I already use your PC Home Banking product, how is Online Banking different?

You can use Online Banking from anywhere in the world and from any PC with an Internet connection, without having to install any special software on it. Just make the connection to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and access our site at www.nationwide.co.uk. You can also get detailed information on other Nationwide products and services, including an immediate mortgage quick quote facility and interactive savings guide. Another advantage of Online Banking on the Internet is that when we upgrade the service, you don't have to install any new software - it is done automatically for you. This means you will always have the very latest version (and features) of the Online Banking service.

Why do I need a higher specification PC for Online Banking than for PC Home Banking?

The minimum specification for Online Banking is still very low compared with the current "standard" PCs available on the market. If you are using less than the suggested specification, you may experience longer download times for pages across the Internet. When you use PC Home Banking, you have already installed the required software directly onto your computer. So - when you carry out a transaction or enquiry, only a small amount of financial information needs to be accessed from the Nationwide server. When you use Online Banking, you are accessing the Internet and transferring both financial information and pages from the Nationwide Internet site. As a result, your PC needs to be of a higher specification for Online Banking to deal with the additional download demands.

Can I use the system on my PC at work?

If you use the Internet through a server or network, then you will need to check with your systems administrator or persons who support the network, to see if the server/network that you connect through supports "secure page" connections (HTTPS). If the server/network does support "HTTPS" and your PC meets the minimum requirements, then there should be no problem with connecting to the Online Banking service. If you connect directly via a modem to the Internet and your PC meets the minimum requirements, then there should be no problem. If you have any doubts about whether your PC meets the minimum requirements you can see our Internet site at http://www.nationwide.co.uk or ring our Customer Service Centre on (0345) 30 20 10.

What if my Bill Payment arrives late ?

When making a Bill Payment we suggest you leave at least 5 working days for the organisation receiving the payment to process it. This is the same length of time as making the payment via our ATMs or branches. If you have any queries about a late payment please contact your local branch or our Customer Service Centre on (0345) 30 20 10.

How do you keep my account details private and secure, and ensure only I get access to my account?

Security of our customers' personal information was a major concern when we were developing our system. The system uses many layers of security including a customer number, PIN and additional password. These are validated at each stage for security purposes. The system also uses the latest encryption technology, which scrambles the data to ensure that financial information remains secure. We are confident that the combination of these security measures makes our system extremely secure.

What is Encryption?

Encryption is a process that involves changing a string of letters and numbers into a format that is unrecognisable to unauthorised persons or programs. A very simple example of encryption would be to take your Online Banking password and change each letter for a corresponding number within the alphabet (i.e. "a" could be "1", "b" could be "2", etc.) and replace all numbers for letters (i.e. "1" could be "a", "2" could be "b", etc.). Thus the Online Banking password "table7934" would be "20,1,2,12,5,g,h,c,d" - which is not easily recognisable or readable. Once received, the decoding program (which knows how the password was encoded) can set about decrypting the code, and changing the code back into a password (by applying the reverse of the above encryption).

If a transaction takes place which I did not authorise, will I get a refund?

You will not be liable for any transaction that you have not authorised provided that you have kept your customer number, PIN(Personal Identification Number), and password secret and have contacted Nationwide immediately if you suspect that someone knows any of these details.

I keep getting the message "Your banking session has been timed out for security reasons..". Why do I get this?

If you connect to the Online Banking service and then leave the PC unattended for a period of time, the Online Banking server will detected that your banking session has been inactive for this period of time and end the session. This is done to ensure that your account is as secure as possible and only you have access to it.

I have more than one type of Nationwide account. Why can I only use the Online Banking facility with a FlexAccount?

At present, Online Banking can only used to manage your FlexAccount. However we are committed to enhancing Online Banking in customer demand and already have a number of enhancements in mind.