FAQs

About the Service

How can I contact you?

Please contact us on 0870 154 1234. (TextPhone users call 0870 154 1192)

At what times of the day can I use the service?

The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Occasionally the service may be unavailable as essential maintenance is carried out.

Where can I access Cards OnLine?

All you need is a secure Internet connection. Cards OnLine can be accessed wherever you are in the world.

I have registered as a Company Administrator. How do others in my company access the service?

As a Company Administrator you can set up other individuals using the Enrol User link. Alternatively, a cardholder may register, without your assistance, by accessing the service through the Commercial section of our website

I am a Company Administrator. How do I differentiate between registering my own card and registering my Corporate Account?

To see your own account, register as a cardholder. To see accounts under your administrative responsibilities, register using your Corporate Account number. This can be found on your account summary statement or on some correspondence from us.

What do I do if my card is lost or stolen?

Report this IMMEDIATELY by calling 0870 600 0459. If calling from outside the UK call +44 1423 700 545. A representative is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to take lost and stolen card reports.

If I receive a new card, do I need to re-register?

No, there is no need to re-register.

Where can I find information on my commercial card features?

Please visit www.rbs.co.uk

How up to date is the information shown for my account?

Your current balance and available credit are shown, as well as any pending authorisations actioned within the last 7 days.

Account Services

What can I update on-line?

You can change your security details and your email address. You will receive email notification of any changes.

What can I update on-line? (Company Administrator)

As a Company Administrator you can change your security details and your email address, and an e-mail notification of the changes will be sent to your e-mail address. In addition you can also change the address of a cardholder, order a replacement card or close the account for any cardholders within your corporate card scheme.

What can I update on-line? (Report Administrator)

As a Report Administrator you can change your security details and your email address. You can view, download and print Management Information Reports for your company.

If I have more than one commercial credit card product with the RBS Group, may I review both accounts on-line?

Once you have registered with the Cards OnLine service, you can view transactions on other cards from RBS, NatWest, Ulster Bank or Coutts by using your same login. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to register your additional cards.

If I am registered for Cards OnLine but want to discontinue that enrolment, how can I cancel my registration?

Get in contact with us by calling 0870 154 1234. We will handle everything for you. If you wish to re-enrol at some point, you will need to use a different username from the one you previously used to register for the service.

Registration

What is the card number that is referred to at registration?

This is the 16-digit number that appears across the front of your card.

What is the Corporate Account number being referred to?

This is the number that appears on your company level statement.

What are my User ID, PIN and Password, and when do I get them?

You will create your User ID, Internet PIN and Password at registration. You will have immediate access to your account with restricted functionality. We will then send you a Mailer Authentication Code (MAC) by post, which you should enter at your next login. This will give you full access to the service.

What is the MAC and why do I only have access to some functionality?

The MAC is the Mailer Authentication Code. We will send this to you after you complete your first login. Please allow up to 10 days for receipt of this. If you do not receive your MAC, please contact us on 0870 154 1234. Once you have entered your MAC, you will have full access to the service.

I did have access to the service but have now lost access.

You must enter your MAC within 30 days of first registering for the service. If you have not received your MAC or have misplaced it, please contact us on 0870 154 1234. If you have locked yourself out, please follow the on-screen instructions.

Why can't I change my security details?

It is only possible to change your details once you have received and entered the MAC (Mailer Authentication Code). If you need to change your details contact us on 0870 154 1234.

How do I choose a secure password?

We suggest that your password be something that is easily remembered by you, but not easily guessed by another. It must be between 6 and 8 characters long and contain at least one number and one letter. For your security and the security of your account(s), you will not be permitted to enter certain passwords e.g. passwords that contain ascending or descending characters or characters that are repeated more than twice, spaces, symbols or special characters. NB Your password is valuable. Do not write it down or disclose it to anyone as you run the risk of someone gaining unauthorised access to your account.

Are there any charges?

No. This service is free.

I've registered. Why can't I sign on?

There are three possibilities:

1. You entered your user name and password or PIN incorrectly.
   • All user names and passwords contain both letters and numbers . If you forget your user name or password, please follow the on-screen instructions.
2. You tried to sign on three times in a row with the incorrect user name, PIN or password.
   • In this case, you are locked out of the system. Please contact us on 0870 154 1234.
3. There are problems with your Internet connection or with our system.
   • Please follow on-screen instructions or try again later.
   If you are still having problems accessing Cards OnLine, please contact us on 0870 154 1234.

I have forgotten my logon details. Who do I contact for help?

If you do not remember your password, in the first instance, follow the on-screen instructions. By re-confirming the answers you gave to our prescribed questions at registration, you can reset your logon. If you are still unable to access the service please contact us on 0870 154 1234.

On-line Statements

Can I print out my statement?

Yes, you can print the transaction details on the screen or print the E-Statement. The E-Statement is an exact replication of a paper statement you would previously have received by post.

Why do I no longer receive a paper statement?

You can access an exact copy of your paper statement through Cards OnLine. A condition of use of the Cards OnLine service is that you no longer receive paper statements, but you can view the last 13 months of your statements on-line. You will receive an email advising you that your E-Statement is available to view and we will give you notice of changes to terms and conditions of your account.

Can I export my card transactions to any other applications?

Yes, you can export account information to Microsoft® MoneyT, QuickenT and SageT, or any packages that accept *.tsv and *.csv formatted files. To download your statements in these file formats, simply follow the instructions on the Review Transaction screen.

How far back can I review my Card transactions?

You can review up to 13 months of historical transactions.

Can I use the Bank Giro Credit on the bottom of my E-Statement?

No. Unfortunately you cannot use the Bank Giro Credit to make a payment. Please pay by Direct Debit or make an electronic payment, e.g. via your own Internet Banking Service. You can also make a payment in any Royal Bank of Scotland branch over the counter. Contact your administrator or relationship manager if you need further instructions.

How do I dispute a transaction?

If you dispute a transaction please contact us on 0870 154 1234.

I have just accessed my account and there is no statement available to view.

This may occur for a number of reasons,

1. If there has been no activity on your account that month and the balance is zero, we will not produce a statement. However, you can still review historic information and your balance as displayed in the Balance Summary screen.
2. Due to technical difficulties Cards OnLine maybe unavailable. Please contact the helpdesk on 0870 154 1234 or try logging on later.
3. If you card was reported lost or stolen, and you have been issued with a replacement card with a new card account number, you may not be able to view your previous statements via Cards OnLine. If require access to your previous statements, please contact the helpdesk on 0870 154 1234.
4. If you never received paper statements before registering for Cards OnLine then no statements will be accessible.

Why have i not received an email this month?

If you have used your card since your last statement, you will receive an email advising you when your E-Statement is available to view. If you have not used your card you will not have a statement this month and we will not send you an email.

On-line Reports

Can I print out my paper MI report?

Yes. Simply select the report you wish to download. You will then receive an e-mail to confirm the download has been completed. The report can then be accessed from your Download Files Inbox within Cards OnLine, and can then be printed.

Can I download / retrieve my eMI files (electronic Management Information)?

Yes. Simply select the report you wish to download. You will then receive an e-mail to confirm the download has been completed. The report can then be accessed from your Download Files Inbox within Cards OnLine, and can be saved locally.

Why does my Download Files Inbox show a section for Transaction File downloads?

You are able to download a full electronic list of your transactions for a specified month by selecting to download these from the Review Transactions Pages.

Why does my Download Files Inbox show a section for Account List File downloads?

This section will show for all Company Administrators, and these files can be downloaded from the Set Unit Level Page within the Admin Services tab.

Why does my Download Files Inbox show a section for Report File downloads?

If you currently receive Management Information reports from us, you may be able to download these from the service. If you do not receive any such reports, then these sections will still be displayed within your Download Files Inbox.

Why do I no longer receive paper reports by post?

You can access an exact copy of your paper reports, through Cards OnLine. A condition of use of Cards OnLine is that you no longer receive paper reports by post but you can view the last 13 months of your paper reports online.

Why do I no longer receive my eMI files via e-mail?

You can access an exact copy of your eMI, through Cards OnLine. A condition of use of Cards OnLine is that you no longer receive eMI files via e-mail, but you can view the last 13 months of your eMI files online.

Can I access my Smart Data OnLine / Smart Data Xpress reports via Cards OnLine?

No. These reports can be accessed via the appropriate websites. Please contact us on 0870 154 1234 if you require further details.

Am I able to export my eMI files to any other applications?

There is no automated export facility, however, you can download your eMI files and upload these into other applications.

Why do I not receive an e-mail advising me that my reports/eMI are ready to retrieve?

Since several of the reports available are provided at frequent intervals, e-mail notification is not an ideal way of advising you that files are available. By only sending you e-mails to advise that the reports have been downloaded, you will only receive an e-mail when you have requested a download rather than each time a file can be retrieved.

Why do I have to download my reports before being able to view them?

As some files can be large, it would impair the speed of the system if the reports were to be displayed real-time. By selecting to download only the reports you require, this maintains the speed and efficiency of the system for all users.

Technical Questions

Why might my browser seem slow on this site?

Your browser might seem slow for the following reasons:

• You may have a number of other applications running. Closing these other applications may enhance the speed
• You may have a lot of information in your cache. We recommend that you clean out your cache. If you currently have Internet files saved in the cache that you wish to keep, please save these to another location prior to clearing the cache. See below for information on how to clear the cache
• While Royal Bank of Scotland Commercial Cards supports all Internet connections speeds, modems at speeds lower than 33.6K may experience slow load times. We recommend at least a 56K modem connection.

Clearing Cache for Netscape Users:

1. Click on "Edit."
2. Click on "Preferences."
3. Click on "Advanced."
4. Click on "Cache."
5. Click on the "Clear Memory Cache" and/or "Clear Disk Cache" button.

Clearing Cache for Internet Explorer Users:

1. Click on "Tools."
2. Click on "Internet Options."
3. Click on "General."
4. Review for "Temporary Internet Files."
5. Click on "Delete Files."

How do I download an updated browser?

If your computer does not currently use 128-bit encryption, you will need to access your Internet browser web site. In order to upgrade your system, you will need to have the following: 100MB, a Pentium Processor, 16 MB of RAM, and Windows 95 or 98 operating system. (Mac Requirements: PowerPC, Mac OS 7.6.1, 8MB RAM, 12MB disk space, QuickTime 3.0, Apple MRJ 2.1) Netscape:

1. Visit the Netscape web site at: www.netscape.com/download .
2. Select the version of Netscape that you want to use and follow the directions from Netscape.

Microsoft Internet Explorer:

1. Visit the Microsoft Internet Explorer web site at: www.microsoft.com/ie .
2. Click on "Download Now" and follow the directions from Microsoft.

Mac:

1. Visit the Microsoft web site at: www.microsoft.com/mac/products/ie .
2. Click on "Download" and follow the directions from Microsoft.
3. Once the download is complete, please double click on the desktop icon and this will install the browser.

What do I need to use the service?

A PC with Microsoft® Windows 98/2000/Me/XP or NT or Apple Macintosh with OS, an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP), Version 5.0, 5.01, 5.22, 5.5 and 6.0 of Microsoft® Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator 6.0, 6.1, 6.2.3 and 7.0. While Cards OnLine supports all Internet connections speeds, modems at speeds lower than 33.6K may experience slow load times. We recommend at least a 56 K modem connection.

Do I need any software?

Yes. If you don't already have Adobe Acrobat, you will need to download this so that you can access your E-Statement. You can do this by accessing the link within our site at no additional charge.

Can I access the service from more than one computer?

Yes, you can access Cards OnLine from almost any Internet connected PC or Apple computer at any time.

How can I get Cards OnLine to load quickly?

There are many factors that contribute to the speed of response from Cards OnLine. These include the speed of the modem or processor in your computer, the connection to your ISP and the volume of traffic on the Internet. It may be possible to shorten the time that each page takes to load by amending the settings in your Internet browser. To do this, please follow the instructions below:

Internet Explorer:

1. Go to the 'Tools' menu (IE5 or IE6) or the 'View' menu (IE4).
2. Select 'Internet Options'
3. Check you are looking at the 'General' tab and click 'Settings'.
4. Under 'Check for newer versions of stored pages' select the option 'Every time you start Internet Explorer'.

Netscape Navigator:

1. Go to 'Edit' menu
2. Select 'Preferences'
3. Click on the 'Adv' category in the left hand box
4. Select the 'Cache' sub category
5. Under 'Document in cache is compared to document on network' select 'Once per session'

Security

Is my account information safe with Cards OnLine?

When using Cards OnLine, your information is protected while being transmitted back and forth from the bank to your PC. The information is encrypted when transmitted, which means the data is modified so that it is unreadable.

Are there any additional precautions I can take to keep my information private? What recommendations do you have?

We recommend the following:

• Use the latest version of either Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. Both of these browsers are certified for use at our site.
• Keep your password and Internet PIN confidential. Change it frequently to ensure that no one else can guess it. Do not write it down, and do not let anyone else use it.
• Never walk away from your computer without logging off first, by clicking the sign off link. Once you have ended your session, no further information can be accessed until you sign on to the system again.

Is the Internet safe and secure for on-line banking?

When using Cards OnLine, your information is protected while being transmitted back and forth from the bank to your PC. The information is encrypted when transmitted, which means the data is modified so that it is unreadable.

Can anyone else see my account information? How do you keep my details private and secure?

As long as you keep your security details secret and log off every time you use the on-line service, no one else will be able to access your account information. However, we do recommend that you use only the latest version of either Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. Both of these browsers are certified for use at our site. Please note: Certain internet browsers have functionality built in, known as Autocomplete, which stores information on your PC for reuse when keyed in a future session with sites similar to ours. The browsers are Netscape, Mozilla and Firefox. If you use a PC that is also used by other people and you use any of these browsers whilst using this service, please note the suggested actions below to safeguard your details.

• Log-out when you've finished using this site
• Never leave your computer unattended when logged into a secure session such as Cards OnLine.
• Ensure you log-out properly when you have finished banking online or using another secure site.
• You should never change your security details such as your password on a publicly accessible computer (e.g. in an Internet cafe).
• If you do use a public computer to access Cards OnLine, ensure you are not watched

What about Account Aggregation?

Account aggregation is an internet-based service that allows consumers to view their financial information from multiple products, across multiple financial institutions, on a single web site. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group has serious security concerns about customers passing their security details onto an aggregation service. Consequently, we do not recommend that customers currently use these services. We are investigating the most appropriate means to provide customers with the benefits of Aggregation without compromising security or data integrity.

In the meantime you should not pass your details to an aggregation service provider or store on your computer - even in an encrypted format - your Cards OnLine security details. In the latter case your obligation to take all reasonable precautions to prevent the fraudulent use of your security details (which must be known only to yourself) including not recording them in any way which may result in them becoming known to a third party, will apply to how you keep secret whatever security you apply to accessing the software holding your encrypted security details. If you do give your security details to an aggregation service provider you will be in breach of our Terms of Use. If you enter your security details into aggregation service software you may find yourself to be in breach of our Terms of Use. In both cases you will be exposing yourself to liability for any unauthorised transactions on your account.

What encryption are you using?

We are using 128-bit SSL encryption, which has proven to be highly secure. With this level of scrambling, the 'de-scrambling' of banking details is far too difficult (if possible at all) to pose a significant risk to customer confidentiality. Also we have strong additional safeguards against tampering.

What measures are taken to ensure the service is not open to infection by computer viruses?

No viruses can be uploaded to or downloaded from the site because we do not accept code. In addition all data is carefully screened for viruses by our computer systems.

I use a Local Area Network / operate a corporate firewall. Can I use Cards OnLine?

If your company has a Local Area Network/operates a firewall (to protect your company Local Area Network for others) you may need to ask your Network Administrator to make some special arrangements. To help with this contact us on 0870 154 1234.

• Please also read our website terms and conditions which cover your use of this website