Business programme
Start-Up, Scale-Up by Lloyds Bank Academy
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Learn for yourself
Money, digital, career skills
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Money skills
Learn for yourself
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Learn for business
To help start up and grow
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Strategy and operations
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Marketing, website and digital
Learn for your business
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Help others learn
Money and digital skills
Help others learn
Bank online
Get started with online banking.
Introduction to 'Bank online'
Banking online can help you to feel more in control of your money and save you time. How? Having access to your bank account online means you can make payments, check your balance and manage your spending at any time.
In this lesson, you’ll explore the benefits of banking online. We’ll guide you through the first steps and give you tips on how to stay safe while you do it.
What you'll learn
- How banking online can help you save time.
- The process of setting up online banking.
- How to use online banking and banking apps.
How long it takes
12 minutes
Benefits of banking online
Chapter 1
How long it takes
3 minutes
Why should you bank online?
People tend to have a preferred way of banking. But the options for banking are very flexible. So, banking online doesn’t have to mean that all your contact with your bank needs to happen online. If your bank has in-person or ‘over the phone’ services, think about using a mix of ways to contact your bank – ones that work for you.
Whether you want to use online banking on its own or just as one of the ways you bank, there are many benefits to consider.
You can bank from almost anywhere
Online banking and mobile banking apps let you bank from home or elsewhere. So you can save time by not having to visit your bank.
You may still want to do some of your banking in person. Even doing just some of your smaller banking tasks online can save you a trip.
You can check your balance at any time
You don’t have to worry about shops declining your card payment, or spending time visiting or calling a bank.
You can check your balance before you buy, to make sure you’ve got enough in your account.
You can move money anytime
No more working around your bank’s opening hours or waiting on the phone to move your money. It’s easy to open your online banking and set up or make new payments.
Plus, you can move money from one account to another to meet your payments – almost instantly.
See your statements and spending
You don’t have to wait for your latest statement in the post. Online banking lets you keep track of your money at any time.
With instant updates, you can see exactly what you’ve spent. You can also see when you spent it, and what you have left in your account.
Check your payments have been made
Paying bills and making payments can be a worry for anyone. With online banking, you can check regular payments or one-off spends have gone through.
This means you don’t get charged for late payments. Plus, you can double-check you’re charged the right amount.
In the moment safety
Safety features of online banking include being able to ‘freeze’ and ‘unfreeze’ your card if it’s lost or stolen. You can do this instantly in the mobile banking app.
It stops anyone using your card without you knowing. Then if you then find it, you can unfreeze and use your card straight away. You don’t need to wait for a replacement.
Be aware
The safest way to bank online is from home or by using your mobile data when you’re out and about. Don’t be tempted to use public Wi-Fi for this – it’s not secure.
Find out more about this in our Use public Wi-Fi safely lesson.
Setting up online banking
Chapter 2
How long it takes
3 minutes
Before you start
How you set up your online banking will depend on a few things.
Your bank
Each bank’s online banking has different features and services.
Your device type
Online banking from a mobile/tablet looks different to using a laptop/PC.
Your model
Apple or Android, Nokia or Samsung – they all work differently.
Idea
If you’re struggling, don’t forget you can ask your bank for help. They can help you get started with online banking on your device.
Registering and setting up
To start, you’ll need to register for online banking with your bank. There are three main ways to do this.
You can:
Go online
If you feel comfortable, use a web browser to find your bank’s website. Not all banks let you register online, so do check.
Visit a branch
If there’s a bank branch near you, staff there can help guide you through the process.
Phone your bank
If you prefer, you can call your bank. Find their number on your latest statement, your debit card or their website.
What you’ll need
To register, you’ll need to go through a few steps. These will vary, but there are some general things you can expect.
Here are some examples:
Personal details
Like your name, birth date, postcode and account details.
Extra login details
Usernames, passwords, PINs and fingerprints all add extra protection.
Terms and Conditions
Read these and make sure you’re comfortable with them.
Security checks
Extras your bank might ask for – like a video recording or phone call.
Be aware
Most banks will need you to do a security check by phone call or message, so you'll need a phone number they can contact you on.
Getting started on a laptop or desktop
Once you’ve registered, you should be able to find and log in to your online banking through a web browser. If you registered in branch or through mobile banking, your bank will tell you how to log in and get started. Registered online? It should be clear how to log in using the details you just set up.
Getting started on mobile or tablet
On mobile and tablet, getting started can look a little different. This is because you’re likely to use an app rather than a web browser to log in.
Here’s how to download and log in using an app:
Step 1
Find your device's app store and go into it.
Step 2
Find and download your bank’s app.
Step 3
Open the app where you can then register or log in.
Not sure how to download an app?
You can call our free Academy Digital Helpline on 0345 222 0333. It’s open Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm. The Academy Digital Helpline offers free one-to-one support with digital skills to anyone over 18.
If you’re more familiar using a browser on your phone, look on your bank’s website. They often have the link to download their app here.
If you have a Lloyds bank account, you can find more information about how to set up and use online banking in our handy set of guides.
Starting to bank online
Chapter 3
How long it takes
3 minutes
Logging in
You’ll need to log in each time you use online banking.
Like registration, how you do this varies between devices. The information and security you set up in the registration process will give you an idea of what to expect.
You’re likely to use one or more of these:
Password
This is a series of letters, numbers and symbols, picked by you.
Want to know more about how to create better passwords? Check out our lesson Ten tips for staying safe.
PIN
Just like the PIN you use with your bank or credit card when you’re out and about. This is a different one, made up of four or more numbers.
You might use this with a password as a second type of lock in case someone else gets through the first one.
Memorable information
When you register, you may be asked to pick some personal questions and give the answers. Like your first school, car or mother’s maiden name.
Banks sometimes ask for this as well as a password, as an extra lock. Or you might need this to help unlock your account if you forget your password.
Biometrics
These are quite popular in mobile banking apps.
Face scan is where you use your device’s camera to scan your face and unlock your device.
Fingerprint uses your fingerprint to unlock your account. Most modern smartphones have fingerprint scanners built in, to do this.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
You might also see ‘Two Factor Authentication’ (2FA).
This is where the bank uses two or more types of lock to keep your account safe. For example, they might ask for a password and your fingerprint.
Remember
Using two or more types of security to log in to your account helps to keep your accounts safe.
Your homepage or home screen
So you’ve logged in and you’re ready to go. How do you start banking? This will depend on what you want to do. There are lots of things you can do with online banking and on a banking app. Exploring your online banking homepage or app’s home screen is a good place to start. Some banks will also have a guide to help you get started.
Let’s look at some of the things you’re likely to find on that homepage or home screen.
You’ll usually be able to see or find:
Your accounts
All the accounts you have with the bank, e.g. current account, Savings account, ISA.
A search bar
Where you can look for help, or find something in your accounts.
Your spending
An area or link to see your spending details.
An option to pay and transfer money
Here you can make a payment, see who you’ve paid before and any Direct Debits and standing orders.
A way to set up new payees
This is any person or organisation you want to pay.
Support button or section
Use this to get help with your banking or how to bank online.
Card management options
Here, you can see your card details, cancel and order new cards, report a lost card or freeze/unfreeze your cards.
Settings
This usually looks like a gear/cog symbol. You can manage all your account settings here.
Apply
A way to apply for new products, or set up new accounts. You may not be able to set up all products online – some need a phone call or in-branch chat with your bank.
Remember
What your homepage looks like depends on who you bank with.
Check your bank's help and support pages for more information on how to use yours.
Test your knowledge
Try again - that's not quite right!
If someone gets hold of your password, having additional extra layers of security will help keep your account safe.
That's right!
MFA uses two or more types of lock to keep your account safe, such as a password and fingerprint.
Making the most of it
Chapter 4
How long it takes
3 minutes
What you can do
Think of the day-to-day banking activities you might do in person or over the phone. There are online options for most of these. Let’s look at the main ones.
Payments and transfers
There’s lots of ways to make payments and transfer money with online banking. Who and how you can pay will depend on your bank, so make sure you check their help pages. Being able to see and manage your payments online can help you stay on top of your spending.
You can:
Transfer money between your accounts
Pay new and existing payees
Set up Direct Debits and standing orders
Cancel your standing orders
Review your upcoming transactions
Send money outside the UK
Managing your account
See past and pending payments
You can search for payments you’ve made and learn more about them. You can also see all your spending within a certain date range.
Sometimes when you make a card payment, it doesn’t go out of your account straight away. These ‘pending’ payments can make it hard to know how much you have left to spend. Online banking usually shows you your ‘available funds’. This is the amount you’ll have to spend once your paid and pending payments have left your account.
Check and download your statements
You can see your latest statement as soon as it’s created. There’s no need to wait for it in the post.
You can also download your statements for your records. Then you can send them to others - for example, a landlord to prove your income etc.
See the details of purchases
It’s easy to forget you bought something. You might worry when you see something on your account you don’t recognise.
With online banking, you can see the details of your spending so you can find out when and where you spent the money. This helps to let you know that all the money going out of your account is accounted for.
Change your personal details and preferences
It’s quick and easy to update details like your address or mobile number in your account settings.
You can also change how you hear from your bank. For instance, you might decide to go paper-free and receive all your letters from the bank online. This saves paper and stops you waiting for messages in the post.
Managing your card
There are many ways that online banking and the banking apps can save you time when you need to contact your bank about your card.
You can:
Manage your card and its PIN
View your card and PIN details. You can even change your PIN if someone else gets to know it – or just to something that’s easier to remember.
Order new cards
If your card gets damaged or stops working, you can order a new one. Some banks let you see your new card details before you receive it.
Report lost or stolen cards
This can be quicker than phoning your bank to cancel your card. It’s a safe way to do this and blocks your card straight away.
'Freeze' your card
Can’t find your card? This stops it being used while you look for it. When you find it, you can ‘unfreeze’ it.
Change your contactless limit
If you think your limit is too high, you can set it to a lower amount. Some banks let you turn off contactless completely.
Be aware
Until March 2026, the contactless limit was set to £100 for all banks. After that, banks can set their own limits.
It’s good to check what your limit is, and if you’re comfortable with that.
Want to make the most of the Lloyds Banking App?
We have a 5-minute video that offers a quick overview of our most used features in the Lloyds banking app. This video will guide you through what to expect after you set up your app.
Want to learn more?
Lloyds Bank Academy is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Lloyds Bank does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 2nd February 2026.