General T&Cs (Personal Banking customers)

General info

Our agreement

Banking with Atom is straightforward, so we give you information when it’s relevant to you. At this point, our contract with you consists of these General T&Cs and our:

Please ensure you read them so you understand the terms of our agreement with you. If there’s any conflicting information, these General T&Cs take priority.

These T&Cs detail the agreement between you and Atom (‘we’/‘us’) when you apply for an account with us.

Each condition of these T&Cs operates separately. If any court or competent authority decides that any of them are unlawful or unenforceable, the other conditions will remain in full force and effect.

Our accounts

We’ve designed our accounts to be accessed and managed through the Atom app on your device. In some situations, you may need to do things by phone (e.g. accounts operated under a Power of Attorney).

Before applying to open an account, you’ll need to download our app and register ‘Your ID’. You can find full details of this in our Registration T&Cs.

Our app will guide you through the process. Our support team is on hand if you have any difficulties — get in touch via the Help & Support button in the app.

Eligibility and residence

To open an Atom account you’ll need to be at least 18 years old and a UK resident.

Once you’ve opened an account, you must let us know if you intend to live outside the UK. If you’ll be living overseas for three years or less, you’ll still be able to manage your account from outside the UK. If you’ll be living overseas for more than three years, we’ll need you to close your account.

You won’t be able to manage your account from some countries. If you have any questions, please check with us before you travel.

Alternative format

Please let us know if you need these T&Cs supplied in another format, or if we can help you to use our service in any other way. Get in touch with us via the Help & Support button in the app, call us on 0333 399 0050 or email customersupport@atombank.co.uk.

Your data

Verifying your identity

When you apply to become an Atom customer, we’ll ask you for some personal data so we’re able to verify your identity. The nature of this data will vary depending on the type of product you apply for. It will always include information like your full name, address and date of birth.

To complete the identification and verification (‘ID&V’) process, we will run an electronic search with a credit reference agency.

If you apply for a savings product, this will leave a ‘soft footprint’ on your credit file. This means it won’t affect your credit history.

If you apply for a mortgage, it will leave a ‘credit footprint’ on your file. This means other providers will be able to see that we’ve run a search and it may affect your credit history.

There are times when we may ask you to complete ID&V again (e.g. to keep our records up to date if you move house).

Tax responsibilities

If you apply for a savings account, we’ll ask if you’re responsible for paying tax or reporting to tax authorities in another country.

We do this to ensure we’re complying with our responsibilities under the:

  • Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA); and
  • Common Reporting Standards.

If you tell us about any tax responsibilities, or we believe you have any, we have to provide certain information to the relevant authorities.

It’s your responsibility to tell us if your circumstances change. If you become liable to pay tax or report to tax authorities in another country, please let us know straight away.

Protecting your data

We hold your personal data in a secure environment. We use security measures to protect it from unauthorised access, ensure it’s accurate and ensure it is used appropriately.

We treat the information you give us with the greatest respect. We will never share it with anyone else for marketing purposes.

We’ll only use your data:

  • To administer your accounts and provide appropriate services.
  • To verify your identity when you register as a customer (ID&V).
  • To obtain and develop credit-scoring profiles.
  • To suggest Atom products or services that may be of interest to you.
  • To complete troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, and for statistical and survey purposes.
  • To comply with regulatory, tax or audit obligations.
  • To carry out a credit reference agency search on you.
  • To carry out fraud prevention checks when opening new accounts. If we detect false or inaccurate information, we’ll pass it on to the credit reference and fraud prevention agencies. Law enforcement departments may access and use this information.
  • To prevent fraud and money laundering. For example, the information provided to fraud prevention agencies may be used when:
  • checking applications for credit, credit-related or other facilities or for managing these accounts;
  • for recovering debt;
  • for checking insurance proposals or claims; and
  • for checking details of job applicants or employees.

Please note: Other organisations may also use your information for these purposes.

To complete these activities, we may need to share some or all of your data with our trusted partners. This includes:

  • fraud prevention agencies;
  • anti-money laundering agencies;
  • credit reference agencies (whose details we can share with you on request);
  • law enforcement departments;
  • regulators;
  • government departments (e.g. HMRC); and
  • providers of our sales or servicing platforms.

Take a look at our Privacy Policy for more information about how we protect your data.

Accessing your data

If you ever need to see details of any information we hold about you, you can submit a data subject access request.

You can do so by emailing customersupport@atombank.co.uk or calling us on 0333 399 0050. We’ll act on your request as quickly as possible (and always within 30 days).

Keeping us informed

It’s important that we have your correct contact details at all times. So if you change your name, address, mobile number or email address, please let us know. You can change some of your details in the app. For others, you’ll need to contact us via the Help & Support button in the app.

If you don’t tell us that your details have changed, we’ll continue to use the information we hold. We can’t be responsible if this results in confidential information being misdirected. If we lose contact with you and have to try and find you, we may charge you for any costs incurred, so please keep us up to date.

Communications

We’ll communicate with you through the app and other digital channels wherever possible, so it’s important that we always have your current mobile number and email address. We also recommend that you have your app push notifications switched on.

There are times when regulation means we have to communicate with you in a specific way. In exceptional circumstances, we may contact you by post.

If we suspect any fraud or security threats on your account, we’ll contact you via the method we think is most secure. In some circumstances, we may ask you to call us back.

We’ll store important documents safely in your Vault for a reasonable period of time. This means you can read them, print them or email them. If you need access to a document and can’t find it in your Vault, contact us via the Help & Support button in the app and we’ll provide you with a copy.

We’ll only send you marketing communications if you give us permission to do so. You can change your preference at any time.

Your account

Opening an account

Once you download the app and accept the App T&Cs, you can browse information about our products. To open an account, you’ll need to register ‘Your ID’, complete the ID&V process and meet our eligibility criteria. Wherever possible, you should choose your product and complete the entire application process in the app.

Making payments

When you open an Atom account you’ll receive a sort code and account number. You can use them to make electronic payments into your account from other banks or building societies.

Most electronic transfers between banks and building societies are made by Faster Payments. We are a direct member of the Faster Payments Scheme and have set a limit of £110,000 for payments out of an Atom account. Other financial institutions may have different limits. You need to check with them that they’ll make your requested payments into your Atom account.

For more information about making payments in and out of specific accounts, take a look at the product T&Cs.

You must tell us without undue delay (and within 13 months at the most) if you think something’s wrong with a payment to or from your account. If you don’t tell us within this timescale, we may not be able to resolve the issue for you.

If a payment out of your account doesn’t complete correctly because of a bank error that we believe is genuine, we’ll return your account to the position it would have been in without the error. If relevant, we’ll also contact the other bank to recover the payment.

It’s your responsibility to ensure the account details you give us are correct. If a payment out of your account doesn’t complete correctly because you made a mistake, we won’t refund you. We will make reasonable efforts to help you recover the payment, but this may not be possible.

If you tell us a payment out of your account was not made by you, you won’t usually be held responsible for any payments made while your account is compromised. We’ll return your account to the position it would have been in if the payment hadn’t been made. We’ll do this by the next working day, unless we have a regulatory obligation to investigate or act differently. If we find that you’ve acted fraudulently or with gross negligence, we won’t refund you.

If someone else tells us they’ve accidentally made a payment into your account and we reasonably believe this has happened, we may stop any withdrawals being made from your account while we discuss next steps with you. If you agree there has been an error or you don’t respond by the deadline we give you, we will return the payment. Where the payment was made over two months earlier, we’ll always ask for your consent before returning it.

When making payments out of your Atom account, any payment reference you use must not:

  • cause any potential harm to the person receiving the payment; and
  • must not contain language that could reasonably be considered to be offensive, threatening or abusive.

Operating your account

If you need someone else to operate your account, we may be able to register a Power of Attorney (POA) for it. If we do this, your Attorney will be able to access information about your account and in some circumstances, we may restrict what you’re able to do.

For security reasons, POA administration of an account is managed via our customer support team (rather than in the app) so please call us on 0333 399 0050 to discuss setting up a POA.

At your request, we may be able to add a named third party to your account(s) to support you by providing account information to the named third party. Please note the named third party will not be able to take any actions in relation to any of your account(s).

Protecting your account

We may stop payments to and from any of your accounts and/or block access to them if we think it’s reasonably necessary because:

  • we’re concerned about the security of your account;
  • we suspect your account has been used fraudulently or in an unauthorised way; or
  • we have to do so to meet any legal obligations.

If we do this, we’ll always try to give you advance notice, unless doing so is unlawful or would compromise our security measures. Otherwise, we’ll tell you as soon as possible afterwards.

Contacting us

Getting in touch

If you experience any difficulties opening or operating the app or your account, contact our customer support team:

Got a complaint?

Our aim is to get things right the first time, but sometimes this might not happen.

If you’re unhappy with any aspect of our service or want to complain, you can let us know via the Help & Support button in the app. Or go to https://www.atombank.co.uk/how-to-complain/ and we’ll guide you through our complaints procedure.

We’ll do our best to resolve your concerns. There may be instances where we can’t resolve the complaint to your liking or can’t do so within the stated timescales. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) may be able to help on these occasions. The FOS is an independent organisation, which helps to settle disputes. You can find out more on their website at https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/

Your right to cancel

Your right to cancel any arrangement you enter into with us will be based on the type of product you have. Please read your product T&Cs for more details.

The legal stuff

Changes to these T&Cs

We’ll give you 30 days’ notice to consider any changes to these T&Cs, unless they’re to your advantage, when we’ll make them straight away.

In some circumstances, we may be required by regulation to give you more or less notice. In these cases, we’ll tell you how much time you have to review the changes.

You can object to the changes before they take effect, and, depending on the circumstances, you may be able to close an impacted account. Otherwise, you’ll be deemed to have accepted the changes from the date they take effect.

We’ll only make changes to these T&Cs to:

  • reflect developments in our app or proposition (including our products / services);
  • respond proportionately to changes in the law or decisions of the Financial Ombudsman Service;
  • meet regulatory requirements;
  • reflect new industry guidance or codes of practice which raise standards of consumer protection;
  • proportionately reflect other legitimate cost increases or reductions associated with providing the particular product or service you use;
  • ensure we are being fair to all our customers; and/or
  • respond to changes in general banking practice for the benefit of all consumers.

We’ll only do this if we reasonably expect to be affected by one of the above reasons.

Our right to terminate

We can end our agreement and close your account immediately if we reasonably believe you have:

  • Seriously or persistently broken the terms of our agreement;
  • Given us false information at any time;
  • Put us in a position where we might break a law, regulation, code or other duty that applies to us if we continue to maintain your accounts;
  • Committed or attempted fraud against us or anyone else;
  • Used any account illegally or for criminal activity;
  • Inappropriately allowed someone else to access your accounts; and/or
  • Behaved in a threatening or abusive manner towards our staff.

Copyright and trademarks

All of our designs, logos and materials are owned by or licensed to us and protected by copyright laws, including:

  • Atom;
  • Atom bank; and
  • Digital Mortgages by Atom bank.

These are registered trademarks of Atom bank plc, with all rights reserved.

Liability

We’re not responsible if we don’t comply with any of the T&Cs as a result of:

  • Abnormal or unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which would have been unavoidable despite all efforts to the contrary; and/or
  • Our obligations under applicable laws.

Applicable law

These T&Cs are governed by the laws of England and Wales and if there’s any disagreement about them, or between us about your account, we each agree that this’ll be dealt with by the Courts of England and Wales.

General T&Cs (Personal)_v4.0. Effective from 05/08/24.