Frequently asked questions

You can choose how you make your monthly payments from a variety of different methods.

Direct Debit:

A great way of making sure all your payments are on time. Set up a Direct Debit in your Capital One app or call us on 03444 812 812, with your bank account details. Just make sure there is enough money in your account, or your Direct Debit may not be processed and you could be charged fees.

When you set up a Direct Debit, you're protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee. This Guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that take part in the Direct Debit scheme. The efficiency and security of the scheme is monitored and protected by your own bank or building society. If the amounts to be paid change, or the payment dates,change, Capital One (Europe) plc will notify you 5 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If an error is made by Capital One or your bank or building society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch of the amount paid. You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by writing to your bank or building society. Please send a copy of your letter to us too.

Online with a debit card (allow 2 working days):

Pay with your debit card from your online account by selecting 'Make a payment'. You'll need your debit card number, expiry date and the CVV number (last 3 digits) on the back of your card. You can also call us to make a payment with your debit card by phone on 03444 812 812.

You can store your card details to save you time making future payments. You just need to update your debit card details when your current card expires, to prevent processing issues.

Internet banking, telephone banking and standing order:

Add Capital One as a payee using account number 81077082 and sort code 40-02-50 to make payments via internet banking or phone, or to create a standing order. Please include your 16-digit Capital One Credit Card account number (with no spaces or dashes) as the reference so we can apply your payment to your account straight away.

Most banks offer a 'Faster Payments' service when you pay by internet banking, telephone banking or standing order. Faster Payments received by Capital One before 5.30pm will reach your credit card account the same day. Payments made after 5.30pm will reach your account the next day.

Capital One app (allow 2 working days):

Pay on the go! Simply download the app then make debit card payments at any time.

At your bank branch (allow 3 working days):

Pay at your UK bank branch with your statement and payment slip. Whether your payment is by cash or cheque, it will take the same time to reach your account. Some banks may charge you a fee.

By post (allow 5 working days):

Fill in the payment slip and write your account number and postcode on the back of your cheque or postal order, made payable to Capital One. Put them into the envelope enclosed with your statement and send them to Capital One Europe Plc, PO Box 1517, NORTHAMPTON, NN1 9GZ.

The date your payment is due can be found on your monthly statement. You can see it in your online account too.

A payment can take up to 5 working days to reach us and be processed, so please plan for this. You must pay us at least your minimum payment by this date. Paying on time is really important, to avoid late payment fees and extra interest charges. If you have an overlimit amount or any missed payments, please note the higher of these amounts is due now.

If you think you have been unnecessarily charged a fee contact us so we can review your account.

If you've made a transaction and it appears on your statement twice or more, you'll need to contact the supplier concerned. It can then take up to 30 days for the refund to be credited to your account.

If you've already done this without success, please raise a dispute, providing as many details about your transaction as possible. Include the date you spoke to the supplier and their response, so we can investigate.

There might be a simple explanation for a transaction you don't immediately recognise.

• Do you have an additional cardholder who could have made the purchase?
• Does the company you made a payment to trade with a different name? Try a quick internet search to discover associated companies.
• Have you signed up for a free trial and it’s become a paid subscription?
• Have you signed an agreement or contract with a retailer who has then charged for their service?
• Have you made a mistake entering the payee details when setting up a payment?
• Has the retailer made a mistake in charging you? Contact them directly to find out.

If none of these help, you can report having a problem with a transaction.

View and download your most recent statement in the 'Statements' area of your online account.

If you'd like a copy of a statement from a previous month(s), let us know by secure message and we'll post your statement to you.

The estimated interest figure shown on your statement is an indication of the interest you may be charged on your next statement, if you pay the minimum amount due and this reaches us on the due date. This interest amount will differ from the figure shown on your statement if a change is made to your interest rate, your statement date, or if you make any new transactions on your account before your next statement.

You'll get your statement once a month, but only if you have a balance. If you have an active online account, we'll email you to let you know when your statement is ready, so you can view it online. We'll send you at least one statement a year, for your records, even if you have no balance.

We'll only send you a monthly statement if you have a balance on your card. If you're meant to be receiving a paper statement, please check your address is correct. You can update your address in your Capital One app, or by calling us.

If you're paperless and view your statement online, we'll send you an email to let you know it's ready. If you've not had an email, please check your contact details are correct.

If you need to update your email address, let us know via secure message.

When you make a purchase or transaction, it's debited from your 'Available to spend' amount, but it won't show in your account balance until it's fully processed. You can see any pending transactions in your 'At a glance' summary when you sign in to your online account. It can take up to 10 days for a transaction to clear after the date it was made.

Each month you'll receive a statement from us which tells you:

• Your full outstanding balance - everything you have spent, plus any interest and charges
• Your payment due - the amount due to bring your account up to date, which includes your minimum payment and any overlimit amounts and/or missed payments
• Your minimum payment

You can pay any amount between your minimum payment and your full outstanding balance.  If you make only the minimum payment each month, it will take you longer and cost you more to clear your balance.

If you have an overlimit amount and/or have missed payments and you do not pay at least your payment due amount, you may incur fees.

If you're having difficulties making credit card payments or you have an unexpected strain on your finances, there are ways we can help you manage your money better.

It can take up to 6 working days to set up your Direct Debit and for the change to be made to your account, possibly longer around bank holidays. Please plan for this if your next payment is due soon. The change may not be applied to your account until the following payment. That means you'll still need to make your monthly payment via your online account, your Capital One app or by calling us. Your Direct Debit will then be active from your next payment.

Yes, you can make as many payments as you want in a month. As long as your minimum payment is covered, you can make top-up payments at any time.

It can take 5 working days from the date you make a payment for it to reach us and be processed. How quickly it reaches your account depends on which way you pay.

It can take 5 working days from the date you make a payment for it to reach us and be processed. If it's been longer than this, we recommend that you check with your bank first, before contacting us.

If your payment is via Direct Debit, ask your bank to confirm its status. If you paid by cheque at a bank, take your receipt back to the bank where you made the payment and ask them to trace it. They may charge you for this service. If your bank confirms your cheque has been cashed, ask them to give you a photocopy of the front and back of the cheque (again, they may charge you for this). Send this photocopy to us and we'll trace your payment. If your bank says your cheque hasn't been cashed, ask them to stop the cheque. You should then send us a replacement.

The address to send your photocopy or replacement cheque to is:

General Payments
Capital One Europe Plc
PO Box 1517
NORTHAMPTON
NN1 9GZ

For any other questions about recent payments not showing on your account, please sign in to your online account and send us a secure message. We'll look into this for you.

When your monthly statement arrives it requests a minimum payment, but you can choose to pay the balance off in full each month, or pay any amount between the minimum payment and the full balance.

Purchases, balance transfers and cash transactions may each carry different interest rates, so unless you pay the outstanding balance in full, we will allocate your payments to balances that attract the highest interest rate first.

There are a few reasons why we're sometimes unable to process your online payment.

1. Incorrect card details: The card number you've entered is invalid, the card has expired, or you've entered the expiry date or issue number incorrectly. Please check and try again.
2. Insufficient funds: You might not have sufficient cleared funds in your bank account to cover the payment. Please check with your bank how much you have available and when they're able to authorise the withdrawal.
3. Referral: Your bank may require your card to be present at the time of the transaction to enable them to authorise it, if it's for a large payment amount. To prevent fraud, banks sometimes need your confirmation for online transactions. Your bank may also enforce certain manual security checks.

If you have Payment Protection Insurance you should refer to your Payment Protection Insurance policy document to see if your payment can be covered through the insurance. Otherwise please contact us so we can discuss how we can help. Remember, the sooner you do this the easier it is to maintain your financial health.

If you do not make a payment on your account for 3 months, your Payment Protection Insurance will automatically be cancelled.

Yes, you can pay off as much of your balance as you want, at any time. As long as your payment covers at least the minimum payment indicated on your monthly statement and it reaches us by your payment due date, you can increase your payment amount to however much you can afford.

Paying as much as you can over and above the minimum amount due is a good habit to get into. Whatever amount you pay that's above the minimum goes directly towards repaying what you've borrowed. It means your debt will be repaid more quickly and it will cost you less in the long run.

Your payment due date is on your monthly statement. You can also see it when you sign in to your online account, in your 'At a glance' statement summary.

If your payment reaches us later than this payment due date, or if it falls short of your minimum amount due, you may be charged a late payment fee. Please find details of default sums for late payments in your credit card agreement and in the product summary section of your monthly statement.

There are ways we can help you get back on track.

Whatever challenges you're facing, it helps to understand your options. If you're finding payments difficult, there are ways we can support you.

If you're in severe financial difficulties, there are a number of organisations that can give free, independent advice:

• StepChange: Call free on 0800 138 1111, Monday to Friday 8a.m-8pm, Saturday 8a.m-4pm. Visit www.stepchange.org opens in a new tab
• PayPlan: Call free on 0800 280 2816, Monday to Friday 8a.m-8pm and Saturday 9a.m-3pm. Visit www.payplan.com opens in a new tab
• Citizens Advice: Visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk opens in a new tab to find your local branch.
• Trading Standards: Visit www.tradingstandards.uk/consumers/support-advice opens in a new tab for support and to find the Trading Standards office nearest to your postcode.
• National Debtline: Visit www.nationaldebtline.org opens in a new tab or call free on 0808 808 4000, Monday to Friday 9a.m-8pm and Saturday 9.30am-1pm.

There are other organisations that you can contact for help and debt advice, but they may charge a fee.

For full details of all rates and fees associated with your credit card account, please see the summary on your monthly statement and your terms and conditions.

You can also send us a secure message from your online account, to request this information.

You can get up to 56 days interest free on purchases where the balance is paid on time and in full for at least two consecutive months. We will otherwise always charge interest on balance transfers and cash withdrawals, unless you have a promotional rate. Credit card cheques can be charged at purchase, balance transfer or cash withdrawal rate.

You have been charged interest on purchases because you did not make two consecutive payments in full and on time. You will always be charged interest on cash withdrawals and balance transfer balances provided you are not on a 0% balance transfer interest rate period.

Interest is calculated based on your average balance over a statement period and therefore it is possible to receive interest when your closing balance is zero.

When you withdraw cash from a cash machine, we charge you interest at a daily cash interest rate. The same daily cash interest rate applies when you take out foreign currency, travellers' cheques or other types of currency (such as money orders or use of online gambling sites).

This means that if your payments haven't been enough to cover the full amount of cash you withdrew in a previous month, plus the interest and fee related to it, we'll continue to charge a daily cash interest rate on that amount until it's repaid.

If you need help understanding fees and interest, please see your credit card agreement for more details. You can also send us a secure message from your online account.

If you pay off your balance in full each month, you can get up to 56 days interest free on purchases. We will otherwise always charge interest on balance transfers and cash withdrawals, unless you have a promotional rate. Credit card cheques can be charged at purchase, balance transfer or cash withdrawal rate.

For more information about cash withdrawals, please see your credit card agreement.

It's normally best to contact the merchant direct to cancel any subscriptions you have, or any regular transactions on your account. However, if you sign in to your online account and send us a secure message about this, we can usually help cancel them for you.