Get through to Nationwide without the hold queue
Nationwide is a building society rather than a bank, and its members are vocal about the phone line. The security check is a passnumber, a few digits at a time. For anything that isn't urgent, its 24-hour chat is the route it recommends itself.
Nationwide customer service
03457 30 20 11- Opening hours
- Mon to Sat 8am to 8pm, Sun 9am to 5pm; automated banking 24 hours
- When you ring
- Asks for specific digits of your telephone banking passnumber, plus your customer number, account number or card number. It never asks for the whole passnumber.
- Worth knowing
- FlexPlus and FlexDirect accounts have their own lines. Nationwide says online chat, open 24 hours, is the fastest way to message.
Other lines
- Lost or stolen cards and fraud, 24 hours0800 055 66 22
- Complaints, Mon to Sat 8am to 8pm, Sun 9am to 5pm0800 30 20 15
- FlexPlus accounts0800 11 88 55
- FlexDirect accounts03456 07 73 57
- From abroad+44 1793 65 67 89
Number checked against Nationwide's own site on 10 October 2026. Call charges may apply if you ring it yourself.
What HoldMyCall does on a Nationwide call
- 1
Dials and waits
It rings 03457 30 20 11, works through the menu and sits in the queue for up to an hour. You get on with your day.
- 2
Has the conversation
It introduces itself as an AI assistant calling on your behalf, gives the details you provided when asked, and keeps asking for the outcome you wanted.
- 3
Reports back
A summary, whether it got what you asked for, any reference numbers, and the full transcript and recording. If they insist on speaking to you, your phone rings and one keypress joins the live call.
Things people ask it to sort with Nationwide
Chase a switch incentive
“I switched my current account to Nationwide two months ago for the switching bonus and it hasn't been paid. Find out whether I qualified and when it will arrive.”
Query a charge
“There's a charge on my statement I don't recognise. Find out what it is and whether it can be refunded.”
Ask about a mortgage overpayment
“Find out how much I can overpay on my mortgage this year without a charge, and how to set up a regular overpayment.”
Have these ready
Whether you ring or the assistant does, Nationwide will want some of these before they will talk about your account.
- Telephone banking passnumber
- Customer number, account number or card number
- Details of the payment or product you're asking about
Save them once in Settings and every call starts with them filled in. The assistant only gives a detail when it is asked for it, and it is hard-coded to refuse payments and contract changes.
Other ways to reach Nationwide
You sometimes get an answer faster by another route. These are the ones Nationwide publishes.
- Online chat, 24 hours
- Branch
- Post for complaints: The Complaints Team, Nationwide Building Society, NW 2020, Swindon, SN38 1NW
- Nationwide doesn't take complaints by email
If Nationwide won't sort it
Complain by chat, phone, post or in branch. If it's settled within 3 working days you get a summary; otherwise payment complaints take up to 15 days and everything else up to 56.
Financial Ombudsman Service. Free, after the bank's final answer or once 8 weeks have passed without one. You must go to the ombudsman within 6 months of the final answer.
Banks run security checks before they discuss an account. If they won't go through security with the assistant, it can ring you and bring you into the call to do that part yourself.
Let it ring Nationwide for you.
First 5 calls are free while we're in beta. The assistant never pretends to be human, and every word is yours to keep.