A MAJOR bank with 1.8million customers will suspend access to its app in a matter of days.
Sainsbury’s Bank sold off its loans, credit cards and savings products and customers to NatWest last year.
The supermarket bank confirmed earlier this month that from October 3 at 5pm, customers will no longer be able to access their online or mobile banking accounts.
Sainsbury’s Bank told users their accounts will automatically transfer to NatWest between October 3 and 6.
Updated terms and conditions will apply from October 3.
A Sainsbury’s Bank spokesperson said: “There are no immediate changes and nothing customers need to do right now.
“We will continue to keep them informed throughout the transfer process.”
Why are Sainsbury’s Bank customers being moved to NatWest?
All Sainsbury’s Bank customers will transfer to NatWest’s systems by December.
The move was approved by the High Court in April, paving the way for the switch.
Ownership of credit cards, loan and savings accounts officially transferred to NatWest on May 1.
The transition of these accounts to NatWest’s systems will begin in October and finish by December.
Credit card customers started to receive updates about changes to their account in July.
Meanwhile, loans and savings accounts customers were contacted from August.
From September to October, NatWest will provide instructions on the next steps, including how to sign up for its digital banking services.
During that time Sainsbury’s Bank will drop customers a note to say goodbye.
From October onwards customers will be sent a welcome to NatWest message and their credit card, loan and savings accounts should move across.
What about other services at Sainsbury’s Bank?
Sainsbury’s Bank sold its car and home insurance business to Allianz, one of the UK’s leading general insurers.
Customers will be contacted by Allianz around their renewal date.
Those whose deals automatically renew will start switching providers from November 2025.
Sainsbury’s Bank and Argos’ pet and travel insurance products are unaffected for now.
The supermarket bank has also sold its travel money business to financial services and foreign exchange firm Fexco Group.
But its 220 travel money kiosks will remain available in-store.
In March Sainsbury’s announced it will no longer accept applications for savings accounts from either new or existing customers.
In a statement on its website, the bank said: “Thank you for your interest but we are no longer accepting savings applications from new or existing customers.
“Any savings applications made prior to March 13, 2025 will continue to be processed and completed accordingly.”
How to find the best balance transfer cards
THERE are four key factors to consider when choosing a balance transfer card
- What interest rate you’ll be given – the closer to 0% the better
- How long the introductory rate lasts – the longer it is the more time you’ll have to pay
- The transfer fees – the lower they are, the better
- Eligibility – use an eligibility checker like this MoneySupermarket one to see what you’re likely to qualify for
Ideally you want the lowest rate possible, for a timeframe that’s long enough to pay off all your debts.
Use the eligibility checker to see what’s the best card you can get – and if there are several then check the balance transfer fee to find the cheapest.
There are several banks offering 0% cards at the moment including Sainsbury’s, HSBC and Santander.
You can shop around to compare rates and find the best offers for your personal situation using a comparison site such as Money.co.uk.
