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Bank accounts

Foundation account

No monthly fee

On this page

Account summary

Product features

How to apply online

Ready to apply

Our basic Foundation bank account

This account might suit you if you’re not eligible for any of the other accounts you apply for. It's a basic account to help you manage your money. To see whether you're eligible for this type of current account you need to first apply for one of our other accounts like our Select bank account.

Our Select bank account has no monthly fee, and has an option to apply for an Arranged Overdraft, it also comes with a contactless debit card. If you don’t meet the criteria for the Select account we may offer you the Foundation account instead.

To see if you are eligible for our Foundation account:

Apply online below for our Select account
During the application process if the Foundation account will better suit your needs we will let you know within your application

You can’t apply directly for the Foundation current account. We’ll offer it to you if we think it might be more suitable after you’ve applied for one of our other accounts.

Product features…

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Everyday support

Our Foundation bank account is designed to help you with your day to day banking needs. Set up text alerts, email alerts, manage Direct Debits and more.

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Everyday support - in detail

You can set up text alerts and manage Direct Debits as a convenient way to pay household bills.

What are text alerts?

Text alerts are a really useful way of keeping tabs on your money. You can get a text alert to let you know when your balance is about to go below a certain limit, or to let you know what your balance is at a specific time. You can set them up when you fill in the online application form or in our Mobile Banking app.

Mobile Banking app

Our Mobile Banking app is secure, easy to use and lets you do loads of useful everyday banking tasks when you’re out and about. It’s available to customers with Digital Banking and a UK or international mobile number in specific countries.

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Mobile Banking - in detail

Log in with your fingerprint on selected Apple and Android devices– it’s simple, secure and fast.

View, cancel and amend your regular payments – so you manage your bills where and when it suits you. Limits apply.

Easily pay family and friends using their mobile number – Pay Your Contacts is quick and easy (as long as they have our mobile app or are registered for Paym) and they’ll get the money instantly. Limits apply.

Get cash without your card – Ideal if you’ve lost your card. Simply go to any Royal Bank of Scotland or Tesco cash machine and follow the steps in the app. You can withdraw up to £130 every 24 hours.

That’s only half the story. Find out what else you can do with our mobile app

More about our Mobile Banking app

24/7 banking

Access your account wherever, whenever.

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24/7 banking in detail

Because we all lead busy lives, we've made it easy for you to access your account whenever it suits you, through our Digital Banking or our Mobile Banking app. Alternatively call one of our UK call centres, available 24 hours a day.

Visa Debit card

Make purchases. Withdraw cash.

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Visa Debit card in detail

Use your Visa Debit card to pay for purchases in shops and online, travel, meals out, coffees etc. You must have the money available in your account before using your card.

Emergency Cash

If your debit card is lost or stolen, our Emergency Cash service makes sure you can get your money from our cash machines or ATMs (Limits apply).

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Emergency Cash in detail

How does it work?

Just call us and we’ll send you a code that lets you withdraw the cash you need.

If you’re an online or telephone banking customer, you can access up to £300.

If you’re not registered for these services, you can still get £60 to tide you over.

What you need to know

You will need to have the money in your account in the first place to withdraw it. You'll need at least £20 in your account to use the Emergency Cash service.

Keeping your money safe

When you call us, so we know it’s you, we’ll ask some security questions. We’ll then provide you with a code that allows you to withdraw your money from any Royal Bank of Scotland cash machine.

Overdraft details

How do overdrafts work?

An arranged overdraft can be useful for short term borrowing. Understand arranged and unarranged overdrafts and their impact on your account. An overdraft is a form of borrowing and is repayable on demand.

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How overdrafts work - details

There are two different types of overdraft:

An arranged overdraft, which allows you to go overdrawn up to an agreed limit. This is the type of overdraft you could apply for here. During your application for an arranged overdraft, we'll run a full credit check to determine how much we can offer you.
An unarranged overdraft. This is when you spend more money than you have in your current account without already having an arranged overdraft, or when you exceed your current arranged overdraft limit.

We charge interest on both types of overdraft. Going in to an unarranged overdraft limit can lead to payments being rejected.

More about Overdrafts

How much will an overdraft cost?

Understand the cost and impact of overdrafts and whether you're eligible to apply for one. If you don't repay what is owed, you could harm your credit score and borrowing capability.

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How much does my overdraft cost in pounds and pence?

This account offers an Overdraft facility (subject to eligibility). You can check if you're likely to be accepted for an overdraft using our eligibility tool.

As an example, the interest cost of using a £500 arranged overdraft is:

Time Period	7 days	30 days	60 days
Interest Cost	£3.24	£13.87	£28.13

This is a specific illustrative example representing the interest cost of using a £500 arranged overdraft over periods of 7, 30 and 60 days.

Looking to understand the costs of an overdraft of more or less than £500 over different periods of time? Use our handy cost calculator.

If you don't pay it back, it could have an impact on your credit score.

Representative Example: Effective Annual Rate: 39.49% EAR (variable). Representative APR: 39.49% APR (variable). Assumed credit limit: £1,200.

How to apply online

Have ID ready

It should only take a few minutes, especially if you have your ID documents handy.

Start your application

You can apply online now. You'll start the Select bank account form and if you're eligible you'll be offered the Foundation account during the application process.

How long will it take

You should be able to complete the online application within an average lunch break.

Get ready to apply

Before you apply, we need to check you're happy with a few things. And ask you a few questions up front. Then we can make your application as quick and simple as it can be.

To open the Select bank account you must meet these requirements, otherwise we may offer you the Foundation account instead.

Aged 18+ and a UK resident
Have not been declared bankrupt over the past 6 years

Now please take a look at the important legal info

If you carry on applying, it means you're happy with what's in these documents, including the FSCS information sheet. And happy to view your statements in Digital Banking - not posted. Please take some time to review, print and/or save the important information.

Your Current Account Terms (28 pages)

Financial Service Compensation Scheme Sheet (2 pages)

Fee Information Document (20 pages)

What You Need To Know (2 pages)

Our Lending Commitments (4 pages)

How your information might be used

It's important for you to understand how we use and share your information. Please read this short summary before you continue with your application.

All okay? You’re nearly ready to start.

To speed up your application for our Select account, we need to do a few final checks with you. They'll only take a minute.

Continue

What kind of account do you want?

Sole account

Joint account

You're all set

Your application will be completely online, and you won't need to post us any information or visit a branch.

Tell us a bit about yourself and we’ll set up your account.
Our partner HooYu will then check your identity by matching you to your Photo ID. We might also ask for other information like proof of address. If you don’t have your ID to hand you can finish this step later.
Once they’ve confirmed your identity we’ll activate your account.

You're all set

Depending on what ID we need to see, we may ask you for:

Photo ID, such as driving licence, Passport or EU ID card
Proof of your address, such as a utility bill, bank statement or driving licence

Look out for an email and text after you have applied from our security partners, DigiDocs. It'll have a link to securely upload your documents for us to check.