Virgin is the latest bank to announce branch closures

Virgin Bank will close 39 of its UK bank branches – almost one-third of the physical locations still standing. 

It joins several high street banks including Barclays, Lloyds and Halifax that have announced branch closures this week. 

Here, we reveal which banks will be closing their doors for good. 

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When are banks closing?

Virgin Bank announced that 39 of its stores will close from October 2023. 

According to the bank they made the “difficult decision” due to fewer people banking in person. 

If you’re affected by these branch closures and curious about the decision-making behind your local store closing, Virgin has published an impact assessment for each one on its website. 

Which Virgin Money banks are closing?

Virgin Money Banks will be closing in the following UK locations:

Town	Street Address	Country	Post Code	Closure Date
Belfast	5 Wellington Place	Northern Ireland	BT1 6GA	13/11/23
Bournemouth	112 Old Christchurch Road	England	BH1 1LU	7/11/23
Brighton	170 North Street	England	BN1 1EA	9/11/23
Bristol	Unit 2, Transom House, Victoria Street	England	BS1 6AH	1/11/23
Bromley, London	36 Market Square	England	BR1 1NF	30/11/23
Cambridge	26-27 Sidney Street	England	CB2 3HW	25/10/23
Cardiff	18-19 Trinity Street	Wales	CF10 1BH	20/11/23
Chelmsford	83 High Street	England	CM1 1DX	20/11/23
Cheltenham	215 High Street	England	GL50 3HH	30/10/23
Chester	6-8 Watergate Street	England	CH1 2LA	19/10/23
Croydon, London	Unit 16, Norfolk House, Wellesley Road	England	CR0 1LH	13/11/23
Derby	28 St. Peter’s Street	England	DE1 1SL	17/10/23
Durham	76 Saddler Street	England	DH1 3NP	6/11/23
Ellon	28 Market Street	Scotland	AB41 9JE	27/11/23
Enfield, London	34 The Town	England	EN2 6LU	21/11/23
Exeter	60 South Street	England	EX1 1EE	6/11/23
Fort William	58 High Street	Scotland	PH33 6AH	22/11/23
Golders Green, London	2 Golders Green Road	England	NW11 8LH	22/11/23
Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne	Unit 1A, The Gosforth Centre	England	NE3 1JZ	8/11/23
Guildford	12 North Street	England	GU1 4AF	14/11/23
Harrow, London	307 Station Road	England	HA1 2TA	23/11/23
Hexham	5 Cattle Market	England	NE46 1NJ	7/11/23
Irvine	151 High Street	Scotland	KA12 8AD	20/11/23
Kendal	7 Stricklandgate	England	LA9 4NB	6/12/23
Kensington, London	154-158 Kensington High Street	England	W8 7RL	27/11/23
Kingston upon Thames, London	15-17 Castle Street	England	KT1 1ST	28/11/23
Liverpool	53 Lord Street	England	L2 6PB	5/11/23
Lochgilphead	Poltalloch Street	Scotland	PA31 8LL	21/11/23
London	30-31 Haymarket	England	SW1Y 4EX	29/11/23
Milton Keynes	502 Silbury Boulevard	England	MK9 2AD	23/10/23
Newton Stewart	83 Victoria Street	Scotland	DG8 6NL	15/11/23
Norwich	10 Castle Street	England	NR2 1PD	26/11/23
Oxford	129-129A High Street	England	OX1 4DF	16/11/23
Reading	160 Friar Street	England	RG1 1HE	15/11/23
Southampton	10 College Place	England	SO15 2FD	8/11/23
St Albans	5 Lockey House	England	AL1 3LP	24/10/23
Swindon	10 Regent Circus	England	SN1 1PW	31/10/23
Turriff	1 Main Street	Scotland	AB53 4AA	28/11/23
Wolverhampton	67 Queen Street	England	WV1 3BY	18/10/23

What to do if your bank is closing

A lot of people bank digitally these days, so this round of branch closures might not come as much of a surprise. 

However, if you regularly bank in person, losing a branch location can be really inconvenient at best. Opening a bank account with a provider that has a local branch to you can help you get access to face-to-face banking. 

It’s always handy to have an account with a bank that has a physical branch to help you access your money or help you with banking services when you need it. 

You don’t necessarily have to switch your bank account – although doing so may help you earn a decent switching bonus. 

Right now you could earn a top-paying bonus of £200 by switching to Natwest, RBS, TSB or Ulster Bank.

Remember, most switching deals have requirements you’ll need to meet before the bonus is paid. This includes things like paying a certain amount of money into the account within a specific period of time. Others may just require a minimum monthly pay-in for you to qualify. 

Virgin Money customer reviews

Smart Money People rates Virgin Money 3.88 stars out of five based on 1,560 customer reviews (at the time of writing, July 2023). 

Some 60% of customers rated the bank five stars with top reviewers highlighting great customer service and a competitive range of products and rates. 

Customers rating the bank negatively experienced difficulties making payments and having issues with the security of their accounts.