Pots are a digital feature linked to your existing Ulster Bank current account. They allow you to separate money from your main account balance, helping you organise your spending. Pots don’t earn interest.
You can top up your pots with as much money as you like. If you want to spend, you can create a virtual debit card for your pot and use it in-store (via your digital wallet), online or over the phone, with no need to transfer the money back to your linked account.
Pots can be used to organise your money for various needs and goals. Pots can also help you to budget more effectively, and have more control of your day-to-day spending, helping you to achieve short-term financial goals. You'll be able to give your pots a purpose by personalising your pot name and image.
You can create a virtual debit card for your pot and use it in-store (via your digital wallet), online or over the phone, making it easier to spend the money you’ve set aside without transferring it back to your current account.
You can create up to 10 pots per eligible current account, which can then be used to organise your money for various needs and goals. Top up your pots whenever you like and when you’re ready to spend, there’s no need to transfer money back to your linked current account — you can create a virtual debit card for your pot (subject to limits) and use it in-store (via your digital wallet), online or over the phone.
Yes, you can create a pot with a joint account. All parties on your joint account will be able to access and manage the pot. All parties can also create a virtual debit card on the pot (subject to limits).
You can create a pot instantly on the mobile app, or Anytime Internet Banking if you have an eligible current account.
To be eligible for pots, you must be over 18, hold a valid personal current account with us and are registered to use our mobile app or Anytime Internet Banking.
Depending on the signing rules of the request, we may be able to add a mandate to an MTA which has linked pots.
* TPM = Third Party Mandate. We can add TPM's to an MTA with linked pots.
** POA = Power of Attorney. If the signing rules of the request are one-to-sign (a sole POA request), we can add this mandate to an MTA which has linked pots. If the signing rules of the request are two-to-sign (a joint POA request), we cannot add this mandate to an MTA which has linked pots.
*** COP = Court of Protection. We cannot add COP mandates to an MTA with linked pots.
Opening a pot won't impact your credit score.
When opening your first pot, you'll have an option to view and download the T&Cs as a PDF. We'll also send them to your secure inbox, which you can access via the mobile app and Anytime Internet Banking. You can also find them on the pots page on our website.
Pots don't earn interest and are for short-term budgeting. If you have a longer term savings goal in mind, or would like to earn interest on your money, you can take a look at our savings products.
Any money in pots is separate from your linked current account. If your linked account is in an overdraft position, you'll start to build interest costs, even if there is money in pots.
Pots don't have an overdraft feature, therefore if you try and spend from a pot and there isn't enough money in it, the transaction will be declined. In limited circumstances, for example where the amount of a payment isn’t known straight away, if there isn’t enough money in your pot when it’s taken, we’ll take the full amount from your linked account instead.
Pot money is separate from your linked current account. You'll need to ensure you have enough money in your current account to cover any transactions, even if there is money in pots, otherwise these will be declined or the account will go into overdraft (charges may apply).
Pots don’t earn interest. If you want to save, or earn interest, please review our savings account options.
Money can be transferred to and from pots and the linked current account easily, at any time day or night. To spend the money in a pot, you can create a virtual debit card for your pot and use it in-store (via your digital wallet), online or over the phone, or transfer the money back to the linked current account and spend from there.
You can download and print a PDF of the terms and conditions during the opening journey, or you can request paper copies of documents from our website or via frontline colleagues.
If you want to change the account any pots are linked to, all pots need to be closed, and new pots opened linked to the preferred current account.
When you'd like to use the money in your pots, you create a virtual debit card for your pot and use it in-store (via your digital wallet), online or over the phone, or you can transfer the money back to your linked current account and spend from there.
Top up your pot via your linked account. You won't be able to top up your pot using your overdraft.
Pots will only be visible on your mobile app or Anytime Internet Banking under your accounts on the home screen. You'll be sent regular statements for pots where you can view transactions. If you have any queries about your pots talk to us in branch, give us a call or chat to Cora.
Digital statements will be issued on a monthly basis (if a transaction has been made in that month). To self-serve, you can download these to save or print. If you want to receive a paper copy of a statement, or a paper copy in large print or braille, you can self-serve and request one via Cora under the 'Help' section in the mobile app, or we can assist and order these for you in the same way we would today. If you already receive accessible statements including large print or braille, you'll continue to receive these.
You won't be able to change the frequency of statements. We'll only send you a monthly statement if you've made a transaction that month. If there hasn’t been any transactions during a monthly period, you won’t get a statement.
When opening your pot, you'll be given the option to add your own name or choose from a pre-defined list. Biometric approval must be enabled to personalise pot names. You can do this via the mobile app by clicking 'My Profile' then 'Settings' and 'Biometric Approval'.
When opening your pot, you'll be given the option to add your own image by taking a photo or, uploading one from your photo library. Biometric approval must be enabled to personalise pot images. You can do this via the mobile app by clicking 'My Profile' then 'Settings' and 'Biometric Approval'.
You can click on the specific transaction and you'll be presented with a couple of options, one of which is to 'Create PDF'. Click on this option and select whether you would like to save it to files, print, or send via a medium such as email or WhatsApp.
You can click on the transaction for further details. If you're still unsure, you can report the transaction as possible fraud by selecting the transaction and clicking 'Report a dispute, fraud or scam' or you can call our customer service team on the number listed on the back of your card, and one of our agents will be able to help you.
All successful fraud, scam or dispute refunds will be refunded into your linked current account.
Yes, cleared pot transactions will be included in the spending insights data for your linked account. At the moment, pending transactions on pots will not be included in spending insights data, but look out for this coming in a future release.
If push notifications are on, then a notification will be sent when a pot has been opened, closed, or if money is transferred in or out of a pot, by another party on the joint account.
Pots can be opened on the mobile app or Anytime Internet Banking, and the account eligibility criteria can be found on our website. If experiencing technical difficulties, please try again later.
Pots can be opened on the next business day after cancelling the industry account switch.
If one party on a joint account is not mobile registered, then the account will not be eligible for pots.
If you've opened pots previously, and then added a non-mobile registered party to your account, then you will still have access to pots until you close the last pot on the account. However, you'll not be able to open any new pots until all parties on the account are mobile registered.
You can close pots via the mobile app or Anytime Internet Banking.
In the mobile app:
Go to the top right of your pot, select the three dots and tap ‘Close’ at the bottom of the screen.
In Anytime Internet Banking:
Select the pot you'd like to close and click 'Close pot'
If the pot is closing as part of an account switcher process, this will be done automatically for you.
If you have any virtual debit cards linked to your pot, these will be cancelled automatically for you when the pot is closed.
Once all pots linked to a current account are closed, and no further pots are opened before 6:30pm the same business day, you'll receive a closing statement for pots via post.
Pots can be kept open for as long as required and used to help organise your money for future spending.
Pots will be closed by Day 5 after you have requested to switch to another bank.
To create a virtual debit card on your pot, simply log into the mobile app and select the pot you'd like to link a virtual card to and select 'Add a virtual card'. You will need to have registered your biometrics with us before you can do this.
Yes, they are free.
You can have up to 2 virtual debit cards at any one time and a maximum of 25 per year. These limits apply at the account level, meaning virtual debit cards linked to your current account are also included. The limit also applies to joint accounts - if you have a joint account, the limit of 2 virtual debit cards will be shared between both parties on the account. For more information on virtual debit cards on current accounts, click here.
Linking a virtual debit card to your pot allows you to spend directly from it, meaning you don't have to transfer money back to your linked current account to use it.
Virtual debit cards have a maximum spend limit of £5,000 per card, per day.
You can use your pots virtual debit card for online shopping, in-store payments and over the phone.
You can also use your pots virtual debit card abroad and/or for payments in foreign currency, subject to the travel spend rules of your linked current account.
Note: if you use your pots virtual debit card for a purchase in Euros or US Dollars and have an active Travel Account with enough available funds to cover the payment, your Travel Account funds will not be used.
Virtual debit cards cannot be used for:
Gambling (including The National Lottery and betting)
Cryptocurrency payments
Money transfers (e.g. Western Union or topping up your account elsewhere)
Funding a prepaid debit card
Paying a credit card
Cash withdrawals (Get Cash available via the mobile app)
You can still use your physical debit card linked to your current account for these payments, subject to certain limits.
Most virtual debit cards will be available to use instantly. You will receive an in-app notification when the card is ready to use; ensure your notifications are enabled in the app by going to ‘Home’ > ‘My Profile’ > ‘Notification preferences’ > ‘Current Account’.
Apple Pay and Google Pay are digital wallets that allow you to store and use your payment cards for purchases (they are not payment tools). You must add your payment cards to them to make purchases through these wallets.
Important: If you receive an unexpected One-Time Passcode (OTP) regarding adding your card to Apple Pay or Google Pay when you haven’t initiated this, do not proceed and contact us immediately. Your card details may be compromised.
Be fraud aware: if you ever receive an unexpected onetime passcode (OTP) that says you are adding your card to Apple Pay or Google Pay, and this isn’t what you are trying to do, don’t continue. Contact us immediately by calling the number on the back of your card- your card details could be compromised.
If you lose your mobile device, let us know by chatting to Cora via Anytime Internet Banking so we can suspend your mobile banking app. You can also contact us.
If you suspect your device has been stolen you should also contact the police.
Yes, your Apple Pay or Google Pay will continue to work – we will automatically update your card details for you.
No. If your virtual debit card is cancelled due to fraud, you will need to contact any merchants you have a regular payment or subscription with and provide them with your new card details. You will also need to add your new card details to your Digital Wallet once it is issued.
Cora can help with a wide range of queries and show you how to do your banking.
