Question about making bank withdrawal when shielding

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Can anyone help?

Im shielding so can’t get to the bank.

Ive got an old Halifax savings account with about £1400 in, I’m the only named account holder. I could really really do with accessing some (a lot) of the cash, but can’t think how.

Would they accept my husband (same surname, same address), with my ID, a written request (with my signature that presumably they have on file)? I only want the money to be paid into my current account, not the actual cash, and that account is solely in my name too. Its a Santander account, and i’m not sure I could prove its just mine.

Is there any way this could happen?

Can you not sign up to phone or online banking?

Call them, I’m sure there’s provisions in place. Eg posting them photocopies of your ID if necessary

You could maybe write to them asking them to transfer the funds to your santander account.

Mobile banking?
Don't know if you can do it with only a savings account but can't hurt to try

Online banking, might take a week or so to get the pin etc set up

Mobile banking using the app is normally set up quite quickly

Is it a savings account with a book or a card?

They won't accept that. Ring them and they will do it over the phone. You'll have to answer quite a few security questions and they will probably also set up telephone banking for you so in the future it's much quicker if you need to transact.

Thank you. I’ll give them a call tomorrow.

I’d sign up to online banking, but its such an old account I wouldn't know where to start. It hadn't been used since 2003, and I found the passbook last summer, and had it updated. I should have closed the account, but I was so shocked that there was actually money in it, and I planned to put it towards a new kitchen.

£1400 is a LOT of money for me and I can’t believe I had it and didn’t know. We bought our house in 2003, and I guess I thought it had gone towards that!

Ring them. All financial institutions were required to put processes in place to support shielding customers and to prevent the need to be present in the high street branches at the outset of the first lockdown and what you're asking for isn't an unusual request.

Its a little book!

You’re all brilliant. Ringing them is a much better idea than getting my 19 year old to dress up like a middle aged woman. My mum seemed to that that was quite a normal suggestion...

www.halifax.co.uk/helpcentre/coronavirus/additional-support.html

There are various options to help you in this situation - see the above link.