Step account
A basic bank account
Do you require full banking facilities? - our free regular current account may be more suitable for you.
- Payments are easy with your debit card
- Withdraw your money from UK & overseas cash machines or any UK post office
- Mobile phone top-ups at NatWest cash machines
- Pay bills by setting up standing orders and direct debits
- Add extra benefits – add Advantage Blue to your account for just £6.95 per month and get a host of great benefits including mobile phone insurance, single trip European travel insurance and even 25% cash-back on top gigs and shows. Find out how much you could save.
- We also offer a Cash Account that does not offer standing orders or direct debits. Ask at your local branch for more information.
Stay in control with online banking
Online banking is the easy way to manage your Step account.
Bank when it suits you
Available day and night, you can do your banking whenever it suits you.
Pay bills
Forget cheques - it's quicker and safer to send money online. You can even set up standing orders for regular payments and manage your Direct Debits.
Transfer money
Make instant transfers to any NatWest account - and transfer money to any other UK bank account.
Manage your account
Check balances and statements, searching through up to seven years of transactions. It's easy to find what you're looking for.
Stay safe
With secure servers, free security software and Card-Readers, we're working hard to stamp out fraud.
Seeing your account in online banking
Signing up to online banking
It's easy. You'll be given the opportunity to sign up when applying for a Step account.
Already bank online?
If you already bank online with NatWest you should automatically see your Step account once it has been fully opened.
Already have a Step account?
If you’ve already got a Step account, but not online banking, signing up is simple and you could get instant access. Sign up now if you already have a Step account.
This page provides a summary of the rates and charges that apply to NatWest current accounts.
Full copies of the fees and interest rates, and terms and conditions that apply to our personal accounts can be downloaded from our terms and conditions page.
You may need Adobe Reader to view some of these documents. Get Adobe Reader. Visit access.adobe.com.
We also have a separate page providing an update on unarranged overdraft charges.
Common definitions
Throughout this page, you'll see various terms being used. Here's what they mean:
Annual Equivalent Rate (AER). This is a notional rate used for interest bearing accounts which illustrates what the gross credit interest rate (excluding any bonus interest payable) would be if paid and compounded on an annual basis. It helps you to compare the effective rates of credit interest on different accounts.
Gross Rate. This means the interest rate you are paid before the deduction of income tax.
Net Rate. This means the interest rate you are paid after the deduction of income tax.
Nominal Rate. The rate charged excluding compounding of interest and other charges associated with a borrowing, e.g. arrangement and security fees.
p.a. per annum (per year).
Interest we pay you
The annual rates of interest paid on credit balances:
| Type of current account | Amount | Gross Rate % | Net Rate % | AER % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step account | Any amount | 0.10 | 0.08 | 0.10 |
Calculation and application of interest.
Interest is calculated on a daily basis and paid into your account once a month, usually the day after we issue your statement. The exception to this is our Cash Account, where interest is paid within the first eight days of each month.
Charges - Unpaid Items
The charges shown in this section do not normally apply to the other accounts we offer to Personal and Private Banking customers. However, we sometimes allow other accounts (including savings accounts) to be operated in a way which enables the customer to give instructions for a withdrawal or other payment which cannot be met from the funds in the account. If this happens, the charges listed below in sub-section “Unpaid items – charges” will apply. If we are going to debit any of the fees and charges set out in the table below from your account, we will give you not less than 14 days notice of how much we are going to debit and when.
Unpaid items - charges
| Fee type | When charged on current accounts | Fee amount |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaid item fee | ||
An Unpaid Item Fee will be payable if:
| 21 days after the end of the charging period in which we decide not to make the payment (or on the next business day if this is a Saturday, Sunday, or Bank Holiday). The charging period normally ends on the date that we issue your statement to you | £5 for each item (subject to a maximum of £50 in any charging period) |
| For examples showing how our charges work, please see the section headed Unarranged Overdrafts and Unpaid Items in our leaflet Our Commitment to You (PDF, 131KB). | ||
Additional Services
The following rates were effective from 1 June 2009
| Stopping payment instructions | |
|---|---|
| Stopping a cheque (unless it has been lost or stolen) | £10 |
| Payments | |
|---|---|
| Obtaining a banker's draft | £12 |
| Obtain a special cheque clearance | £15 |
| CHAPS payments | £23 - between banks £21 - between our branches |
| Obtaining copies of statements | £5 per request |
| Arrangement fee for Advantage Private FlexiLoans | Any fees payable will be advised to you at the time |
| FlexiLoan arrangement fee | 2% of amount borrowed (minimum fee £100) |
| Emergency Cash Service | Any fees payable will be advised at the time |
| Safe Custody | |
|---|---|
| Annual Holding Charges (payable annually in arrears) | |
|
|
| Initial and subsequent re-deposit(s) | £10 |
Annual Holding Charges are applied in arrears so any withdrawal made prior to the anniversary of the deposit will incur a pro-rated amount of the annual charge. In addition, a £10 fee will be charged for initial deposits and any re-deposits following item inspection or temporary release. The charges set out above are inclusive of VAT.
If the service you are looking for is not shown in the table above, please ask at any branch or call the number on your statement summary sheet.
Important information
Credit facilities: Over 18s only. Calls may be recorded. Details correct at the time of publication. Security may be required.
Full copies of the fees and interest rates, and terms and conditions that apply to our personal accounts can be downloaded from our terms and conditions page.
Mobile phone top-up facility available at all NatWest cash machines and those displaying the top-up logo, including those operated by Royal Bank of Scotland and Tesco Personal Finance. Top-up amounts are subject to your debit card daily withdrawal limit and the availability of sufficient funds. Network operator top-up limits may also apply.
Overdrafts
- You have to repay any overdraft upon our request. Overdraft and interest rates may change
Sometimes we have to update our systems so our 24-hour telephone and OnLine Banking services may not be available for short periods in the early hours of the morning.
Please also read our website terms and conditions which cover your use of this website.
Want more from your current account?
Add Advantage Blue to your Step account for just £6.95 per month and get a host of great benefits including:
- single trip European travel insurance
- 25% cash-back on top gigs and shows
- a choice of either mobile phone insurance or car breakdown cover
Apply now
Call us on
0800 148 8323
Minicom
0800 917 0526
Lines are open: Mon to Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 9am-6pm
(excl. public holidays).
Calls may be recorded