Direct debit payments: Frequently asked questions

YOUR RIGHTS

Organisations using the Direct Debit Scheme go through a careful vetting process before they're authorised, and are closely monitored by the banking industry. The efficiency and security of Direct Debit are monitored and protected by your own bank or building society.

The Direct Debit Guarantee applies to all Direct Debits. It protects you in the rare event that there is an error in the payment of your Direct Debit, for instance, if a payment is taken on the incorrect date, or the wrong amount is collected.

DIRECT DEBIT GUARANTEE

• The Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits.
• If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit the organisation will notify you (normally 10 working days) in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request the organisation to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request.
• If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by the organisation or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.
• If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when the organisation asks you to.
• You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify the organisation.

Thank you so much for setting up a Direct Debit with WWF, we're really grateful for all your kind support.

Our Direct Debits are claimed on two dates; on or around the 14th of the month or the last working day of the month.

You'll receive written confirmation of your Direct Debit details including the date your Direct Debit will be claimed at least ten working days in advance of your first Direct Debit payment.

Under the Direct Debit Guarantee, we'll always contact you at least ten working days in advance if we need to make any changes to the way we administer your Direct Debit.

Regular gifts by Direct Debit mean charities have a consistent, predictable income, so we can plan and budget better and therefore be more efficient.

They also give long-term security and enable short-term response to react to situations as soon as they arise; and the income to carry on with our work whether issues are receiving media coverage or not.

Regular gifts also mean lower support costs and cheaper bank charges so that more of your money goes to our work.

Ongoing support helps us recoup the higher costs of securing new donors. Securing new donors' support is crucial to allow the charity to keep functioning. However, there's a certain cost associated with reaching those donors. If people commit to giving regularly for a year or more, charities will recoup those costs.

We only offer two dates for your Direct Debit to be claimed: on or around the 14th or the 26th of every month.  With Direct Debits claimed on or around the 26th of the month, your donation will be debited from your bank account on the last working day of the month.

If you’d like to change the date your Direct Debit is currently claimed,  please call our Supporter Care team on 0800 035 5929 (8am to 10pm, 7 days a week).

Usually, if you change your bank account details, your bank will provide a service where they notify all of your Direct Debit Service Users of your new account details so you don't have to do anything.

However, if you've chosen to advise all Service Users of your new details yourself, you can call our Supporter Care team on 0800 035 5929 (8am to 10pm, 7 days a week) or download and complete a printable form.

For data protection reasons, please don't send your new bank account details to us via e-mail or web form.

Yes, it's possible to support us by Direct Debit if you're overseas but only if you have a UK bank or building society account that accepts Direct Debits.

If you don't have a UK bank or building society that accepts Direct Debit, you can still support us by paying annually by credit card. Just select the 'prefer a one-off payment' option shown underneath the Adopt Now button on the website and follow the instructions.

Alternatively, we can set this up over the telephone. To do this, please call our Adoption and Membership team on 0800 035 5929 (8am to 10pm, 7 days a week).

Please note that there's an additional charge to cover the cost of postage overseas - Europe £4.00, Rest of the World £9.00.

We aim to dispatch your pack within three working days; for Europe, please allow 21 days for delivery; for the rest of the world, please allow 4-6 weeks.

The easiest way to inform us you’d like to change the amount of your Direct Debit is by using our web form and choosing 'Upgrade how much I give' if you'd like to increase your donation or 'Downgrade how much I give' if you'd like to decrease it.  Or you can call our Supporter Care team on 0800 035 5929 (8am to 10pm, 7 days a week).

Alternatively, you can download a form, complete and return direct to us. Upon receipt of the completed from, we will make the changes to your Direct Debit.

You'll receive written confirmation of the changes to your donation amount at least ten working days in advance of your next Direct Debit payment.

Please note, if you pay for an adoption or membership, the minimum that you can pay is £3.00 per month or £36.00 per annum. Should you wish to pay less than this, your adoption or membership will be converted to a committed donation.

The easiest way to inform us you’d like to cancel your donations is by using our web form or by calling our Supporter Care team on 0800 035 5929 (8am to 10pm, 7 days a week). We will cancel your Direct Debit within 5 working days.

Alternatively, you can complete our printable form and send it to us. Please note the cancellation may take longer by post.

You can also cancel your Direct Debit any time by contacting your bank by telephone, in person or via online banking. Letting us know you’d like to cancel avoids us contacting you to confirm your decision.  We recommend you cancel your Direct Debit directly with your bank even if you've already contacted us.  This is to ensure that any pending donations are not claimed.  Your bank will generally require at least a days notice before your next donation is due.

The option for recurring card payments is being trialled and is only available via one of our face-to-face fundraisers.