A Complete Letdown: Lloyds Bank Business Account Leaves Me Stranded Abroad
As a business owner managing finances while abroad, I expected Lloyds Bank to offer a level of service befitting its reputation. Instead, I’ve been met with inefficiency, outdated systems, and a complete lack of support, leaving me frustrated and unable to access my account for potentially months.
The trouble began when I ordered a new debit card and PIN while on a seven-month business trip abroad. To my dismay, Lloyds required me to return to the UK just to collect the card—a massive inconvenience and expense, as no other options for delivery or collection were offered. Upon my return abroad, I discovered that the PIN was locked. Here’s where Lloyds really failed me: the PIN could only be unlocked via a UK ATM.
Yes, you read that correctly. Despite being in 2025, Lloyds Bank has no option for remote unlocking via their app, phone, or support team. Their suggestion? Wait another eight months until I return to the UK or somehow find a UK ATM in my location. To make matters worse, I was informed there is no way to generate or set a new PIN through their app—a feature that all my other banking providers, including Santander, Wise, Revolut, and even NatWest, have offered for years.
This archaic system has left me in a position where I cannot use my Lloyds business account at all and am now forced to conduct all my transactions through my personal Santander account. Not only does this mix my business and personal finances, which is a logistical and tax nightmare, but it also reflects poorly on my professionalism.
To add salt to the wound, Lloyds Bank’s support team has been utterly unhelpful. Their responses were robotic, and no solutions were offered beyond repeatedly pointing out their inability to act remotely. Why can other banks, including app-based services like Wise and Revolut, offer seamless PIN locking and unlocking or even PIN resets through their apps, while Lloyds remains stuck in the past?
This experience has been a logistical nightmare and a colossal waste of time and resources. Lloyds Bank’s failure to keep up with basic technological advancements, compounded by a lack of customer support, has made my situation infinitely harder than it needed to be.
To anyone considering Lloyds for their business banking needs, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. Their outdated systems, poor customer service, and complete lack of support for remote clients make them a terrible choice for any modern business owner. If you value accessibility, reliability, and customer support, avoid Lloyds at all costs.
