Online Direct Debit Guide

Welcome to our guide to playing by Direct Debit.

Playing by Direct Debit is easy

It's continuous, so you'll always be in the draw until you tell us otherwise.
You won't have to buy (and you won’t lose!) another ticket again.
We check your numbers for you.
We let you know if you've won.
We even pay you your winnings automatically when you win anything up to and including £50,000.

Playing by Direct Debit is a free service so you pay the same price you would if you bought your tickets from a National Lottery retailer.

How to play by Direct Debit

You need to have a National Lottery account and must be physically located in the UK or Isle of Man when setting up a Direct Debit.

You can currently play Lotto, Thunderball and EuroMillions and UK Millionaire Maker by Direct Debit.
You can play Lotto by Direct Debit on Wednesdays, Saturdays, or both.
You can play EuroMillions and UK Millionaire Maker by Direct Debit on Tuesdays, Fridays or both.
You can play Thunderball by Direct Debit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays or any combination of these days.
To set up a Direct Debit, just fill in your play slip as normal and choose the option to play 'Continuously by Direct Debit'. We collect your Direct Debit payments monthly. Once we start the process of collecting your payments, we will buy your tickets for that month.
You can choose your own numbers – or choose to play Lucky Dip®.
You can cancel your Direct Debit at any time.

When you set up your Direct Debit, you'll be agreeing to be bound by the Account Terms, the Privacy Policy, the Rules for Draw-Based Games Played Online and the Game Procedures for the game(s) you choose to play. As an online player, you would have already agreed to the Account Terms and Privacy Policy when you set up your National Lottery account.

So that we can set up your Direct Debit for you, we will need the following information from you:

Your lucky numbers
What games you would like to play – Lotto, Thunderball, EuroMillions and UK Millionaire Maker, or all!
What draw days you would like to play
Your payment details, including your bank name, account number and sort code. Payment must be from a UK or Isle of Man bank account, which is not a business account. This information is only needed when you first set up a Direct Debit – we won't ask you for it again if you add play slips to your Direct Debit.

You should make sure your numbers, draw days and payment details are correct before you confirm you want to play by Direct Debit (and make sure your numbers and draw days are correct when adding play slips). You should also note your Direct Debit start date. It takes about four weeks for your Direct Debit to be set up so if you'd like to buy tickets in the meantime, you can add funds to your Account and buy tickets in the normal way.

We'll be in touch within a few days by email with information about your Direct Debit. Your payment schedule for the next 12 months is available in the Direct Debit details section under ‘Manage my account’ in the 'My account' area.

Changing and cancelling your Direct Debit play slips

If you'd like to change your numbers or draw days or add or remove lines once your Direct Debit has been set up, simply sign in to your National Lottery account, delete your play slip and create a new one.

Any changes made will only be effective once the monthly Direct Debit payment we have already requested from your bank has been used to buy tickets in line with your existing play slip. You won't be entitled to a refund of your monthly Direct Debit payment if you cancel a play slip once we have started the process of requesting that payment.

The above also applies if you want to cancel a play slip completely, without setting up another in place of it.

Prize payment

If you win a cash prize with your Direct Debit ticket up to and including £50,000 we'll pay your winnings by direct credit to the bank or building society linked to your Direct Debit. We'll email you and you'll receive a notification in 'My account' to let you know.

You'll also receive an email and a notification in 'My account' if you win over £50,000. You will need to call our Customer Care Team on 0333 234 44 33^∞ and then claim your prize in person. You will need to complete and submit a Prize Claim Form for prizes over £50,000.

If you win a non-cash, instalment or annuity prize, we will pay you your prize in line with the Game Procedures and/or the Game Specific Rules for the relevant game. We’ll email you and you’ll receive a notification in ‘My account’ to let you know that you have won.

Maintaining your Direct Debit

Whilst we do everything we can to make sure your Direct Debit runs smoothly, certain things can cause delays or result in us cancelling your Direct Debit play slip. Some examples are given below.

If a Direct Debit collection from your bank account fails and we don't have enough money from you, we will have to cancel your play slip and won't be able to buy tickets for you. If this is the case, you will need to set up another play slip to continue playing by Direct Debit.
We use Experian to check that you are over 18 and to confirm your address and to otherwise comply with our regulatory obligations.

Change of circumstances?

Let us know if anything changes so we can get your prize to you if you win.

It's your responsibility to tell us if your circumstances have changed. For example, if you have moved house or your name has changed.

If you want to change the bank account that your Direct Debit comes out of using its Current Account Switch Service, please contact your bank directly. If your bank does not offer this service, please contact us by phone on the number in the Contact us section below and we will be happy to help.

If you want to cancel your Direct Debit just go to ‘My account’ and choose the Direct Debit option in the ‘Manage my account’ area. The option to cancel will be on this page. Cancellation will only be effective once the money we have already requested from your bank has been used to buy tickets for you.

If you decide to take a long break or permanently exclude yourself (lifetime exclusion) from your online National Lottery account (see the Service Guide for details), we will cancel your Direct Debit. As above, cancellation will only be effective once any money already requested from your bank has been used to buy tickets for you.

Contact us

If you've got any questions or would like to discuss playing by Direct Debit, call our Customer Care Team on 0333 234 44 33^∞ or email us at help@national-lottery.co.uk. (Email us at complaints@national-lottery.co.uk or call 0370 737 3983 for complaints).

For the hard of hearing using Minicom equipment, please call 0370 737 8249 for enquiries or complaints.

Calls cost no more than calls to 01 and 02 numbers. If your phone tariff offers inclusive calls to landlines, calls to 03 numbers will be included on the same basis.

We recommend email over postal correspondence but if you wish to write to us, you can write to us at our Head Office: The National Lottery, PO Box 251, Watford WD18 9BR.

Allwyn's Registered Office is: One Connaught Place, 5th Floor, London W2 2ET.

National Lottery Games played online are subject to the Account Terms, Games Rules and Procedures. You must be 18 or over to play.

Issue 16 1st February 2024