General
Q: I live in Nigeria, can I still open an account with you? What kind of account can I open?
Q: How do I order a new cheque book?
Q: What should I do if I lose my cheque book?
Q: How is interest calculated on my account?
Q: When is the interest credited to my account?
Q: How safe are direct debits?
Q: What do I do if I want to cancel a direct debit?
Q: When can I draw out money after I have paid in a cheque?
Q: What is the cheque clearing cycle and how long does it take?
Q: What documents do I need to produce in order to open an account?
Q: How do I send money abroad?
Q: How much do I need to open an account?
Q: Is there a charge for running my account?
Q: Will I get a statement of account from you?
Q: Do you issue cheque books?
Q: How do I stop or cancel a cheque or my chequebook?
Q: Is my money safe with FBUK?
Q: How do I make a complaint?
Debit Card
Q: How do I activate my card?
Q: How do I activate my FBUK CardAssist (Currently known as UBUK CardAssist) Mobile App?
Q: How do I get the PIN for my card?
Q: Can I block my card to prevent fraudulent use?
Q: If I have a query on my card use or transaction that appears on the App who should I contact?
Acquisition of Union Bank UK by Fidelity Bank Plc, Nigeria
Q: How does the acquisition of Union Bank UK affect me?
Q: Will my account and sort code change?
General
Q: I live in Nigeria, can I still open an account with you? What kind of account can I open?
A: Yes, you can open an account with us in London by completing an Application Form and providing proof of your identity and proof of your address in Nigeria. The types of accounts you can open and the process to do so can be found here for individuals https://www.fidbank.co.uk/personal-banking/ and here for corporates https://www.fidbank.co.uk/business-banking/
Q: How do I order a new cheque book?
A: Contact the Bank’s Customer Services Department by email: customerservices@fidbank.uk or by phone: +44 (0) 20 7920 6100.
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Q: What should I do if I lose my cheque book?
A: Please contact the Bank as soon as possible, to have it cancelled.
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Q: How is interest calculated on my account?
A: Credit interest on your balance is calculated daily at the published rate for your account on the cleared account balance at the close of business. Where the interest earned on an account is subject to income tax, the amount of tax deducted will be shown on your statement when the interest is credited to your account. If you require a detailed explanation of how we calculate interest then please contact us.
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Q: When is the interest credited to my account?
A: Interest is credited to your account on the last working day of each month. However if you have a fixed deposit with us, interest will be credited upon maturity of the deposit.
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Q: How safe are direct debits?
A: Direct debits are very safe. All direct debit payments made on your behalf by FBUK are protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme which means that if a payment is made incorrectly, you are entitled to an immediate and guaranteed refund from us of the amount paid.
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Q: What do I do if I want to cancel a direct debit?
A: You should contact us and provide us with the name of the originator (ie the organisation that the money is being paid to), and the amount and frequency where appropriate. It is also a good idea to contact the originator as well.
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Q: When can I draw out money after I have paid in a cheque?
A: You can draw out the money four banking days after the day that you paid in the cheque (so long as it is a cheque drawn in sterling and on a UK bank). So if you paid in a cheque on Monday, you will be able to draw out the money on the following Friday. This does not mean that the cheque has been paid and we may still need to debit your account if it bounced by the drawer’s bank. Remember also that you must add on an extra day if there is a Bank Holiday during the period.
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Q: What is the cheque clearing cycle and how long does it take?
A: When you pay a cheque into your account it has to be sent to the drawer's bank for payment for that bank to decide if it will honour the cheque. It may not if, for example, the person who gave you the cheque hasn't enough money in their account. This process is known as the central cheque clearing cycle and normally takes three working days. We also need to allow extra days for an unpaid cheque to be returned.
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Q: What documents do I need to produce in order to open an account?
A: You will need to provide us with evidence of your identity and your usual permanent residential address. This is usually in the form of your current international passport and a current utility bill which shows the address and your name. We will, however, consider other appropriate documents that you have. See Personal Banking or Business Banking for more information.
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Q: How do I send money abroad?
A: To do this you will have to provide us with full details of the beneficiary, including name and address, and full details of the beneficiary’s bank. You must also provide us with the purpose and nature of the payment. We may not be able to process the payment on the same day we receive your request. However, we will make every effort to ensure that the payment is processed by close of business on the following working day.
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Q: Is there a charge for running my account?
A: There is a monthly maintenance charge which is stated in our charges tariff. There are also other charges for standard services. You will receive a copy of the current tariff when you apply to open an account. Alternatively a copy is available on our website.
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Q: How much do I need to open an account?
A: A minimum opening deposit of £2,000, US$2,500 or €2,000 is usually required to open an account.
Q: How can I obtain a balance of my account?
A: You can telephone us for your balance. However, we will disclose this to you only when we have sufficiently identified you.
Q: Will I get a statement of account from you?
A: You will receive a statement of account at a frequency agreed with us. Usually this will be monthly.
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Q: Do you issue cheque books?
A:You will be issued with a cheque book on your current account, if you request one.
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Q: How do I stop or cancel a cheque or my chequebook?
A: You may want to stop a cheque, for example, if it gets lost or stolen or you no longer want the payment to go through. You may also want to put a stop on the remaining cheques in your chequebook if it's been lost or stolen.
To do this, contact us immediately on the contact numbers provided to you. Provide as much information as you can, eg your account details, the cheque number (which you can tell from the cheque stub), who it was made payable to and the amount. There may be a charge for a stopped cheque, depending on the circumstances.
If you find the cheque or chequebook later or change your mind and want to remove the stop, contact us as above. Give the member of staff details of the stop, including the date the stop was applied, and it will be removed.
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Q: How long does it take for my cheque to clear?
A: Cheques to be cleared within one working day by 23:59.
Cheques to be cleared using digital image.
You have the option to continue writing cheques as normal.
More information is available at https://www.chequeandcredit.co.uk/cheque-users/consumers/how-cheques-clear-advice-consumers
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Q: Is my money safe with FBUK?
A: Yes, your money is safe with us. The Bank is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme established under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
In the unlikely event of you needing to make a claim, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme guarantees the first £85,000 of your deposits. For joint accounts, the scheme guarantees the first £170,000 of your deposits.
Most depositors, including individuals and small firms, are covered and deposits denominated in all currencies are treated alike.
Further details of the FSCS are available from us or by writing to the FSCS at, 7th Floor, Lloyds Chambers, Portsoken Street, London, E1 8BN. Alternatively, you can visit the FSCS website at www.fscs.org.uk or phone 020 7741 4100
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Q: How do I make a complaint?
A: We are committed to providing a high standard of service to you and all our customers. Occasionally we may not live up to our promises and if this happens we want to hear from you.
The Bank is a member of the Financial Ombudsman Service and we have our own internal procedures to deal with any complaints. We will provide you with a copy when you open your account and they are also available on our website. Further details of the Financial Ombudsman Service scheme can be obtained from us or visit www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
If you wish to make a complaint about any aspect of our service, please write to the Managing Director, FidBank UK Limited, 1 King's Arms Yard, London, EC2R 7AF.
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Debit Card
A: You activate your card by the FBUK CardAssist (Currently known as UBUK CardAssist) Mobile App downloadable for free from Apple App Store (you have to have an active itunes account) or Google Play Store. Once through the easy registration process your inactive card will show on the screen of your device with a ‘push’ button to activate your card. You will then be asked to enter your CVV (3 digit security numbers on the signature strip) on the back of your card. Once entered your card will be activated.
Q: How do I activate my FBUK CardAssist (Currently known as UBUK CardAssist) Mobile App?
A: To activate the app on your mobile device you follow 6 simple steps:-
1. Enter your date of birth
2. Enter your registered mobile number with the Bank
3. Call Card Services on +44 207 920 6394 and provide the revealed password to the call handler.
4. Enter the verification number sent to you via SMS
5. Enter your own 4 digit PIN number for future access to the App
6. Confirm the 4 digit PIN number.
Q: How do I get the PIN for my card?
A: PINs are obtained through the FBUK CardAssist (Currently known as UBUK CardAssist) Mobile App. When your card has been activated the card will become visible in the App. Tap the card to go to Card settings. The option ‘Card PIN’ will appear. Tap on Card PIN and you will be asked to enter the CVV security number (located on the back of your card). Enter the 3 digit security numbers and the PIN for the card will appear for 10 seconds.
Q: Can I block my card to prevent fraudulent use?
A: Yes, through FBUK CardAssist (Currently known as UBUK CardAssist) Mobile App you can block your card to prevent fraudulent use.
· You have the option to completely block your card which will prevent all use or you can block it in regions of the World where you are not currently visiting.
· You can also block your card for use for online payments and/or mail/telephone order payments until you are ready to use it.
· To completely block your card tap on your card from the home screen to enter Card settings. Now simply tap on Card Block and you will see the Card block button turn on. Your card will now appear as blocked.
·To unblock your card simply tap on the Card block button again.
·To block your card in certain regions of the World tap on Areas of use from the Card settings screen. Here you will see all the regions within the World. Simply tap on the button of the area that you wish to block and the button will go grey meaning any authorisation requests in that region will now be declined. To unblock that region simply tap on the button again. To block your card for online and mail/telephone order purchases simply follow the same instructions.
Q: If I have a query on my card use or a transaction that appears on the App who should I contact?
A: Please call the number on the back of the card +44 207 920 6394. This number is our dedicated number for card support and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You will be faced with two options. Choose option 1 for all card enquires and to activate the FBUK CardAssist App. Choose option 2 if you have received an SMS from us asking you to contact us regarding a transaction.
Acquisition of Union Bank UK by Fidelity Bank Plc, Nigeria
Q: How does the acquisition of Union Bank UK affect me?
A: Putting it simply the acquisition does not affect you at all. For individuals your money is still protected by the United Kingdoms’ Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to a maximum of £85,000 per individual.
Q: Will my account number and sort code change?
A: No - Even though over time the name of the bank and branding will change at this stage your account number and sort code will remain the same.
For any additional assistance, please contact us https://www.fidbank.co.uk/contact-us