Halifax in 60 seconds
Halifax at a glance (2026)
Not sure Halifax is right?Compare it against every other major UK bank in our 2026 guide to the best current accounts.
About Halifax
Halifax began in 1853 as the Halifax Permanent Benefit Building and Investment Society in Yorkshire. It became a public limited company in 1997, merged with the Bank of Scotland to form HBOS in 2001, and entered Lloyds Banking Group when Lloyds TSB rescued HBOS in 2009. Today Halifax is a trading division of Bank of Scotland plc inside Lloyds Banking Group.
Will Halifax disappear?In May 2026 Lloyds Banking Group was reported to be considering retiring the Halifax brand after 173 years of trading. No formal decision has been made; the brand is still actively marketed and onboarding customers in 2026. Any change would be communicated well in advance to existing customers.
Halifax accounts in 2026
Halifax keeps a streamlined personal current account range. Most accounts are fee-free; the headline draw for switchers is the Reward Current Account, which combines a small monthly cash reward with credit interest on linked balances.
Current account lineup
Halifax Current Account
The standard fee-free Halifax current account. Contactless Visa debit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and access to the Halifax mobile app and online banking.
- Fee-free everyday banking.
- Arranged overdrafts subject to status.
- Eligible for Halifax switching offers.
Reward Current Account
Pay in £1,500 a month and keep two active direct debits to earn £5 a month in cash. Eligible for up to 3.00% AER on linked savings.
- £3/month, waived on £1,500 pay-in.
- £5/month cash reward + tiered credit interest.
- Direct-debit-driven (standing orders excluded).
Ultimate Reward Account
Halifax’s packaged account at £19 a month. Worldwide family travel insurance, AA breakdown cover and mobile phone insurance bundled together.
- Worldwide family travel insurance.
- AA breakdown cover.
- Mobile phone insurance for the household.
Student Current Account
Free current account for full-time UK university students with a tiered interest-free arranged overdraft and access to the Halifax Save the Change tool.
- Tiered interest-free arranged overdraft.
- Save the Change automatic savings.
- Converts to a Graduate account on course completion.
Expresscash Account
Free account for 11- to 17-year-olds. Contactless Visa debit card and full access to the Halifax app with parental controls.
- No overdraft (cannot go overdrawn).
- Apple Pay and Google Pay supported.
- Converts to a Current Account at 18.
Money Smart Account
Designed for 11- to 15-year-olds with full parental visibility in the Halifax app. Money Smart helps young people learn to budget safely.
- Parental controls in the Halifax app.
- No overdraft, no fees.
- Migrates to Expresscash at 16.
Halifax Reward in 2026
The Reward Current Account is Halifax’s headline offer. To earn the £5 monthly cash reward you need to:
- Pay in £1,500 a month (this also waives the £3 monthly fee).
- Keep two or more active direct debits on the account (standing orders do not count).
- Stay in credit and use the account day-to-day for everyday spending.
On top of the £5 cash, Halifax pays tiered credit interest: up to 3.00% AER (variable) on balances £4,000–£5,000. The free cinema tickets and magazine perks that used to come with Reward were scrapped in late 2025, leaving cash and interest as the headline incentive.
Switching bonusHalifax has historically run £100–£175 switching offers on the Reward Current Account two or three times a year. Always confirm the live offer terms on halifax.co.uk before you switch — the bonus is paid via the Current Account Switch Service.
Halifax savings, mortgages and cards
Halifax offers the usual Lloyds Banking Group product mix: easy access savers, fixed-rate bonds, cash ISAs, regular savers, credit cards (balance transfer, purchase, rewards, credit-builder), personal loans and one of the UK’s largest mortgage ranges. Halifax has long been a top-three UK mortgage lender by market share.
Halifax branches and cross-brand access
Halifax had 341 branches at the end of 2025. On 11 February 2026, Lloyds Banking Group announced 95 further group-wide branch closures running from May 2026 to March 2027 — 31 of which are Halifax sites. Since early 2025, however, Halifax customers can use any Halifax, Lloyds Bank or Bank of Scotland branch for everyday cash deposits, withdrawals and balance enquiries.
Halifax customer service
Below are the verified Halifax customer service contact lines. Numbers in Selectra blue are the ones most customers need first; tap any card on mobile to dial directly.
Contact Halifax by phone
Online Banking Helpdesk
Login, registration, account issues
0345 602 0000
Mon–Fri 09:00–17:30
Top lineLost or stolen card (UK)
Block immediately
0800 015 1515
24/7
Lost or stolen card (abroad)
Reverse-charge available
+44 113 242 8196
24/7
From abroad (online banking)
Internet Banking from outside the UK
+44 113 279 8302
Mon–Fri 09:00–17:30
Textphone
For hearing-impaired customers
0345 732 3436
Mon–Fri 09:00–17:30
Branch finder
Halifax, Lloyds or Bank of Scotland branches
Find a branch
Cross-brand network
Complaints and the Financial Ombudsman
Raise a complaint through the Halifax app, by phone, in branch or in writing. Halifax has up to eight weeks to issue a final response. If you are unhappy with the outcome, or eight weeks pass without one, you can escalate the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service free of charge.
Halifax FAQ
Yes. Halifax is part of Bank of Scotland plc inside Lloyds Banking Group, authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the FCA. Eligible deposits are protected up to £85,000 per person by the FSCS — the limit applies across all Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Birmingham Midshires accounts combined, as they share a single FSCS licence.
Open or switch to the Reward Current Account, pay in £1,500 a month, and keep two active direct debits running. Halifax pays the £5 reward into the account each month you meet all the criteria. The £3 monthly fee is waived when you pay in £1,500.
Yes. Since early 2025, Lloyds Banking Group has rolled out cross-brand branch service. Halifax customers can pay in cash, withdraw and complete most counter transactions at Lloyds Bank or Bank of Scotland branches and vice versa.
Up to 3.00% AER (variable) on balances between £4,000 and £5,000, provided you meet the £1,500 monthly pay-in and 2-direct-debit conditions. Balances outside that band earn 0% under the headline tier.
Halifax is still actively trading in 2026 and onboarding new customers. Reports in May 2026 suggested Lloyds Banking Group is considering phasing out the Halifax brand, but no formal decision has been announced. Existing accounts continue to operate as normal.