The accessibility gap: is your bank raising the bar for disabled customers?

A Which? investigation has exposed a two-tier banking system with some current account providers raising the bar to ensure disabled customers are not unnecessarily disadvantaged, while others appear to offer little more than lip service to inclusivity. 

Our latest research, based on the experiences of more than 2,000 disabled bank customers, brings this disparity into sharp focus. This is the third time we've carried out this research and the same brand names appear again at the bottom of the rankings, after failing to improve services for the estimated 16.8 million disabled people in the UK – a quarter of the total population.

Here, we explore the obstacles making their day-to-day banking a slog and put a spotlight on the providers going the extra mile to remove them. 

First in Which? Money magazine

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Who are the banking accessibility champions?

First Direct and Nationwide have cemented themselves as accessibility champions once again. Both came out on top in our 2023 and 2021 surveys of disabled customers too, so we think they can be relied on to provide excellent service year after year. 

First Direct received the highest customer score of the 13 current account providers rated by some margin, with 88%. One customer of 30 years, who is severely sight impaired, rates its five-star telephone banking service above all else, telling us: ‘Staff are always helpful and efficient. It’s probably the only organisation with which I have no problem with my disability.’ 

Second-placed Nationwide (78%) continues to win over customers who prefer face-to-face banking. Its promise to keep all 605 of its branches open until at least the start of 2030 has been hugely popular, bucking the industry trend to make swathes of closures. 

At the other end of the scale, TSB has ended up towards the bottom of our table once again. It’s joined by NatWest, which also received a customer score of 54% this year, while Virgin Money registered the lowest score of 52%. Virgin Money also had the highest proportion of customers rating it as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ for online banking (20%) and mobile banking (16%). 

For telephone banking, HSBC took the unwanted crown for highest proportion (20%) of customers rating it as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’, while Bank of Scotland was at the bottom of the pile for branch banking (29%).

Common banking barriers

Disabled bank customers told us they face significant physical and digital hurdles that can make managing their finances a challenge.

• The collapse of the UK branch network: In our survey, 36% told us they find branch banking difficult due to a wide variety of barriers, including limited parking, toilet facilities and seating, and no low counters for mobility scooters and wheelchairs. Most common of all was the long and potentially prohibitive distance to the nearest open branch. Banking hubs (where banks share premises) can help to plug the gap, but branches being closed or inaccessible was still the most common problem reported to us.
• Digital exclusion: Replacing branch-based banking with digital services stings even more if they aren’t up to scratch. While only 9% of respondents reported difficulty navigating their banks’ websites overall, this figure soars for specific groups: 33% for those who learn differently (for example, due to dyslexia or dyscalculia), and 21% for people with memory impairments (such as vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s).
• Accessibility standards not met: International accessibility standards, known as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a good indicator of progress, with three conformance levels: A, AA, and AAA. Level AA standards are widely considered the industry benchmark for legal compliance and best practice, but some banks lag behind, including Metro Bank, which only meets ‘a number of AA criteria’ for its public website, online banking and app. It says it’s ‘actively working towards improvements’.

Improvements disabled customers want to see

When we asked disabled customers how banks can improve services, a few priorities emerged. 

Several people lamented the loss of dedicated phone lines for older and more vulnerable customers during Covid lockdowns. No banks have helplines or email addresses specifically for disabled customers, although NatWest Group has a support line for over-60s and Starling has a self-disclosure tool. This allows disabled users to ask its UK-based ‘enhanced customer care team’ to contact them directly. 

Training staff to be more aware and sensitive to a wide range of support needs was a common theme, as was calling for banks to pilot-test digital and automated telephony services before they are released.

We were disappointed to learn that many still haven’t made it a priority. While Nationwide works with Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) for annual audits, which includes disabled user testing of content, Metro Bank is yet to conduct any user testing on its digital services, and TSB hasn’t had its app assessed since 2023. 

Robin Christopherson, head of digital inclusion at AbilityNet, a UK tech charity which works with banks to improve digital accessibility, told us there has been meaningful progress over the past two decades. But, he said, ‘significant variation remains across the sector’ and some banks ‘do not actively include disabled participants unless prompted, which limits their ability to spot critical barriers’.

• Find out more: best banks and bank accounts in 2026.

‘Switching banks really paid off’

Betty, 75, and her partner Gill, 82, recently switched to Nationwide after being with the Co-operative Bank for many years. 

Betty told us: ‘The Co-operative Bank was generally good, and staff were lovely when you could get through to them, but we would often be on hold for 30 or 40 minutes. It seemed a bit clunky and understaffed. It also doesn’t have many branches.

'Nationwide feels like a decent ethical alternative and it’s committed to keeping all its branches.

‘My partner has dementia and, while it’s moderate at the moment, it will gradually get worse. When I explained this, Nationwide said, “Come and have a talk with us,” so we went to a branch. I got the sense that we had as much time as we needed and that they understood how best to help us. They were so helpful and positive. 

‘It’s nice to learn that Nationwide also recognises the sunflower lanyard scheme, where customers can signal a non-visible disability and that they may need extra help.

‘All banks should have staff trained to help customers with dementia and a range of disabilities – it makes a big difference.'

• Find out more: how to switch your bank account in 5 steps.

Telling your bank about your support needs

It should be easier than ever to tell your bank about your support needs, thanks to the Consumer Duty. This obliges financial firms to anticipate the needs of disabled and vulnerable customers by proactively providing reasonable adjustments and setting up systems for them to disclose their needs, if they choose. 

Only 26% of disabled people we surveyed have told their bank or building society about their disability. Many said they don’t see the point since they bank online, though others feel they have ‘no one to tell’ since their local branch was closed. Those who did generally had a positive experience, as 48% said their bank was helpful in outlining the available support or putting adjustments in place. 

Only 22% said they were unhelpful, though this soared to 41% for customers with memory impairments. A single, standardised process would help – 63% told us they are open to using a ‘Tell Us Once’ service to share reasonable adjustments or support needs with multiple organisations. 

Services such as the Experian Support Hub aim to bridge this gap, providing a one-stop portal covering a growing list of financial services firms.

Banks respond 

We shared our findings with two of the lowest-scoring banks in our survey, TSB and Virgin Money.

TSB said: ‘We take the accessibility needs of our customers very seriously and engage with charities and people with disabilities to continue to improve our services. We have over 250 physical locations across the UK where customers can carry out their banking in person. In addition, we are one of the few banks that offers video banking, which can be a great tool for those with accessibility issues.’

Virgin Money cited improvements such as instant access to remote interpretation services and Speak Easy cards in branches (as with parent bank Nationwide). It said: ‘Naturally, we’re disappointed to see the result as it’s not what we strive for, for our customers. However, we value all feedback and will use these findings to further improve our approach to accessibility to help create an inclusive experience for all customers.’