts of coronavirus.
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If the organisers are planning to move the date of the event, your tickets should be valid for the new date. If you can’t make the new date, you can ask for a refund from the ticket retailer, but you’ll need to check your booking terms and conditions. Again, you’re unlikely to get back any postage costs or booking fees. Refunds from ticket-reselling websites will also depend on their own terms and conditions.
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If your event has been cancelled but you also booked travel and accommodation to attend, contact the organisations you booked with to see whether the service is still available. You could get a refund or be able to rebook for a later date.
Packages with flights, hotels and event ticket included may be covered under your travel insurance. Find out more about help with travel disruption.
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Cancelling or postponing a personal event – such as a party or wedding – will depend on what agreements you have with your suppliers. Speak to your suppliers about your options. You may not get your deposit or other payments refunded if you cancel completely. If your supplier cancels, you may be entitled to a refund. This will depend on the terms and conditions of your booking.
If you have wedding insurance, check your policy or speak to your insurance provider about what you can claim.
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If you paid on a credit or debit card, you can raise a payment dispute for review. If you believe that you have paid for an item or service that has not been delivered, was not as described, a refund has not been received or where merchants aren’t following their terms and conditions, you can submit a claim for review. Find out more about payment disputes.
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If you paid by credit card you may be able to claim a refund under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act if you are eligible. Section 75 rights are only available where the seller/provider has misrepresented something or if there has been a breach of contract.
You may be able to make a claim from your credit card provider for the loss you have suffered. However it only covers goods and services valued over £100 and below £30,000. You can find out more about Section 75 and how to make a claim if you have a credit card with us.
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Coronavirus is affecting workplaces across the UK. The current Government advice is that you should work from home if you can. Your workplace may be closed completely. You may need to take time off due to sickness or to self-isolate.
Changes at work can be unsettling, especially if you’re not sure what you’re entitled to. We’ve put together this information to help you understand your rights as an employee and what any changes could mean for your income.
The situation is changing quickly, so this information is based on what we know on 13th July2020. It’s also important to say that this information is intended as a general guide. Your circumstances may be different and we would always advise you to seek formal legal advice if you are concerned.
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If you are off sick with coronavirus or need to self-isolate in line with government guidance, you may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
- You are entitled to SSP if you meet the eligibility conditions.
- If you are an agency worker, you are also entitled to SSP if you meet the conditions.
- SSP is currently £95.85 and can be paid for up to 28 weeks.
- Normally, SSP is paid from the fourth day of absence, but it will now be paid from day one if you are ill with coronavirus or self-isolating.
Your employer may also offer extra sick pay. You can find out by checking your employment contract, employee handbook, company policies or asking your HR department. Remember to follow your workplace’s policy on notifying your employer that you are sick or self-isolating. If you are self-isolating, you can obtain a notification from NHS 111 online which you can use as evidence for your absence.
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This will depend on your particular circumstances; however, as a general rule:
If you can work from home
If your workplace is closed and you are able to work from home, it is likely to be reasonable for your employer to ask you to do so. Where this is agreed, you should get your usual pay. Your company may have homeworking policies which you will need to follow.
If you have to work from home due to coronavirus either because your workplace has been closed or you need to self-isolate, the Government have published guidance that employers can make tax free payments to their employees to cover any extra household costs that you have from working from home.
The extra household costs include payments such as additional electricity or heating and broadband charges (if you didn’t already have this and you had to have it installed in order to work). Your employer can pay up to £6 a week or £26 per month without you needing to give any evidence. If your employer wants to pay more than this, you’ll need to keep records to show the extra costs and give these to your employer.
If you can’t work from home
If you can’t work because your workplace is shut (not because you are ill or self-isolating) and it is not reasonably possible for you to work from home, you should normally still be entitled to full pay. This is because you are willing and able to work. This may not be the case if there is no contractual requirement to offer you work, for example, if you are a casual worker.
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Employers may need to take measures to reduce payroll costs. You could be given notice that requires you to take holidays during the shutdown, or your employer may seek volunteers to take unpaid leave.
If there is likely to be a long-term impact on business and a reduced need for staff when the workplace reopens, employers may begin consulting on making redundancies. However, your employer might try to come to an agreement with employees and their representatives on alternatives to redundancy, such as reducing working hours or pay/benefits.
If you and your employer both agree, your employer might be able to keep you on the payroll if they can’t operate or have no work for you to do because of coronavirus. This is known as being ‘on furlough’. You could get paid 80% of your wages, up to a monthly cap of £2,500. Find out more about this Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The scheme will be open until 31st October 2020, but to be eligible you would need to have been placed on furlough by 10th June 2020 (there is more flexibility if you are returning from parental leave).
If you’re not eligible for furlough and your employer has no work for you, or you’ve been made unemployed, you may be able to claim on your Payment Protection Insurance, visit our Payment Protection Insurance page for details on how to contact us.
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For Government advice on coronavirus and what you need to do, including information on employment and support, visit: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
ACAS offer free impartial advice to employers and employees.
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If you’ve been made unemployed, or your employer has no work for you – and you are not eligible for furlough – you may be able to claim on your Payment Protection Insurance.
If your hours have been reduced due to coronavirus you can also make a claim. This will depend on how many hours you worked previously and how many hours you are currently working. Visit our Payment Protection Insurance page for details.
If you are self-employed and can’t trade, or have suffered a significant impact on trade due to coronavirus, please contact us.
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Yes, if you have taken a payment holiday for a mortgage, loan and/or credit card it will not affect your claim. If you are now unemployed or not due to receive payments through the Government furlough scheme, please visit our Payment Protection Insurance page for details on how to contact us.
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As this wouldn’t be classed as an accident, sickness or unemployment claim, it wouldn’t be covered. Please discuss with your employer whether they have alternative arrangements, or if they can put you on furlough.
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If you can’t work from home and due to your condition, you have been advised to stay at home and shield by the NHS, Government or your GP, you may be able to claim if you have Accident, Sickness or Disability cover.
An unemployment claim can be made if:
- you have been made redundant,
- you are not being paid by your employer,
- or through the Government furlough scheme.
If you’re still employed your employer can apply for furlough on your behalf.
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If you’re struggling to make your repayments, you may be able to arrange a repayment holiday while we process your claim. You can contact your lender who may be able to help provide a payment holiday. If Lloyds Bank is your lender you can use our support tool to help you explore your options.
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We understand it may not be possible to get all the information in the format needed. Contact us to discuss alternative arrangements to ensure your claim is processed smoothly.
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Visit our PPI page to discuss a payment holiday
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There are ways we can help you, help those most vulnerable with managing finances and their wellbeing. Help and guidance if you’re caring for or supporting someone close to you.
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We have set up a dedicated phone number for customers aged 70 and over or who are listed as vulnerable.
- If someone you know is 70 or over, or listed as vulnerable – ask them to find the letter or email we’ve sent recently regarding this service.
- If you’re a nominated trusted person – you can ask in branch for the dedicated phone number.
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There is Government guidance on shielding and protecting people identified as extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. To register yourself or a family member as extremely vulnerable visit https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable.
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How do I tell you that someone has died? How do I tell you that someone has died? expandable section
We’re here to help make the next steps as simple as possible for you. The easiest way to let us know about a death is to use our online form.
Once you’ve told us, we’ll put a stop on the accounts. So we can understand the next steps and close the accounts we’ll need you to provide us with a copy of the death certificate. If you already have this, please call 0800 015 0012 (lines are open Monday to Sunday, 8am to 8pm) or if you’d prefer you can visit us in branch. When we talk, we’ll take you through everything you need to know, what will happen next and answer any questions you may have.
We have more information on our dedicated bereavement page.
Calls are monitored and recorded.