How to set up direct debits for a bank switch
Nearly every UK current account switch offer has the same small print: your old account must have a set number of active direct debits, and those direct debits must move across with the switch.
It is the single most common reason people miss out on a bonus. The switch itself completes, the bank checks the criteria, and the payment never arrives because there weren't enough qualifying direct debits on the account being switched.
What counts as a direct debit
A direct debit is an instruction you give a company to collect money from your account. It is not the same thing as a standing order, and this distinction matters — most switch offers explicitly exclude standing orders.
- Direct debit: the company pulls the money and can vary the amount. This is what banks count.
- Standing order: you push a fixed amount on a fixed date. Usually does not count.
- Card subscription (recurring card payment): billed to your debit card, not your account. Usually does not count.
How many do you need?
Two is the most common requirement, though some offers ask for one and a few ask for three. Requirements also change between offers from the same bank, so always read the current terms rather than relying on what an offer asked for last year.
Because the number varies, having two or three small direct debits already running on the account gives you the flexibility to take almost any offer without scrambling to set something up first.
Setting them up before you switch
- 1Decide which account you will be switching away from — the direct debits need to be on that account.
- 2Set up at least two direct debits from that account. They need to be genuine, live direct debits with a real originator.
- 3Let at least one collection go through if you can, so the direct debit is clearly active rather than just newly registered.
- 4Start the switch using the Current Account Switch Service. Your direct debits are moved automatically, which is what the receiving bank looks for.
- 5Keep the direct debits running for as long as the offer's terms require — some offers claw the bonus back if you close the account or cancel everything immediately.
Where Switchy fits in
This is exactly the gap Switchy fills. Rather than signing up for subscriptions you don't want just to create direct debits, you set up a £1 monthly direct debit that exists purely to satisfy switch criteria.
It's a real direct debit from a real originator, it collects a real £1, and it moves with your switch like any other. When you no longer need it, you cancel it.
Common questions
- Do the direct debits need to be on the old account or the new one?
- The old account — the one you are switching away from. The switch service transfers them to the new bank, and that transfer is what the receiving bank checks.
- Can I set up two direct debits to the same company?
- Some banks count them separately and some don't, because they may appear under the same originator. If an offer requires two, having two different originators is the safer route.
- How long before switching should I set them up?
- As early as you reasonably can. A direct debit that has collected at least once is unambiguously active, which removes any argument about whether it qualified.
Live offers by bank
Each bank page shows the current bonus, who qualifies, the switch timeline and how to switch. Amounts are refreshed automatically every Monday.