Why Can’t I Use My UK mobile with my Spanish Santander Bank Accout

Has anyone had a problem with using their UK mobile for online banking with Santander Es?

I was fairly happy until recently to receive regular paper statements to my home address in the UK but this stopped earlier this year. I thought it was linked to Covid so when I enquired why at my local Santander branch they said that it was no longer possible to have these. They said I had to use the App/online banking only.  We looked at downloading the App which I did but the process of logging in would not work - this was put down to my having a UK phone. They sent me away with a phone number to ring the Madrid office. This I have done who have referred me back to the local branch. Not only can I not visit them in person as I’m now back in the UK but I fear if I call them I will get the same response -  it’s not possible because I don’t have a Spanish phone. I find it difficult to believe that this is really the sticking point. How do other people get on with Santander Es bank accounts, surely I’m not alone with this situation? Has anyone encountered a similar problem?

What I have done is to get a dual sim phone and put a Spanish sim and and English sim in it and I use the Spanish sim to call the site via the app. This allows me to get onto the site with no problems. Or buy a cheap phone and a Spanish sim.

Hope this works for you.

Yes that could work. If I got a cheap phone and Spanish SIm I assume I would just use this to receive security texts and use the ap on my UK mobile? Is that what you mean? Thanks, Jack.

phone and 

What version of sortware is your phone using? My phone was Android version 5 and some banking apps wouldn't work on it

Yes, that is exactly what I mean. I found it to be the best way.

I have succesfully downloaded the Santander Es app on to my UK IPhone. Apparently it is that the app and on-line banking that don’t like the UK phone number. I have an old iPhone, hopefully that I could put a Spanish SIM in, when I get back to Spain to buy one! It just seems incredible to me that the system can’t cope with a UK mobile, in this mobile phone age! 

I've had the same problem with Santander. I can get as far as having them send me the access code to open internet banking but they send it to my house 'phone which does not take the code rather than sending it to my mobile 'phone, which would receive a texted number code. When I rang their Madrid office I was told that I could only change the 'phone number that they call by doing so at the branch in Spain, even though they have details of both my home and mobile 'phones.. It's like complete obstructiveness for so called security reasons, perhaps because the UK has left the EU.