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Santander Existing Customer Personal Loan review
Santander's existing customer personal loan opens up higher loan amounts to existing members with no fees when overpaying on your repayments or setting up a loan.
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With competitive interest rates and overpay at no extra cost, Santander personal loans can be a flexible solution if you need extra money to consolidate your debt, handle an unexpected situation or make the best out of a special occasion.
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Who is Santander?
Active in 15 countries, Spain-founded Banco Santander is a global banking group with around 164 million customers worldwide. It arrived in the UK in November 2004 and currently has around 14 million customers. Santander is a customer-focused bank and aims to provide high-quality, seamless services across its network, both digital and in-person.
This was demonstrated when Santander was highly commended in the Finder Personal Loans Customer Satisfaction Awards for 2023. We found that 87% of Santander personal loan customers would recommend the bank.
Both new and old customers can apply for a personal loan with Santander, but if you already have a Santander bank account, you may be able to borrow from £1,000 to £25,000.
Before applying, don’t forget to use an eligibility checker. It will tell you if you’re likely to be accepted without impacting your credit score. Once that’s done, you can either apply in-branch or directly online in a few minutes. If you’re approved, instant funding is available, so you don’t need to wait for days to kick-start your projects.
Key details
| Loan type | Unsecured Personal Loan |
|---|---|
| Loan amounts | £1,000 to £25,000 |
| Loan terms | 12 months to 60 months |
| Loan rate type | Fixed |
| Product fee | 0% |
| Same-day funding available | |
| Same-day funding note | Available in branch. |
| Instant decisions in most cases | |
| Soft-search facility available | |
| Joint applications | |
| Overpay without penalty | |
| Concurrent loans allowed | |
| Topping-up pays off existing loan and initiates a new loan | |
| Repayment methods | Direct Debit |
Pros and cons of Santander personal loan
Pros
- You can make overpayments at no extra cost. This means you could reduce your monthly repayments and clear your debt faster.
- As an existing customer, you may have access to better rates.
Cons
- Though you won’t be charged a penalty for paying off your loan early, you will have to pay a final settlement fee. This may mean you don’t save as much as you might have expected in interest.
- You can’t see if you are eligible for a loan before submitting a formal application.
Am I eligible?
| Available to | Existing Customers only |
|---|---|
| Age | 21 or over |
| Residency | UK resident |
| Income | £10,500+ for loans up to £19,999, or £20,000+ for loans between £20,000 and £25,000 |
| Credit profiles | Good |
| Acceptance note | £1,000 - £19,999 – annual income of £10,500+ £20,000 - £25,000 – annual income of £20,000+ |
| Additional requirements | You must be employed, self-employed or retired. You must be on the electoral roll and live permanently in the UK. You must have a good credit record and not been declared bankrupt, had a CCJ or an IVA within the last 6 years. |
Santander customer reviews
Santander was highly commended in our 2023 customer satisfaction awards for personal loans, coming in at 3rd for overall satisfaction.
However, on Trustpilot, Santander has only achieved a 1.4 rating from over 6,200 reviews. Negative customer reviews cite bad customer service experiences and difficulties with resolving issues. Those who gave 5 stars were happy with the efficiency of the customer service teams they were in contact with (updated August 2023).
Customer support
To talk about Santander’s personal loans, you can use its online chat in the app or alternatively call them on 0330 123 9860.
How do I apply?
Once you’ve compared loans, checked the eligibility criteria and decided that Santander offers the personal loan option that works best for you, you’re good to go. You’re need the following to apply:
- Your address history for the past three years.
- Your employer’s details (name, address, contact number).
- Your bank account details (from which Santander takes monthly direct debits to repay the loan).
You can apply online or in person. If you choose to apply in person, booking an appointment online in advance is a good idea so you don’t have to wait too long at your local branch.
Our verdict
Overall, Santander’s existing customer personal loans are a solid option for people looking for an unsecured loan. Santander offers a standard range of loan amounts and loan terms with the ability to overpay without penalty. However, for those wanting to pay off their loan in full, there is an early settlement figure to consider. Being an existing customer gives you the opportunity of taking out a loan of up to £25,000 more than a new customer could. Mixed customer reviews for Santander highlight varying opinions about the services it provides, though our own surveys found Santander to be highly recommended by customers.
Frequently asked questions
We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
More guides on Finder
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Santander Existing Customer Personal Loan review
Both new and existing customers can get a personal loan with Santander. Read more about its competitive rates, application process and eligibility criteria.