Last updated: 30 October 2026

Charter Savings Bank is writing to its savers about a move to a new “Online Services” platform in early 2027. The letters read like a routine website upgrade. The documents attached to them are not routine: every moved account gets a new account number and sort code, notice accounts become easy access, postal accounts end, and cash ISAs become flexible.

We read the three “summary of changes” documents and the fixed rate guide Charter has published. Here is what changes, who it affects, and the one free exit window some savers should know about before their account moves.

What Charter Savings Bank Has Announced

Charter says customers will move in stages. Its published timetable is:

• October to December 2026: a first email or letter introducing the move
• Late 2026 to early 2027: more detail, and notice that your turn is close
• January to March 2027: you are told when to register for the new Online Services
• From your move date: the old login stops working and the account runs only on the new platform

Charter Savings Bank is a trading name of Charter Court Financial Services Limited, which sits in the same group as Kent Reliance. Kent Reliance has already moved savers to a new Online Services platform, so Charter’s version is likely to look similar.

Savers on the MoneySavingExpert forum started asking about the letters on 29 October, mostly about why the move is happening and whether it changes day-to-day use. It does, in several ways.

The Changes at a Glance

What changes	Easy Access and Notice (incl. ISAs)	Fixed Rate Bonds and Fixed ISAs (online)	Postal accounts
Account number and sort code	New	New	New
Notice accounts	Become Easy Access	n/a	Become Easy Access
Lower rates on small balances	Removed	n/a	Removed
Minimum operating balance	£1	£1,000	£1,000 bonds, £1 others
Maximum ISA balance	£900,000 (was £1,500,000)	£900,000 (was £1,500,000)	n/a (£1m account cap unchanged)
Cash ISA type	Flexible	Flexible	n/a
Operating by post	Ends	Ends	Ends
Cheque, BACS, CHAPS	Not accepted	Not accepted	Not accepted
Can close free before the move	Yes	No (terms unchanged)	Yes, including fixed bonds

Source: Charter Savings Bank summaries of changes (variable online accounts; postal accounts) and its Fixed Rate Accounts guide, published on its new Online Services support page.

1. Your Account Number and Sort Code Will Change

This is the change most likely to cost someone money or time. From the day your account moves, it has a new account number, sort code and issue number. You only see them once you register on the new platform.

Charter’s terms spell out what happens if the old details are used after the move:

• A payment sent to the old details is returned to the sending account, without interest.
• An ISA transfer request quoting the old details is rejected, and you have to start the transfer again.

If you pay into a Charter easy access account by standing order, or you plan to move a Charter ISA to another provider in early 2027, update the details as soon as you can see them.

2. Notice Accounts Become Easy Access

Any notice account moves across as an easy access account. You no longer give notice to withdraw or to transfer an ISA out. Charter says you will be able to access the money “anytime without charge”.

The interest rate does not change on the move day. As the rate is variable, it can still change before or after the move, so check what easy access pays once the account has switched product type.

Tiered rates on small balances go

Charter will remove any lower interest rates paid on balances below set levels. Everyone in the account earns the same rate whatever the balance, starting from the move date. Savers with small balances can only gain from this.

3. Cash ISAs Become Flexible

On the new platform, Charter’s cash ISAs are flexible. You can take money out and put it back in the same tax year without using up more of your £20,000 allowance, as long as the money goes back into a Charter cash ISA on the new platform that accepts payments.

For fixed rate ISAs there is a catch: you can only pay in during the first 30 days. A withdrawal from a fixed ISA after that cannot go back into the same account, and an early withdrawal charge applies (see below).

If you are weighing up where cash ISA money should sit before the ISA rules change in April 2027, our guide to transferring a stocks and shares ISA to a cash ISA under the 2027 rules covers the new transfer charge.

The ISA balance cap drops to £900,000

The maximum balance for Charter ISAs falls from £1,500,000 to £900,000. That will affect very few savers, but anyone near the old cap should ask Charter what happens to the excess before the move.

4. Fixed Rate Accounts: The £1,000 Floor and How Charges Are Taken

Charter’s guide says the terms of online fixed rate bonds and ISAs do not change. How they operate does.

• Minimum balance of £1,000. If a withdrawal would leave less than £1,000, you have to close the account instead.
• Early withdrawal charge taken from the balance. For fixed ISAs, the loss of interest is now deducted from your balance on the day you withdraw or transfer. Charter warns you “may receive back less than you have paid in”.
• Maturity default. If you give no instructions, the money moves into an easy access account or easy access ISA when the term ends.
• Faster maturity payments. Money paid to your nominated account at maturity arrives on the maturity date, even on a non-working day.

Example: a fixed ISA holding £1,500 cannot take a £600 partial withdrawal, because that would leave £900, below the £1,000 floor. The only route is to close or transfer the whole account, with the early withdrawal charge applied.

5. Postal Accounts End, and Postal Bond Holders Get a Free Exit

Charter is closing its postal account service. Postal accounts move to the new Online Services and can no longer be run by post. Statements stop arriving by post and there is no annual paper statement. Maturity options arrive by email.

The less obvious point is in the postal summary. If you do not agree to the changes, you can close your account “without notice, charge or loss of interest”. For a postal fixed rate bond, Charter says you can close it during the fixed rate period, before it moves.

After the move, that option is gone: a postal bond that has moved cannot be closed before the end of the fixed term.

Illustration, using made-up rates: £20,000 in a postal bond paying 3.2% with a year left earns £640. Moved to an account paying 4.2% for that year, it would earn £840, which is £200 more. Whether the exit is worth it depends on the rate you have now and the rates on offer when you decide.

To use it, you have to call Charter (0800 032 9999 before the move) and close the account before your move date.

6. Payments Only by Electronic Transfer, Same Day Only

• No cheques, BACS or CHAPS, in or out.
• Money comes in only from your nominated account or another Charter account on the new platform.
• Money goes out only to your nominated account or another Charter account on the new platform.
• No future-dated payments. You request a payment on the day you want it made.
• Payments to your nominated account arrive no later than the next working day. Internal transfers arrive the same day.

Joint account holders each need their own nominated account. If interest is currently paid into another Charter account, it will be paid to your nominated account instead after the move.

7. Attorneys and Third Parties Lose Online Access

Anyone authorised to run your account, such as an attorney, will only be able to do it by phone after the move. They cannot log in to the new Online Services. The upside is that registering a third party no longer removes your own online access.

For families managing a parent’s savings under a power of attorney, this is worth planning for now.

8. Download Your Statements Before the Move

Once your account moves, the old login stops working. The new platform shows historic monthly statements and Certificates of Interest for completed tax years, but not your full transaction history.

Charter “strongly” recommends saving statements, Certificates of Interest and a transaction record from the old platform first. Closed accounts do not move at all, so save their records too. Certificates of Interest matter if you report savings interest to HMRC.

9. New Phone Numbers and No Postal Address

Purpose	Before your move	After your move
General queries	0800 032 9999	0303 330 1450 (0303 330 1460 for questions about the move)
Lost or misused security details	Number in your current terms	0303 330 1499
Email	n/a	[email protected]
Post	PO Box 855, Wallsend	No longer accepted

Expect fraudsters to use the move as cover. Charter will tell you when to register; it will not need you to share your security details with a caller. If a call or text about the “migration” feels wrong, hang up and ring the number on Charter’s website.

What to Do Now

1. Log in to the current platform and check your mobile number, email, address and nominated account are correct.
2. Save statements, Certificates of Interest and transaction history, including for closed accounts.
3. If you have a postal fixed bond, compare its rate with current deals and decide before your move date whether to use the free exit.
4. If you plan an ISA transfer out in early 2027, time it around your move date and quote the new details after the move.
5. Update standing orders into Charter once you see your new account number and sort code.

Charter has put the new terms, key features documents and its FAQs on its new Online Services support page.

Is Your Money Still Protected?

Yes. Charter Savings Bank is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the FCA and PRA (firm reference 494549). Eligible deposits are protected by the FSCS up to £120,000 per person. A platform move does not change that.

The limit is per banking licence, not per brand. If you hold money with other brands in the same group, check whether they share a licence before relying on separate cover. We explained how that trap works in our piece on Halifax customers moving to Lloyds.

Our Take

Most of the move is neutral or better for savers: easy access instead of notice, flexible ISAs, one rate for all balances and faster maturity payments. The risks are practical. New bank details will catch out standing orders and ISA transfers, the old platform’s records disappear, and attorneys lose online access.

The one decision with a deadline is for postal fixed bond holders. The free exit only exists before your account moves, so compare rates once your letter arrives rather than after. Full details are on the Charter Savings Bank website.

For another savings change on the way, see our explainer on the First Time Buyer ISA confirmed for April 2029.

FAQ

When will my Charter Savings Bank account move to the new Online Services?

Charter says accounts move in stages between January and March 2027. It will write or email with your exact date and tell you when to register.

Will my Charter Savings Bank sort code change?

Yes. Every account that moves gets a new account number, sort code and issue number. Payments sent to the old details after the move are returned without interest.

Will my interest rate change when my account moves?

Not on the day of the move. Variable rates can still change before or after it, and any lower rate on small balances is removed, so some savers will earn more.

Are Charter Savings Bank cash ISAs flexible?

Accounts on the new Online Services are flexible cash ISAs. You can withdraw and replace money in the same tax year without using extra allowance, subject to the account accepting payments in.

Can I close a Charter fixed rate bond early because of the move?

Postal fixed rate bond holders can close without charge or loss of interest if they do so before the account moves. Online fixed rate bonds keep their existing terms.

Can I still manage my Charter account by post?

No. Postal operation ends when your account moves, statements are online only, and post sent to the Wallsend PO Box will no longer be received.

Sources: Charter Savings Bank, New online services support; Charter Savings Bank, Summary of changes for online Notice and Easy Access accounts (including ISAs), ref. FS17092026; Charter Savings Bank, Postal Accounts summary of changes, ref. FS17092026; Charter Savings Bank, Fixed Rate Accounts guide to the new Online Services, ref. FS18092026; MoneySavingExpert forum threads, 29 October 2026.

This article is general information, not personal financial advice.