Procedure to Open a Tesco Bank Internet Saver Account

  • MJG55's Avatar
    Fresh Eyes
    When opening a new Tesco Bank Internet Saver 4.75% account, am I right in thinking that once the signature letter is received and returned, the account is fully operational to use to pay in funds and to withdraw funds or is any other documentation/welcome pack sent out in the post in the addition to the signature letter?

    Is it possible to pay in a cheque by post to this account or do all deposits have to be by bank transfer?

    Am I right in thinking that I do not need an app to operate this account?

    Is there anyway of sending a secure message from a Tesco Bank account or do all enquiries need to be made by phone? Is there anyway of emailing Tesco Bank at all?

    Finally, can I confirm the maximum amount that can be held in a Tesco Bank Internet Saver account before Probate is required should anything happen to me?
  • 3 Replies

  • MJG55's Avatar
    Fresh Eyes
    When opening a new Tesco Bank Internet Saver 4.75% account, am I right in thinking that once the signature letter is received and returned, the account is fully operational to use to pay in funds and to withdraw funds or is any other documentation/welcome pack sent out in the post in the addition to the signature letter?

    I opened an account over a week ago and still haven't received the signature letter yet I received an email reminder to send it back a couple of days after I opened the account!

    Is it possible to pay in a cheque by post to this account or do all deposits have to be by bank transfer?

    Am I right in thinking that I do not need an app to operate this account?

    Is there anyway of sending a secure message from a Tesco Bank account or do all enquiries need to be made by phone? Is there anyway of emailing Tesco Bank at all?

    No one has replied to any of messages on here and as far as I can tell, there is no way to send a secure email message to Tesco Bank as it is with every other online bank and building society account. The total lack of communication frankly makes me glad I so far haven't transferred a penny into my new account. Taking the time to leave messages on this community forum have so far been a total waste of my time.

    Finally, can I confirm the maximum amount that can be held in a Tesco Bank Internet Saver account before Probate is required should anything happen to me?

    I won't waste my time posting on here again, if I don't receive a reply to this message I won't be adding any funds to my account.
  • ChristopherP's Avatar
    Your Community Expert
    @MJG55 Hey there, thanks for getting in touch! I'm really sorry for the delay in replying and completely understand your frustration.

    Once we've confirmed your identity your account will be opened straight away. You can pay money into your account as soon as it is opened, but you won't be able to take money out until you send us certain information by post. We'll tell you what this involves once your account is open. Have you received the signature letter yet?

    We don't have an email address for general queries, however you can chat privately to us here. Please be aware for security purposes we may need you to call for some queries.

    You can find out all the ways you can fund the account, including by cheque, here.

    With regards to your last question, I'm not quite sure what you mean sorry. Can you provide a little bit more information and I'll do my best to help?


    If you need to ask a question about a Tesco Bank product, you can make a post in Help & Support here

    Also, feel free to Introduce Yourself!
  • MJG55's Avatar
    Fresh Eyes
    Hi Christopher, Many thanks for your reply, it is greatly appreciated and being able to send a secure message directly has restored my faith in the account! I've just sent a private message stating that I still haven't received the signature letter and whether it would be possible to send out a replacement as the first one appears to be lost in the post.

    I won't pay any funds into the account until I received the signature letter. I received an email 2 days after setting up the account to return the letter and as I type this, I've received a reminder text to return the letter so I'd imagine it should not normally take this long (over a week) to receive the letter.

    The last question refers to the maximum amount that can be held in a Tesco bank account before a probate following my death. I've read that up to £50,000 can be held in any Tesco bank account before probate is required - is this still the case for the Internet Saver account?

    This link should explain what I mean: https://www.tescobank.com/help/bereavement-support/ - the part of the page that states "The Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration or Certificate of Confirmation. This only applies if the total value of the account(s) is more than £50,000 and they're held in the sole name of the person who's died."

    Many thanks again for your help.

    Kind regards,