Bills That Pay Themselves
A direct debit is a formal permission you give to a service provider — like your electricity company, your internet provider, or your phone company — to take payment from your account automatically, on the due date. You do not need to remember anything. You just need enough money in your account.
This is different from a standing order, where you decide the fixed amount and the date yourself. It is also different from a one-time transfer, which you make by hand every time. With a direct debit, the service provider tells the bank how much to collect — but only because you gave permission first.
That might sound worrying — “a stranger will be taking money from my account?”. Don't worry. You can always check in the app how much was taken and when. You can also cancel this permission at any time. You cannot break anything by tapping the wrong thing — every step can be undone or corrected.
This guide shows you, step by step, how to set up a direct debit in your bank's app on your phone.
Before You Start
An app is a program on your phone that looks like a small square picture (an icon) with your bank's logo, sitting on your phone's home screen. If you do not have it installed yet, you will need to do that first — that is a separate topic. Here, we assume you already have your bank's app installed and know how to log in.
You will also need a bill (paper or emailed) from the service provider you want to set the direct debit up for. That bill usually has a reference number or contract number on it — you will need it in one of the steps below.
Step by Step
- Unlock your phone and tap your bank's app icon on the home screen.
- Log in to the app — with your fingerprint, face recognition, or password, whichever you normally use.
- Look at the bottom bar of the screen, or the main menu, for the word “Payments”.
- Tap “Payments” to open that section.
- Inside, look for “Direct Debits” — sometimes called “Standing Authorisations” or “Payment Mandates”. If you don't see it right away, look for a small arrow that says “See more” or scroll down.
- Tap “Add New” or a plus sign (+), usually in the top-right or bottom-right corner of the screen.
- Choose your service provider from the list — if it is not listed, type its name into the search box.
- Enter the reference number or contract number for your account with that provider — you will find it near the top of your bill.
- Check that the details are correct, and tap “Next” or “Continue”.
- Confirm your permission with a code sent to you by text message, or by confirming inside the app itself — this final confirmation step is called authorisation, meaning an official proof that this really is you agreeing.
- Wait for a screen that says something like “Direct debit active” or “Permission accepted”.
That's it. From now on, this provider can collect payment from your account automatically, when your bill is due.
How to Check It Is Working
Go back to the “Direct Debits” section after a few days. The new entry should show as “active”. You will also be able to see the payment history once the due date has passed.
If you also want an account with low fees that handles automatic payments well, you can compare options on the list of best personal accounts.
How to Cancel a Direct Debit Later
Switching providers, or just don't want automatic payments anymore? Go back to the same “Direct Debits” section, find the provider on the list, tap it, and look for a “Cancel” or “Remove permission” button. Confirm your choice — and no amount will be taken automatically again.
What to Do If Something Goes Wrong
If you see an error message, or something looks different from this description, don't worry. Menus look a little different in every bank's app, and they change over time. Go slowly, look for similar words (“payments”, “permissions”, “direct debit”), and keep trying. You cannot break anything unless you tap “Confirm” on something you don't understand.
If the text message code does not arrive, check your phone signal and try again in a few minutes. If it keeps failing, call your bank's customer service line — the number is printed on the back of your payment card.
Important — watch out for scams: your bank will never call you and ask you to read out a text message code over the phone. If someone calls saying “I'm from your bank, please read me the code to confirm your direct debit” — that is a scam. Hang up. Call your bank yourself, using the number printed on your payment card, never a number the caller gives you.