Frequently asked questions > ING Direct Savings Account > Savings > ING Direct

You can apply online to open an ING Direct Savings Account. Alternatively, you can open an account over the telephone by speaking to Customer Services on 0800 376 8877, Monday-Friday 8am - 10pm, Saturday - Sunday and Bank Holidays 9am - 9pm. When you apply, you will be asked to make your first deposit for a minimum value of £1. For the first deposit, you may be asked to send us a cheque from a linked account.

Just click on the 'Savings' tab and then click the 'Open account now' button. Opening an account online is really easy and should only take a few minutes

Please click on the 'Savings' tab and click on the button 'More info'. Then click on 'Continue your application' on the left-hand navigation menu. You will then be asked to enter your customer number, last name, date of birth and postcode. To continue your application click here . Please note, if you were asked to enter your bank details to set up a link with your current account before you stopped and saved your application, you will now need to supply a cheque to set up the link

The ING Direct Savings Account is available to people aged 18 or over who are 'ordinarily resident' (that is, who normally live) in the UK (not including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for tax purposes. You must have a personal UK bank or building society current account with a personal cheque book and Direct Debit facility and have access to a touch-tone telephone. This account is not available for trusts, business purposes or charities.

You can set up as many as 10 ING Direct Savings Accounts if you wish, and name them for different uses such as a holiday, new car or rainy day. New customers can open joint accounts online however, for existing customers wanting to open a joint account, this can be done by calling 0845 603 8888 to obtain an application form. Our current opening hours are Monday to Friday 8am-10pm Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays 9am - 9pm

For you to move your money quickly and efficiently, either on the telephone or online, we set up an electronic link between your ING Direct Savings Account and your current account. This link allows deposits and withdrawals to be carried out by Direct Debit, only on your instruction, within 3 to 4 business days.

We need to set up a link between your ING Direct Savings Account and an external account in order to enable you to make withdrawals and deposits quickly and efficiently, either over the telephone or online.

We require this external account to be a personal UK current account which provides a chequebook and accepts Direct Debit Instructions. In order to ensure a high level of security you may need to send us a cheque deposit from every current account that is to be linked to an ING Direct Savings Account. The pre-printed name on the cheque must match the name in which the ING Direct Savings Account is held and the cheque must not be drawn on a business account.

You can also deposit money into your Savings Account by posting a cheque to our Freepost Address. Click here to view our freepost address.

At present the ING Direct Savings Account is for personal use only and accordingly must be linked to a personal UK current account.

No. All that's required is to have your current account linked to your ING Direct Savings Account. Then, to make deposits, simply transfer funds from your linked account to your ING Direct Savings Account. Or to withdraw funds, transfer money from your ING Direct Savings Account to your linked account. Transfers can be made electronically (online or over the phone) or by speaking to ING Direct Customer Services on 0845 603 8888.

To satisfy regulatory requirements when you open an account with us we may ask you for additional documentation to verify your address and identity. The documents listed below are our preferred form of validation. Please call our Customer Service Team if you are unable to supply items from the lists below.

If we have been unable to verify your identity we will require you to send us:

1) A certified copy of your current passport (For non UK passport holders, copies must be certified by your bank, solicitors or embassy official)
2) A certified copy of your current EU photo-card or full UK paper driving licence (non-UK copies must be certified by your bank, solicitor bank or embassy official)

How to certify a document

Take a black and white photocopy and give it to an ING Direct recognised professional (e.g. a practising teacher, GP, bank official, solicitor or accountant). This person should write the following information on that photocopy.

• Sign and date the document
• State their full name
• State their occupation
• State their full business address
• State their telephone number
• The person needs to write “I certify this is a true copy of an original document seen by me and presented by (insert your name) who is known to me

If you are unable to provide one of the documents listed above we may also be able to accept the original or certified copy of one of the following:
3) Latest HM Revenue and Customs notice of coding
4) Tax assessment (NOT a P45 form, P60 form or a pay slip)
5) A letter confirming the right to state benefits or state pensions

If we have been unable to verify your address we will require you to send us:

1) Original utility bill (e.g. gas, electricity, water NOT mobile telephone bill.

2) Original bank statement (e.g. current account statement, credit card statement but NOT a store card statement)

3) Original and current council tax bill

The document must be the original, no older than 3 months and clearly show your name, address and customer number.

A certified document is a black and white photocopy signed by an ING Direct recognised professional (e.g. a solicitor, accountant, teacher, doctor or bank official) to show that it is a true copy of the original document.

The certifier must do the following:

1) Sign the document and write ‘I certify that this is a true copy of an original document seen by me, and presented by (customer's full name, including title) who is known to me.’

2) Date the document

3) State their full name

4) State their profession

5) State their full business address

6) State their telephone number

For non UK passport holders, copies must be certified by your bank or embassy official.

You may send cheques for deposit into your ING Direct Savings Account to our freepost address: ING Direct, FREEPOST, NATW1784, Reading, RG6 1BR.

Before sending your cheque:

• Make sure the cheque is payable to yourself by writing your name on the front of the cheque. Please also write your Customer number and ING Direct Savings Account number on the back of your cheque. If your cheque is being drawn by your bank, please ask them to print your account number on the back of the cheque
• Ensure that the payee name on the cheque exactly matches your ING Direct account name
• Remember to sign and date your cheque
• If you are sending us a cheque to verify your linked current account, please ensure that your surname and initials are pre-printed on your cheque. 

A personal current account in your name (including joint accounts but not a business account) in the UK, which we link to your savings account. When you open an ING Direct Savings Account you will be asked to nominate a linked current account.

PIN stands for Personal Identification Number. Please keep this secure at all times and do not write it down.

If you opened your account over the phone or if you opened a joint account, once you receive your Welcome Pack (which includes your customer number) and your temporary PIN in the post then you're all ready to start saving with ING Direct.

If you opened your account online you will already have set your PIN as part of the account opening process so as soon as you receive your Welcome Pack then you can access your account online or over the phone. Your Welcome Pack will be sent to you as soon as you have sent us your first deposit cheque and any ID documentation (if required).

To bank online or over the phone you will need your:

• Customer number - this will be sent to you in your Welcome Pack
• PIN – this will be sent to you 3 days after your Welcome Pack. However, if you opened an account online you will already have set your PIN as part of the account opening process.
• Memorable date – you will be prompted to set your memorable date the first time you login to our website or phone our call centre once your account is opened. However, if you opened an account online you will already have set your memorable date as part of the account opening process.

Once you have all of the above you will be ready to bank online. 

Unfortunately if you didn't manage to save your customer number or account number when you opened your account, we are unable to provide you with this for security purposes. You can put your full name and full address including postcode on the back of your initial cheque deposit. This will enable us to link the cheque to your ING Direct Savings account.

You always have access to your money and it’s easy to transfer funds to and from your ING Direct Savings Account safely and securely. The accounts must be held by the same person(s).
To transfer money into your ING Direct Savings Account, you can either:

• Move money electronically via the phone or internet.
• Move money automatically every month by setting up a regular savings payment free of charge either online or by contacting our call centre on 0845 603 8888.
• Contact your bank and arrange for them to transfer money into your ING Direct Savings Account by quoting your account number and our sort code 40-61-98
• Send a cheque made payable to yourself and write your account number on the front of the cheque. If your cheque is being drawn by your bank, please ask them to ensure they print your ING Direct account number on the front of the cheque

We can also accept funds transferred externally from a UK bank. In order to take instruction to do this the bank will require your ING Direct account number and our sort code; 40-61-98.

You always have access to your money and it’s easy to transfer funds to and from your ING Direct Savings Account safely and securely.

To make withdrawals from your ING Direct Savings Account, you can move money electronically to your linked account via the telephone or internet. Payments from your account to your linked account will take up to two business days.

Interest cannot be withdrawn automatically monthly, but can be transferred after it has been applied each month. The interactive telephone banking service and website are available 365 days a year, although system updates and maintenance will mean that these services are unavailable for short periods in the early hours of each morning.

Payments from your account to your linked account will take up to two business days.

If your payment request is made on a business day before our cut-off time (6pm) and the amount is equal to or less than our Same Business Day Withdrawal Limit (£500) your funds should arrive by the end of that day.

If we receive your payment instruction on a non-business day or after our cut-off time we will not process your instruction until the next business day.

The process for moving money uses two pages as follows:

• the first page lets you select which account you would like to move money from, and the account you would like to move it to
• the second page displays a move money confirmation page, allowing you to confirm the transaction

From time to time, when ING Direct has special offers for selected customers, the process for moving money uses three pages as follows:

• the first page lets you select which account you would like to move money from, and the account you would like to move it to
• the second page will display details of the offer, allowing you to:
  - accept the offer, and therefore cancel your move money transaction
    or;
  - not accept the offer, and continue to move your money
• the third page (if the offer is not accepted) displays a move money confirmation page, allowing you to confirm the transaction

The move money and offer pages will only be accessible when you have logged-in securely. Always check that any page you enter personal or login information into is using SSL (Yellow Padlock symbol and uses HTTPS in the start of the website address).

These pages contain information about our offer, including terms and conditions, and will never ask for additional security information. After accepting the offer, you will be directed to a confirmation page on our secure website. You will never be directed to a non ingdirect.co.uk webpage. (ING Direct will only ever use www.ingdirect.co.uk for product and help pages, and secure.ingdirect.co.uk for secure account maintenance and account opening pages).

You can set-up or change regular savings payments into your ING Direct Savings Account simply by clicking on the 'Change regular saver' on the Account Summary screen. Alternatively, please call Customer Services on 0845 603 8888 who will be able to help you. To become a regular saver and save on a monthly basis, simply log onto your account and click the ‘Move my money’ button.

You can transfer money between your ING Direct accounts online or over the telephone.

To make withdrawals from your ING Direct Savings Account, you can move money electronically via the phone or internet. Please note withdrawals can only be made to your linked current account, which will take up to two business days to arrive.

Interest cannot be withdrawn automatically monthly, but can be transferred after it has been applied each month.

Interest is earned from the 3rd business day and the funds are available for withdrawal from the seventh business day.

e.g.
A cheque is paid into an account on a Monday
Interest starts being earned on the 3rd business day. ie Wednesday
Cheque is cleared the following Tuesday, on the seventh business day.
Please note that we do not offer a CHAPs facility as there is a fee associated with this service.

If your account doesn't appear in the drop down list when you try to move money, simply call our Customer Services on 0845 603 8888 who will be able to assist you.

Our Same Business Day Withdrawal Limit for payments to your linked account is £500. If your payment request is made on a business day before our cut-off time (6pm) and the amount is equal to or less than our Same Business Day Withdrawal Limit your funds should arrive in your linked account by the end of that day.

Once you have your customer number, PIN and have set your memorable date, banking online is easy.

• Just click on the 'Login' button at the top right of any page of this website to access your account online. Click here to view the Login page.
• You will then be asked to enter your 9-digit customer number.
• Tick the ‘Remember my number?’ option to make subsequent logins easier. It will automatically insert your customer number here the next time you login. (You should not use this option on a public computer, such as an internet café or library.)
• Then enter your Last name and click continue (Last name entry is not case sensitive)
• Using your mouse, enter the 3 requested digits from your PIN along with your memorable date from the onscreen Key Pad. The numbers on the Key Pad will change place each time you visit this screen – this is to minimise the risk of anything you type into your computer being captured and stored by others. Visit our security section for more information.

This will then give you access to your account balances, your recent transaction history and enable you to move your money in or out.

It's your choice. You can access your money by transferring it to a linked account either via this website, by using our interactive telephone banking service or by speaking to our Customer Services Team.

It takes up to two business days for your funds to arrive.

Payments from your account to your linked account will take up to two business days. Payment requests made on a non-business day or after our cut-off time will be processed on the next business day.

Both account holders must each activate their PIN, after which either party can operate the account. Cheques payable to joint names can only be paid into a joint account.

To request another PIN, please call Customer Services on 0845 603 8888, pressing 0 to speak to a member of the team who will be able to reissue one for you

Please note, you are not able to close your ING Direct Savings Account online

To close your account please call Customer Services on 0845 603 8888, Monday - Friday 8am - 5:55pm. We will then arrange for any balance, plus interest to be transferred back into your linked account(s) and will confirm the final amounts due to you.

If you call outside these hours, on a weekend or Bank Holiday, you will be able to advise us that you would like to close your account however we will not be able to action the request until the next business day.

Interest on your savings account is accrued daily, compounded monthly and credited to your available balance at the end of each month.

Daily closing balance x interest rate (as a %) Number of days in calendar year

=      one day's worth of interest

If you haven't registered for gross interest, interest will be paid at the net rate: click here to view our current net rate.

Yes, if you are eligible and an existing customer please log into your account and then select the "Change my details" section followed by "Register for Gross interest" and you will then be able to quickly register for tax free savings.

Alternatively once your account is open, you can also download and complete the R85 form from the HM Revenue & Customs website by clicking here.

Or you can call us and we will be able to assist you over the telephone. If you have a joint account, gross interest can only be paid if both account holders are non-taxpayers.

You will need your National Insurance number to hand to successfully register for gross interest. If you have more than one ING Direct Savings Account, you must register each account where you wish to receive gross interest.

No, there are no charges for setting up your ING Direct Savings Account or for withdrawing funds from it. You can transfer money to and from your account as you wish, with no catches and no penalties.

Our sort code is 40-61-98

If you want to transfer funds to your ING Direct Savings Account from your UK bank you will need to quote our sort code 40-61-98 and your account number on the instruction you give to your bank.

You will receive a quarterly statement and you can choose whether you would like to receive these through the post or online

We send statements to all customers regardless of what stage their application is at. This is so that customers have a record of their deposits and withdrawals to hand and also to confirm that deposits paid onto their account, are earning interest.

Please note:
The Welcome Pack and PIN are sent separately for security reasons. If you already have a Welcome Pack, your temporary PIN will follow shortly. If you haven't received anything from us, it could be that we are currently processing your account or that we are waiting for proof of identification from you. If this is the case, you will be hearing from us shortly.

No. ING Direct will never have access to your linked account without your instruction. You have complete control over your accounts. Transfers will only take place if and when you request them. Please note that the DDI will expire if you do not transfer money into your account for a period of 60 months.

Once you’ve activated your PIN, you can check your account online or by using our interactive telephone banking service.

Depending on your circumstances, should your surname change we would require the following documentation to be sent to us so that we can update your account details:

1. Marriage - We will require the Marriage Certificate, this can either be the original (which we will return by recorded delivery) or a certified copy.

2. Divorce - We will require the Decree Absolute, this can either be the original (which we will return by recorded delivery) or a certified copy.

3. Change by deed poll - We will require the official copy of the Deed Poll, this can either be the original (which we will return by recorded delivery) or a certified copy.

In all 3 scenarios we will also accept a cheque from your existing linked current account. The cheque must have the pre printed name on it as your new name and should be sent to us along with a covering letter confirming your account details and name change.

You can send the documentation to us at:

ING Direct
FREEPOST NATW1784
Reading
Berkshire
RG6 1BR

To notify us of a death of a customer you will need to call the call centre on 0845 603 8888. You will be asked to send us a certified death certificate and a covering letter providing us with your details and the deceased's account information (if you have it). Once received, we will return the certified death certificate with a letter of balance and specific instructions as to what you need to do next.