Pay Your Contacts by Link allows you to pay someone without needing their account number and sort code, instead you can simply send them a secure payment link. This service is available to you if you are a NatWest customer and using the Mobile App. You can generate a secure link and send it via a messaging channel to anyone who uses Online Banking or Mobile Banking with a participating UK bank, the recipient will need to tap the link to be able to claim funds into their bank account using Online Banking. It means you no longer require their account details to send a payment.
Is there a limit to how much I can pay someone using Pay Your Contacts by link?
The Pay Your Contacts limit is a maximum of £250 in any 24 hour period.
Is there a limit for the number of Pay Your Contacts links I can send in one day?
You can send up to 20 Pay Your Contacts links per day.
Is it secure to send a Pay Your Contacts link?
Yes, in order to generate and share a secure payment link you will be taken through Biometric authentication within your Mobile App. Pay Your Contacts by link is provided by PayitTM, a NatWest-owned online payment solution. It uses the UK's Open Banking infrastructure to securely connect to your Bank's Online or Mobile Banking, allowing you to log in using your existing credentials. Payit does not see your login credentials, nor does it store or share any of your personal bank account information. More details on Open Banking.
Is it secure to press a Pay Your Contacts link?
Yes, you will receive a Pay Your Contacts link if someone is trying to send you money, the name of the person sending you money will be shown when you receive the link. Once you have pressed the link you will be taken through authentication within your Mobile App / Online Banking Banking before choosing which account you want to receive the funds into.
Pay Your Contacts by link is provided by PayitTM, a NatWest-owned online payment solution. It uses the UK's Open Banking infrastructure to securely connect to your Bank's Online Banking or Mobile Banking, allowing you to log in using your existing credentials. Payit does not see your login credentials, nor does it store or share any of your personal bank account information. More details on Open Banking.
Why am I seeing multiple payment links in the ‘Payments sent as a link’ page?
There is currently a technical issue with the amount of links showing within the 'Payment sent as a link' page which is duplicating the number of times a payment link is shown however this does not impact the number of links you have sent. If you want to cancel a payment link or find out more information about a specific payment link, click on any of the relevant duplicated links listed and the same information will be displayed. We are currently working on a fix for this issue and there is no need to cancel or amend any of the duplicated payment links.
My Bank is not listed – can I still use the payment link to receive a payment?
No, you cannot receive a payment via a Pay Your Contacts link if your Bank is not listed after you have pressed the link, you should contact the sender to arrange alternative payment methods. We have already connected to a number of major UK banks and the list of banks we offer is always growing. If you receive a secure link to receive a payment in the future, your bank might have been added to the list, so please keep checking. Current banks available include:
- Bank of Scotland
- Barclays
- First Direct
- Halifax
- HSBC
- Lloyds Bank
- Monzo
- Nationwide Building Society
- NatWest
- Revolut
- Royal Bank of Scotland
- Santander UK
- TSB
- Ulster Bank (N.I)
We plan to connect the following banks in the coming months, depending on reliability and deviation from the Open Banking Standard:
- Coutts
- Clydesdale Group
- Danske Bank
- Metro Bank
- Allied Irish Bank (AIB)
- Virgin Money
I’ve received a payment link - do I need to be a NatWest customer to accept it?
No, you don’t need to be a Natwest customer if you are accepting a payment via a Pay Your Contacts link. You can accept a payment via a Pay Your Contacts link if you are with any major UK Bank and have online or Mobile Banking.
I am not a NatWest customer, can I still use Pay Your Contacts by link to send a payment?
No, Pay Your Contacts by link is only available for Royal Bank of Scotland customers who use Mobile Banking. If you bank with another high street bank, you won’t be able to send a payment via this service, but you will still be able to receive a payment if you’ve received a secure payment link from someone else. You can find more information on how to open a NatWest Bank account here.
I’ve received a payment link, can I open it on a browser to accept the payment?
Yes, you can use a desktop to accept the payment on a web browser, although the journey will be even smoother on a mobile. You’ll need to sign in on your Online Banking banking when accessing the link using a web browser.
How long does it take to send a payment via Pay Your Contacts by link?
Pay Your Contacts by link uses Faster Payments which means that the majority of transactions are completed instantly once the recipient has claimed the funds, however please allow for up to 2 hours once the recipient has accepted the payment.
Is Pay Your Contacts by link free to use?
Yes, Pay Your Contacts by link is free to use when sending or accepting a payment via this service.
Can I share the same Pay Your Contacts link with multiple people to send money?
No, each secure Pay Your Contacts link can only be used once. After a payment is successfully made, the link is no longer valid. If you would like to send a payment to more than one person, you will need to generate a separate link for each payment.
How do I check the status of a Pay Your Contacts link?
As a NatWest customer, you can check the status of each Pay Your Contacts link that you have sent by following the below steps:
- Login to your Mobile App and go to the Payments Hub.
- Select ‘Payment Settings’
- Select ‘Payments sent as a link’
- From here you should be able to see the status of each payment you have sent as a link, you can choose a specific payment to see the full details.
How do I cancel a Pay Your Contacts link?
If you are a NatWest customer and have sent a Pay Your Contacts link which you now wish to cancel, follow the below steps:
- Login to your Mobile App and go to the Payments Hub.
- Select ‘Payment Settings’
- Select ‘Payments sent as a link’
- Choose the Payment you wish to cancel.
- Select ‘Cancel payment link’ then confirm.
I sent a Pay Your Contacts link, when will the money leave my account?
The funds will only debit your account once the recipient has claimed the money via the secure payment link. The funds will be available to spend until recipient has claimed the payment, please ensure you have sufficient funds available for the payment to clear.
I sent a Pay Your Contacts link and its status appears as Active payment – what does this mean?
The Active status means that the secure Pay Your Contacts link generated has not been accessed by the recipient yet.
I sent a Pay Your Contacts link and its status appears as Completed payment – what does this mean?
The Complete status means that the recipient has accessed the payment link to claim the funds, the money should now have debited your account.
I sent a Pay Your Contacts link and its status appears as Expired payment – what does this mean?
A secure Pay Your Contacts link is only valid for 24 hours from the time it was generated. If the payment has not been claimed by the recipient within 24 hours, the link will expire and the funds will not debit your account. If you would still like to make the payment, you can generate a new link or make alternative payment arrangements.
I sent a payment link which has failed – what does this mean?
If a Pay Your Contacts by link payment has failed please check your Bank account and try again. If the problem persists, please contact us.
I sent a Pay Your Contacts link and its status is In Progress – what does this mean?
The In Progress status means that the recipient has claimed the funds and is waiting for their Bank to process the payment.
Why do I have to register for Biometrics to send a Pay Your Contacts by link payment?
Biometric registration makes payment features more secure for our customers and is therefore required when sending a payment via Pay Your Contacts by link.
I sent a Pay your Contacts link to the wrong person, what can I do?
- Login to your Mobile App and go to the Payments Hub.
- Select ‘Payment Settings’
- Select ‘Payments sent as a link’
- From here you should be able to see the status of the link which you have sent in error.
If the recipient is yet to claim the funds the status will show as ‘Active’, you can press the specific payment link then ‘Cancel payment link’. If the recipient has claimed the money the status will show as ‘Completed Payment’, you’ll need to contact them and ask for the funds to be returned. If you are unable to contact the recipient/get the funds returned then ultimately the Bank can raise a dispute on your behalf however there is no guarantee that the funds will be returned.