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Coronavirus (COVID-19): Your questions answered

Since the first case of Covid-19 – a new type of coronavirus – was reported in China on 31 December 2019, the disease has spread across multiple countries including the UK. In line with advice from the UK Government and the World Health Organisation, we are doing everything we can to make sure our services keep running normally – particularly if the outbreak continues for a long time or gets worse.

Our main concern is the safety of our customers and colleagues, and we will update this page if anything changes.

More information for personal customers

Coronavirus help: personal customers

More information for business and commercial customers

Coronavirus help: business customers

Ways to bank with us

How can you help us prioritise those customers who need us the most?

We’re doing everything we can to make sure our customers can still do their banking easily and safely. Here are a few things that you can do to help make this happen:

  • Use our app or online banking
  • Only call us if you have an urgent question or problem
  • Avoid visiting our stores
  • Our main focus is on making sure our essential services are available for our existing customers – this means we may not be able to open new accounts in store at the moment. To open an account online, go to apply.metrobankonline.co.uk/apply – you’ll need an up-to-date email address and a UK mobile number, plus a camera to take a selfie and a photo of your ID.

Online banking

  • You can use online banking 24/7 to view your statements, make payments and open new accounts
  • If you haven’t signed up for online banking yet, you can sign up here.
  • You’ll need your 12-digit customer number, a Magic Word (to activate the service), and the last four digits of your mobile number

Our app

  • You can use our app 24/7 for most of your banking needs  
  • Instantly block, unblock or cancel your debit and credit cards, or order a replacement card if you need to
  • You can download our app from the App Store or Google Play Store. You’ll need your 12-digit customer number, a Magic Word (to activate the service), and the last four digits of your mobile number

Our contact centre

  • To help us prioritise those who need us most, please only call our contact centre if you have an urgent question or problem
  • We’re making every effort to keep our contact centres open for customers who may need us at this time. To do this, we're changing our opening hours temporarily: Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 6.30pm. Fraud reporting and lost/stolen card services will continue to be available 24/7.
  • BANK HOLIDAY OPENING HOURS: On Good Friday 10 April, Saturday 11 April and Easter Monday 13 April, our contact centre will open 10am to 6.30pm. We will be closed on Easter Sunday.
  • Our team is working as quickly as possible to answer your calls, but you may have to wait longer than usual.
  • If you can and your question isn’t urgent, please go online or use our app – this could save you time and will help us to support all of our customers.

Our stores

  • In stores we’re prioritising serving our elderly or vulnerable customers – we recommend coming in when we first open in the morning
  • We are encouraging customers not to visit unless it’s absolutely necessary, and have put social distancing in place across all of our stores
  • We’re doing everything we can to keep our stores open, however if we need to make any temporary changes we’ll update our service status page. Please check here first before making your journey.
  • BANK HOLIDAY OPENING HOURS: On Good Friday 10 April and Easter Monday 13 April, our stores will open 10am to 4pm. We will be closed over the Easter weekend.

Our Mortgage Servicing team

  • Our team is working as quickly as possible to answer your calls, but you may have to wait longer than usual. To help us prioritise those who need us most, if your call isn’t urgent we recommend you have a look through our FAQs.
  • To talk about payment holidays, email mortgageservicing@metrobank.plc.uk with your mortgage account number and monthly payment date.
  • If you need to speak to our team urgently, you can call 0345 319 1200. Alternatively, you can complete this call-back request form and a member of the team will be in touch with you shortly.

Banking services

  • Are all your banking services running, and where can I find updates?

    Our service status page will give you all the up-to-date information if any of our services are running more slowly than usual.

  • Can I still withdraw cash?

    • You can continue to withdraw up to £300 per day from UK cash machines
    • To ensure all our customers can access cash in-store, should they want to, we are temporarily waiving the requirement to give us 24 hours’ notice for cash withdrawals larger than £1,000 and are introducing a £5,000 daily cash withdrawal limit.

    You can of course continue to transfer money (including transfers above £5,000) online, electronically or via faster payments

  • Can I still deposit cash in store?

    • To protect our colleagues and customers, we have temporarily closed our Magic Money Machines.
    • Our cash services are currently only available for paying in to your account – we cannot exchange cash. To protect our colleagues and customers, all coins must be pre-counted and in coin bags. If you need some more coin bags, just ask and we can provide these.

  • Have contactless payment amounts now changed?

    As of the 1st April 2020, the maximum spend on contactless transactions will be increased from £30 to £45. If you need to spend more than £45 there are many ways to choose to pay - Chip & PIN, cash and alternatives such as mobile payments which do not have an upper limit when authenticated through biometric technologies.

  • Can I still access foreign currency in stores?

    We have temporarily changed our foreign currency service, and will no longer be buying or selling foreign currency in our stores

  • What are you doing to look after elderly or vulnerable customers?

    • We’re encouraging our elderly and vulnerable customers to follow the latest Government advice, and to contact us over the phone or online if they have any questions.
    • If they do need to a visit a store, we’d encourage them to visit when our stores first open so we can prioritise serving them as quickly as possible.

  • Can I still access my Safe Deposit Box?

    • Yes, you can access your Safe Deposit Box as usual during our store opening hours.
    • If you’re planning to visit one of our stores, please check our service status page before making your journey.

  • What if I need to access my Safe Deposit Box on the weekend?

    If you need to access your Safe Deposit Box when the store is closed on the weekend, please call our contact centre on 0345 08 08 500. Please note that we can only arrange weekend access in exceptional circumstances. Our contact centre is receiving a high number of calls, so you many have to wait longer than usual to speak to us.

  • What are you doing to keep your stores clean and safe?

    • We have increased how often our stores are cleaned
    • Our colleagues are making sure to wash their hands regularly and thoroughly
    • We have put hand sanitisers and extra cleaning products in every store
    • We are encouraging customers not to visit unless it’s absolutely necessary, and have put social distancing in place across all of our stores

Fraud and scams

  • I’m hearing a lot about an increase in fraud because of the coronavirus outbreak. What do I need to look out for?

    Some fraudsters are exploiting the coronavirus to try and get your money. Watch out for the scams below during this time:

    • Government funding messages
      If you receive a suspicious looking message from someone claiming to be HMRC, take a screengrab and send it to ReportFraud@metrobank.plc.uk.

    • This email address is only for reporting possible scam activity – please do not use it for general questions or banking requests.

    • Miracle cure for the coronavirus
      Any kind of treatment for the coronavirus will be officially announced in the news by the Government. Don’t be fooled and keep your money safe.
    • Mask and gloves vendors
      Fraudsters are pretending to sell face masks and gloves to trick you into giving them money. Research the seller and make sure you know who you’re buying from.
    • Food delivery services.
      If you’ve seen services offering to deliver your food for you, make sure you know they’re genuine. It could be someone trying to scam you of your cash.

  • How do I know if it’s a scam?

    • Your bank or the police will NEVER ask you to transfer money or move it to a safe account.
    • Contact from fraudsters will usually be unexpected, and by suspicious texts, emails or calls

  • What do I need to look out for?

    • Go to our fraud and security page to find out more about protecting yourself from fraud and scams.

UK Government advice

  • What’s the latest Government advice on Coronavirus?

    • You can find all the latest info and advice from the UK Government at gov.uk/coronavirus

More information for personal customers

Coronavirus help: personal customers

More information for business and commercial customers

Coronavirus help: business customers