Frequently Asked Questions

In branch - To activate the service immediately, you can visit any HSBC branch where a member of staff will take you though the required registration process. Once this has been done, the staff member will provide you with your Welcome letter and Security Device and direct you to an Internet PC located within the branch, which will enable you to activate the service immediately.

At home - To activate the service you will need:

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Simply call the Business Internet Banking helpdesk and we will send you a new one.

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If you are a Primary User, simply call the Business Internet Banking helpdesk and we will send you a new one.

Secondary Users should contact their Primary User who will need to delete and recreate their user profile (Business Internet Banking, Access & Control).

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You will need to complete a Business Internet Banking application form for each business. Each business will receive its own Welcome Letter.

Once you have activated the first business successfully, log-in as normal. When on your Personal Page, select 'Add another Business Banking ID' from the centre of the screen. You can now activate another business.

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No. The information we send you (Welcome Letter, Activation Code and Security Device) is personal to the Primary User, and should not be shared with anyone else. If you need help whilst setting up the service, please ensure that in doing so you do not compromise your security details.

You should also ensure that your username and password are kept private. If you want someone else to access the service, you should set them up as a Secondary User. The Setup Business / User guide provides information about setting up Secondary Users.

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Download a copy of the Replace Primary User form , then complete and return it to your Relationship Manager or branch.

It is not possible to remove a Primary User without nominating a new one, unless you totally de-register the business from the Business Internet Banking Service.

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It is possible to have up to 99 Secondary Users within the Business Internet Banking service. To set up or remove a Secondary User, select the Access and Control function within the left-hand menu of the Business Internet Banking service and follow the on-screen instructions.

The Setup Business / User guide provides more information.

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Select the Access and Control function within the left-hand menu of the Business Internet Banking service and follow the on-screen instructions.

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To logon to the service, firstly visit www.hsbc.co.uk and select the 'Log on' button found in the top right of the page next to 'Business'.

From here enter in your username, password and security code. Once continued, you will be taken to the Business Internet Banking service.

This is the Username you created during activation.

If you have forgotten your username, our Business Internet Banking Helpdesk will be able to help you once you have correctly answered some security questions. You can call them on 0845 602 2014¹.

Alternatively, if you do not know the answers to your security questions, you can go into any of our branches with valid photographic identification. Our branch staff can call our Business Internet Banking Helpdesk on your behalf to advise you of your username.

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You can reset the password immediately online by using your Security Device and providing the answers to the two memorable questions you provided when you first registered for the service. To do this, select the "Forgot your password?" link on the logon page

If you cannot remember the answers to the questions, you will need to complete and fax us an HSBC Password reset form . This will allow us to set you up with a temporary password, which you will need to reset online within 24 hours.

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If you cannot remember the answers to the questions, and enter them incorrectly, you will be asked to enter your security code, change your memorable questions and enter a new password. You will then be asked to print off, sign and fax a form. When the form is received and sanctioned, the password you submitted will be activated and can be used to log on. You will be sent an email confirming this.

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You can change your memorable questions / answers at any time by selecting 'Edit my details' from the Personal Page and inputting your new memorable questions / answers. You can change one or both of the questions / answers, it's up to you. You will need to input your current password in order to confirm the changes.

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Yes you can. Select 'Edit my details' from the Personal Page and input your new username and or password. You will need to input your current password in order to confirm the changes

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Simply call the Business Internet Banking helpdesk and they will send you a new one along with a Security Device Replacement code.

Alternatively, you can visit your local branch and obtain a new device. Either yourself or the branch will still need to contact the Helpdesk to have a Security Device Replacement code to be sent.

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When you have finished with a Business Internet Banking session, click on the option in the left hand navigation. Never simply close the browser window or you will remain logged on until the session times out.

To log off from our website (your Personal Page), simply click on "Logoff" at the top right hand corner of the screen.

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You should always use the exit/logoff options to exit Business Internet Banking. Use it before you close the browser window, before you use another application on the Internet and any time you leave your desk. If you do not exit the service, the Business Internet Banking session will "time out" after a period of time, but during that time someone else could restart the session on your computer.

Before you leave the computer unattended, always make sure that you have logged off (Please refer to the 'How do I log off?' section above).

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As fraudsters are getting more and more sophisticated we have changed our guidance to help you ensure that using the Internet is a safer experience. We now recommend that you download Rapport to add an extra layer of protection whilst accessing our websites.

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Traditional security software is good however fraudsters are now exploiting the time it takes for this software to be updated.

Rapport works in a different way by securing communication between your keyboard and our website so even if you become infected fraudsters can not access your log on credentials or any information within Internet Banking.

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The software only needs to be downloaded once, it then protects Personal, Business and first direct Internet Banking services.

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Absolutely. Antivirus software and firewalls are vital parts of your computer's defences. You need to make sure your antivirus is up–to–date. Rapport is designed to work alongside your antivirus software and firewall – it's not designed to replace them.

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The software is preconfigured to support the following HSBC websites
HSBC Personal Internet Banking – www.hsbc.co.uk
HSBC Business Internet Banking – www.hsbc.co.uk/business and www.business.hsbc.co.uk
first direct Internet Banking www.firstdirect.co.uk and www.firstdirect.com, further details on how to protect other websites can be found on the Trusteer website

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It works with the following:

Windows
Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7: Internet Explorer 6 and above and Firefox 2 and above

Mac (Intel only)
MacOS Tiger and Leopard: Firefox 3 and above and Safari 4 and above

Note: Mac users will periodically need to manually install updates.

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At present Rapport isn't totally compatible with screen reading software. You can install it however the protection won't work properly as you'd have to turn off some of the key features. If you would like help in configuring so that it provides limited protection please contact the helpdesk .

Trusteer are working to see if a version can be made available for screen readers.

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You need to check for the Rapport icon which appears next to your browser's address bar. You're protected when the icon is green and your information is safe:

You're not protected when the icon is grey, indicating Rapport is not safe–guarding your information:

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Rapport is designed to work alongside antivirus software and firewall products. For a full list of software tested for compatibility visit the Trusteer website

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If you think that someone else has accessed your accounts. Please contact the helpdesk immediately.

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If you have experienced the slow down immediately following installation it is most likely a result of software incompatibility or a clash with malware already on your computer.

Trusteer test Rapport extensively against hundreds of software solutions and do everything they can to prevent, identify and fix such issues however inevitably a few software combinations remain untested.

Trusteer will work with you to resolve the issue you're experiencing.

You can either contact the helpdesk and they will put you in touch with Trusteer direct, or alternatively visit the Trusteer website and click 'Live Support Online' in the left hand menu to start an interactive chat with a member of Trusteer's support team.

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You can either contact the helpdesk and they will put you in touch with Trusteer direct, or alternatively contact the Trusteer support team who will be happy to help you resolve the issue.

If Rapport interrupts with your ongoing work, please do not remove it – turn it off and contact the support team. When Rapport is stopped it will not interfere with your work. If you remove Rapport it makes it very hard for Trusteer to identify the problem and fix it.

To stop Rapport on Windows:
Click Start –> All Programs –> Trusteer Rapport –> Stop Rapport.

To stop Rapport on Mac:
System Preferences –> Other –> Rapport –> Stop Rapport.

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The reason is that Rapport is potentially conflicting with another piece of software on your computer, as a result you are seeing incorrect characters instead of the text you typed.

If you encounter this problem then please follow these instructions:

1. Open Rapport Console:

   a. Click the Rapport icon, located next to the browser's address bar, and then click "Open Console", or
   b. Click Start –> All Programs –> Trusteer Rapport –> Rapport Console

2. Change the policy by following these steps:

   a. At the bottom of the console there is a green right arrow – click it
   b. Click "Edit Policy"
   c. Enter the letters as they are shown in the image and then click OK.
   d. Find "Block Kernel Keyloggers" (8th row – don't confuse it with "Block Keyloggers"
   e. Next to "Block Kernel Keyloggers", Click the drop down menu and choose "Never"
   f. Click "Save"

3. Reboot your computer

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You can store up to 200 BACS beneficiaries and 200 Bill Payment beneficiaries. Please note, if you have more than 200 Bill Payment beneficiaries you will only be able to see the first 200 alphabetically.

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You can create a batch of BACS payments or an individual Bill Payment up to 45 days in advance.

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This facility is currently not available, though we are looking to provide this feature at some time in the future.

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Click on 'Pending Payments', select the appropriate account and any pending payments will be displayed.

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In the left hand navigation select Delete Bill Payment Beneficiary under Payments. Select the beneficiary followed by the option to delete the Beneficiary.

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In the left hand navigation select Delete Bill Payment Beneficiary under Payments. Select the beneficiary followed by the option to delete the Beneficiary reference.

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Yes you can, in the following circumstances:

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BACS payments are subject to the standard BACS cycle and as such the earliest you can set up a payment to be debited / credited is two working days after input (three working days if the BACS payment is created on a non working day).

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CHAPS / Priority payment systems are open from 8am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding Public holidays.

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Yes you can. When you carry forward payees from your beneficiary list you also have the option of entering the details of other beneficiaries. These individuals will receive the funds but will not be added to your beneficiary list.

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If you are a Secondary User and the payment exceeded your single payment limit, it may be that the Primary User or Secondary User with the 'Authorise' permission and a high enough single payment limit to authorise the payment did not authorise the payment.

If you are the Primary User, or a Secondary User and you are sure that the payment was within your limit, call the Business Internet Banking helpdesk and we will look into this for you.

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Simply click on 'Pending Payments' from the left–hand menu. Any payments not yet debited will be displayed and you will be able to view the payees in each batch. Please note that if you are a Secondary User and the batch is over your personal limit then only an individual with a high enough limit to view the batch can do so.

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Just click on the 'BACS Payment History' option from the left hand menu. You will be able to view a breakdown of all BACS payments made within the last 90 days.

For payments older than this please call the Business Internet Banking helpdesk and we will look into this for you.

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You can input BACS payments up to 6.45pm and Bill Payments up to 7.45pm (for payments to other banked customers). There's no cut off time for Bill Payments made to other HSBC accounts.

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You can usually see the IBAN details on a bank statement. We strongly recommend that you confirm all of the payment details with the beneficiary before attempting to make a payment.

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Get Rate is a service used to obtain a foreign exchange rate for Priority Payments. It will therefore only be available to users who have a BIB Priority Payment limit. If you are unsure whether you have a Priority Payment limit, you can check this via the 'Access and Control' function located in the left hand menu in BIB, alternatively you can contact our Business Internet Banking helpdesk .

If you do not have a Priority Payment limit you can request one by completing a Limit Amendment form .

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Once rate has been accepted and the payment has been sent, it cannot be cancelled.

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When making payments via the branch or telephone (depending on the amount) you will be offered the daily rate. This is set each morning and generally stays the same all day. Get Rate on the other hand obtains a live market rate every time you make a payment. For this reason the rates will normally be different.

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As branches receive daily rates which doesn't normally change during the day on some occasions, if the pound is weakening significantly (exchange rate is getting worse), the live market may be lower.

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Get Rate has been launched on a trial basis. This is to confirm that our customers are making use of this new tool and are happy with this new enhancement. If proved successful we can look to roll out to other functions within BIB for example transfer between sterling and foreign currency accounts.

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If you are making a Priority Payment that requires a foreign rate of exchange, you will be required to use the Get Rate tool. This is necessary as the rate of exchange offered by Get Rate will work out the amount in currency to be sent and the amount to be debited to your account in sterling. The Get Rate tool will display this information to you and give you the opportunity to accept or reject what is offered.

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This depends on your own Priority Payments limit and the funds available in your account. You can check what your limit is by selecting 'edit user' under access and control in the left hand menu and then selecting yourself. Scroll down to the payments section, your limit if any will be displayed here. If Priority Payments is not displayed then your limit will nil.

If you do not have a priority payment limit you can request one by completing a Limit Amendment form .

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Priority payments can be made through Business Internet Banking between the hours of 8am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays). Any Priority Payment instruction submitted outside of these hours will not be accepted by BIB.

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Assuming that all of the payment details are valid, HSBC will attempt to send the funds to the beneficiary as soon as possible. Beneficiaries will generally receive payments in the following timescales:

• Next working day for payments within the European Economic Area (EEA) in Sterling and Euros
• Up to 2 working days for payments within the EEA in all other EEA currencies
• Up to 4 working days for payments outside the EEA and/or in a non–EEA currency but this may take longer depending on the country to which the payment is being sent.

We strongly recommend that you confirm all of the payment details with the beneficiary bank and the beneficiary before attempting to make a payment.

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Download a Limit Amendment form , complete and return it to your Relationship Manager or branch.

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As a Primary User you can check your limits and those of any Secondary Users at any time. Simply click on 'Access & Control' then click on the name of the person whose limits you wish to see (as the Primary User your limits are the same as the company limits for Business Internet Banking).

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If you are a Primary User, please call the Business Internet Banking helpdesk . We will check that your account holding branch / Relationship Manager has approved the limits you requested.

If you are a Secondary User, speak to your Primary User as they will need to amend your payment limit online (Business Internet Banking, Access & Control, Edit User).

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The maximum amount that can be created/amended is the same as your Bill/BACS single payment limit (whichever is higher).

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An application for an additional card should take no more than 14 days to process. If 14 days has passed please contact our Business Telephone Banking team on 08457 606 060 so we can look into this for you.

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You should be in receipt of your card within 14 days of us receiving your completed application. If you still haven't received your card after 14 days, please contact our Business Telephone Banking team on 08457 606 060.

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Please contact our Business Telephone Banking team on 08457 606 060 so that we can look into this for you.

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You may not be able to see your cardholder account for the following reasons:

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Due to the potentially urgent nature of this request, we ask that you telephone us immediately so that we can cancel the card without further delay on 0846 007 010 from within the UK or +441442 442 422 929 from overseas.

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This facility is not available on BIB. If you require a copy of a transaction posted on your Business/Commercial card, please contact our Business Telephone Banking team on 08457 606 060.

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You may not be able to see all your accounts for any one of the following reasons:

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You can view all transactions on your accounts since your last statement was produced, including transactions posted today.

For Business current and savings accounts, you will be able to view at least 6 years of statements.

For Business Card and Commercial Card accounts, you can view transactions from the date of your last statement. You can also see last 6 months statements for all of your cardholders.

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You can download into Quicken®, QuickBooks®, and Microsoft Money®. We support 2003 to 2006 versions of Quicken and QuickBooks and all versions of Microsoft Money. You can also download data in file formats that work with popular spreadsheet and database programs.

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You will need to set up your personal account as either a BACS or Bill Payment beneficiary. If you do not have a BACS / Bill Payment limit you can apply for one by completing a Limit Amendment Request . This should be forwarded to your Relationship Manager or account holding branch for authorisation.

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Yes you can. Simply click on 'Pending Transfers'. Any transfers that have not debited your account can be cancelled on this screen.

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A cheque number will be required in order to place a stop on it. Please refer to your cheque book.

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Please call our Business Internet Banking helpdesk on 0845 602 2014 so we can look into this for you.

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Standing Orders where the beneficiary's account details begin 40 (i.e. HSBC accounts), will normally be received on the same day as the Standing Order is sent, (subject to sufficient funds, including any agreed overdraft, covering the Standing Order payment being in your account on that day).

Standing Orders being sent within the Standing Order Faster Payment limit, and paid to banks participating in the Faster Payment scheme, will be received the same day by the beneficiary bank. To check the payments limit and if the beneficiary bank participates in the scheme please check the UK Payments website: www.ukpayments.org.uk

HSBC Faster Payment limit is £20 from 24th September 2010; this will be increased to £50 from 05th October 2010.

All other Standing Orders will take up to 3 working days from the day the standing order is sent to reach the beneficiary bank (subject to cut-off times, amount and sufficient funds including any agreed overdraft covering the standing order payment being in your account on that day).

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This function will allow you to request an image of a cheque or credit.

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A charge may be applied for multiple requests (we will notify you by telephone).

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Please call our Business Internet Banking helpdesk on 0845 602 2014 so we can look into this for you.

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If you are a Secondary User, you will only see functions for which you have been granted the privilege. If you require access to one or more of the other functions, please speak to your Primary User.

If you are the Primary User, please contact our Business Internet Banking helpdesk on 0845 602 2014.

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For Business Card and Commercial Card accounts you can view the last six months' statements. For Business current and savings accounts, you will be able to see at least 6 years of statements.

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No, you will need to register for our Personal Internet Banking service.

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Indicative currency rates are available from the Priority Payments function in BIB.

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We do not currently list transactions for foreign currency accounts but are able to display various balances for these account types within the Account List section. We are looking to provide access to transactions in the future.

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Primary Users have the ability to switch off and amend the statement frequency by selecting 'Manage Statements' in the left hand menu.

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You can go to 'Account Information' under Trade Services to view the Export DCs.

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Once the category is selected, transactions summary will be displayed in the form of a table. You can click at the DC number or bill number to get detailed information. Moreover, a 'Download' function is provided for convenience.

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Account information is refreshed each time the user logs onto the BIB service and selects Trade Services.

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You can download the summary/details of DCs/bills in the following ways.

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When you select the information from 'Account Information' or 'Quick Filter', the items displayed within a summary list can be sorted by clicking the column heading. Clicking the field further will toggle the sorting between ascending and descending order.

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Your import account will have been loaded to the system and will populate the appropriate field automatically. The service will only appear on your menu if the Primary user has granted you access to this service. Additional user (s) who have been assigned more privileges may have to access the service to effect the request to the Bank. Please check with your Primary user to confirm your personal entitlements.

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Saved DC application will show status 'Pending Authorisation ' – if the user does not have authorisation, – or Submitted if they do have authorisation capability (as long as all necessary fields have been populated ; if the mandatory fields have not been completed , the document will not save and error message(s) will be displayed prompting appropriate completion of those fields) The status will only display 'Incomplete' if It has been 'Saved as Incomplete'

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You can do so by assigning different signature groups to different users. Users who have no signature group and limit but with DC Application/Amendment rights can prepare DC, but are unable to authorise the submission of the DC to the Bank. The DC application has to be authorised by another user with sufficient transaction limit and with the appropriate signature groups before it is transmitted to the Bank.

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No. DC number will only be assigned after the DC has been issued and sent out by the Bank. However, customers who have pre–arranged DC numbers with HSBC can use those numbers for applying DC via Business Internet Banking.

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Once the DC has been issued by HSBC, the status of the DC will be changed from 'Submitted' to 'Issued'. You can go to 'Account Information' under 'Trade Services' to retrieve the latest status of the DC.

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For DC not yet issued by the Bank, you should contact our staff in Trade Services directly to amend/cancel the DC. For DC issued by the Bank, you can submit a DC amendment using Business Internet Banking and input all the amendment details accordingly. By clicking on the status 'issued' you are able to print off a copy of the issued document via ' Download copy in PDF' . A paper copy will be received by post from the Bank in the next few days in accordance with the Bank's laid down procedures.

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Yes. You can apply for a DC amendment on Business Internet Banking, provided that the original DC has already been issued.

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You can apply unlimited number of DC amendments, provided that the Bank has already issued the original DC and/or the previous amendments.

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After the DC application/amendment is issued by us, charges would be debited automatically from the pre–arranged charge account.

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A template is a model document, which is filled with the information used frequently, such as applicant's and beneficiary's details, clauses and terms and conditions. Template can be saved in the course of filling out a DC application or created on its own. Templates are used to facilitate the creation of DC application form, with terms and conditions very similar to previous transactions. It saves input effort and helps to avoid typing mistakes. The trade templates and lists feature is an assignable service under Business Internet Banking.

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You may save your details and the beneficiaries' details in the Applicant List and Beneficiary List respectively. Information from the Applicant/Beneficiary List can be retrieved online during DC application. The trade templates and lists feature is an assignable service under Business Internet Banking.

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You can go to 'Import Bill instructions" under Trade Service, any bill outstanding & requiring action ie; acceptance &/or payment instruction ,will be displayed. Click on the Bill reference and the bill details will be shown to you. Proceed to select your payment method, input all the necessary information and click 'Submit'.

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Yes. Discrepancies will be listed for your selection to accept or reject the discrepancies.

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You can do so by assigning different signature groups to different users. Users who have no signature group and limit but with Import Bill instruction rights can prepare, but are unable to authorise the submission to the Bank. The import bill instruction has to be first authorised by another user with sufficient transaction limit and of appropriate signature groups before it is transmitted to the Bank.

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You can go to 'Export DC transfer' under Trade Services. Click on the DC that you wish to transfer. You will see these options: Partial transfer with substitution of invoices or Partial transfer without substitution of invoices or Full transfer of the DC in its entirety. Click on one of these options, complete the details and click "Submit".

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Trade facilities such as import and export lines granted by the Bank to your company can be viewed online. Information displayed under 'Facilities' include the, limit granted, the outstanding amount and available amount.

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For facilities where additional information is available, you can move the mouse over the red text, You will see that there are hyperlinks, which you can click on to get more information.

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The following services are available online through ITS:

Please refer the Internet Trade Services section of the Business Internet Banking User Guide for further information on usage of Trade Services.

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Please refer to the 'International Business Price List'.

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A Documentary Credit (DC) is a commitment given by the buyer's bank, to the seller, that they will make payment upon presentation of a pre–agreed, specified set of documents to a bank. For more information, please refer to the 'Import Documentary Credit' section of the International section of the internet.

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You would need to discuss this with your Relationship Manager.

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Once we have approved your application, and as long as you have internet access, your User ID and Password, you can use automatic trade banking anywhere and at any time. You can allocate your staff with access to the same information, wherever they're located.

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