Santander to close 95 branches in 2025: is yours on the list? 

Santander will close 95 branches this year and cut services at others, with 36 sites reducing their hours and 18 going counter-free. 

These will be the bank’s first closures since new rules protecting access to cash came into force last September and the largest wave since 2021 when it shut 111 branches. Last year, it made no closures. Five branches closed in 2023 and one in 2022.

Here, Which? outlines the Santander branches due to close in 2025 and what the news means for the customers who rely on them.

Which Santander branches are closing in 2025?

The vast majority of closures are in England, with 11 in Scotland, seven in Northern Ireland and six in Wales.

Most will shut between June and August, although 20 branches do not yet have a confirmed closure date.

This table shows the locations and closure dates of the 95 branches.

What else is Santander changing?

The branch closures will leave Santander with 290 full-service branches, 36 reduced-hours branches, 18 counter-free branches, and five work cafés.

Santander says it will replace the 95 closing branches with community bankers who provide face-to-face money management support, visit communities weekly and attend local banking hubs.

From 30 June, reduced-hours branches will open on either Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.30am to 3pm, or Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am to 3pm. Saturday hours will be 9.30am to 12.30pm. 

Counter-free branches will continue to offer face-to-face service from Santander staff but without traditional teller counters.

Santander is also expanding its work café network, which provides co-working spaces for local communities and businesses. These spaces are free to use, even for non-customers. 

The bank currently has five work cafés in Milton Keynes, Leeds and three London locations (Triton Square, Cheapside and Kensington). Another site is set to open soon, but its location has not yet been confirmed.

Why is Santander closing branches?

Santander says it is adapting its branch network as more customers move to digital banking.

It says: 'Our mix of full-service branches, work cafés, counter-free branches, and reduced-hours sites aims to balance digital banking with face-to-face support.

'Closing a branch is always a difficult decision, and we carefully assess when and where to do this to minimise the impact on customers.'

Santander claims 93% of the UK population will remain within 10 miles of a branch, with customers also able to bank at more than 11,000 Post Office branches and 112 banking hubs. All branches due to close are within one mile of the nearest Post Office.

The bank will contact potentially vulnerable customers to help them find alternative ways to bank, including other branches, digital and telephone banking, and Post Office services. 

A dedicated phone line has been set up for customers seeking support or information about the closures on 0330 678 2469.

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Which other banks are closing branches in 2025?

A total of 377 bank branches are due to close this year, including the following: 

• Lloyds Group (including Bank of Scotland and Halifax): 215
• NatWest: 53 
• TSB: 8
• Barclays: 6

To find out whether your local branch is closing or has recently closed, our closure checker tool shows those shutting down in your local authority area.

What is being done to protect access to cash?

Here are some of the measures that have been brought in since we started our campaign to protect cash:

New law to protect cash

Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules stipulate that banks and building societies will need to weigh up if local communities lack access to cash services – such as branches and ATMs – and plug significant gaps.

Specifically, they will be required to assess cash access and check whether additional services are needed when changes are made to local services, such as the closure of a local branch.

The rules also state that local residents and community groups will be able to request an assessment of whether there are gaps in local cash access, which providers must respond to. These requests can be made via Link, which operates much of the UK's ATM network and coordinates between the FCA and banks on access to cash.

Where significant gaps are found, providers will have to deliver reasonable additional cash services.

In such cases, banks and building societies will be required to keep facilities such as branches and ATMs open until alternative cash services become available.

• Find out more: how Which? campaigned to protect cash and won

Post Office services

Since January 2020, customers of certain banks have been able to use Post Office branches to withdraw and deposit cash in their accounts and make balance queries. Most banks will also allow you to deposit cheques. 

This service, described as a 'lifeline' by the Post Office, means that people can still access essential services, even if their local bank branch has shut. 

• Find out more: Post Office continues to offer services for 30 bank and building societies

Cashback 

This initiative allows people to request cashback at the till in their local convenience store without needing to make a purchase or pay a fee. It became possible last summer after a change in legislation. 

Link’s ‘cash at the till’ service has become a popular way to access cash in shops, with £5.5m withdrawn each month. Customers can withdraw any amount from 1p to £50, depending on their account balance and the cash available in the retailer’s till. Notes and coins are available.