How to pay in a cheque online with your phone

Beat the queues (and closing branches) by depositing a cheque with a mobile banking app.

It’s been years since I received or wrote a cheque. But during the first lockdown I helped some elderly neighbours with their shopping. And since they were housebound and not online the easiest way for them to pay me was via cheque.

Normally that would mean a visit to the bank in order to deposit to my account, but it actually gave me a chance to try out an online banking feature I’ve been unable to use before.

Since late 2017, some banks have used cheque imaging software to scan your cheques using the banking apps on your phone.

More and more banks now let you do this, and it’s a handy feature for those too busy or unable to head to a bank, or perhaps have seen their local branch close down.

How to pay in a cheque with your banking app

If your bank has the feature (you can see a list of the banks that do and significant banks that don’t below), then it’s a similar process with each one.

You first take a photo of the front of the picture using the app. And once that’s gone through, you take a picture of the back – even if it’s completely blank!

The phone must be completely flat above the cheque, which must also be flat. You need to get the corners lined up to markers on the phone screen. And even if you nail this, it might not be enough. When I first tried it with Halifax it took about seven attempts to get the front to scan.

But once I worked out it needed to be on a dark background it took just seconds to snap each side and hit submit. Far quicker than heading out to the bank and queuing up.

You should see the money in your account by the end of the next working day, as long as you pay it in before a cut-off time (which varies by bank). Of course, make sure you keep the cheque until it has cleared just in case it’s rejected.

Banks where you can pay in cheques with your phone

These are the main banks I can find that offer this feature.

Bank of Scotland

Bank of Scotland is one where the app works in exactly the same way as Halifax’s (see below)

Barclays

You’ll find the feature on the Pay & Transfer tab of your Barclays app. You can pay in a maximum of four cheques every seven days, and a cheque can’t be for more than £500.

First Direct

Since there are no branches you’d normally need to go to an HSBC or a Post Office to pay in a cheque with First Direct. However, in June 2020 the bank added the option to do this via the app, or you can also post them to the bank.

Halifax

I found the feature in the ‘More’ tab at the bottom of the app. There’s is a maximum cheque value of £10,000 and a daily limit of £10,000.

HSBC

HSBC has a maximum daily limit of £2,000. You can find the feature in the ‘Move Money’ section of the app.

Lloyds

Lloyds’s pay-in via the app feature lets you deposit a cheque with the bank in exactly the same way as Halifax.

Monzo

After years where the only options was to send it via the post, since late 2023 you can now pay in cheques up to £500 via the app. For larger amounts you’ll need to post it.

NatWest

Added in May 2021, you can pay in a cheque using the NatWest app. You need to select the account you want to use and you’ll see the option. I found it much harder than on other apps to get the camera to find the cheque and had to put it on a dark background for it to scan.

However, once I finally got far enough to submit the cheque, the app came back saying it “couldn’t process your cheque right now”. I tried a few times before giving up! I’m sure it’s just teething problems at launch but it’s frustrating.

RBS

RBS has the same app and functionality as NatWest, so it’ll follow the same process as above.

Santander

Since late 2022 you’ve finally been able to use the Santander app to pay in a cheque. It has to be less than £500 in value. There’s a £1,000 total cap per day.

Also, for the Post Office option you’ll need to order some paying-in slips and deposit envelopes from Santander in advance.

However, you can also use cash machines or send your cheque to your local branch to process.

Starling

Simply go to menu in the top right hand corner and choose “Add money”. Then you’ll be able to take a photo of your cheque up to £500.

TSB

Since spring 2023, you can now scan cheques using the TSB app. Select the Payments tab at the bottom of the screen, then deposit cheque. There’s a £750 daily limit.

Virgin Money

The app for a Virgin Money, allows cheques up to £500 as long as they weren’t signed more than six months ago. You’ll find it via the menu in the top right-hand corner.

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Banks where you can’t pay in a cheque with your phone

Here are some of the notable banks which don’t have this feature. If you can’t get to any of these banks to pay in a cheque, you can head to your Post Office and deposit it there. However, all they’ll do is post it on for you so it can take a while to clear.

Chase Bank

Chase does not have the function to pay in a cheque via the app. In fact there are no ways to deposit a cheque. Instead you’ll need to pay it into a different account and transfer the money across.

Co-operative Bank

You’ll need to visit a branch or post cheques for Co-op Bank.

Kroo

It’s not possible to add a cheque to Kroo at all, so you’ll need to deposit one elsewhere and transfer over.

Nationwide

There’s no cheque option on the app or website, but you can send it by post.

Revolut

Revolut won’t accept cheques (or cash!).

How to switch bank to one with this feature

It’s really simple to open up a new bank account at one of those listed above which do let you pay in a cheque with the app on your phone.

You can either open up a new account and keep your old one, or you can choose to switch using the Current Account Switch Service which moves all your standing orders, direct debits and future payments.

You can read more about how switching works here.