Disconnect an app from Open Banking

Disconnecting an app from Open Banking means stopping its ongoing access to bank information. It is worth handling this deliberately, because removing an icon from your phone does not tell you what has happened to the connection, your app account or information already received.

Start by deciding what you want to stop. You might be removing an unused account from an otherwise useful app, leaving the service entirely or responding to an unfamiliar connection. Those situations call for different follow-up checks. A clear intention helps you avoid closing something you still need or leaving a separate issue unresolved.

Identify the connection before changing it

Open your bank and budgeting service through the routes you normally use. Look for the account and provider involved, and compare their names with the original connection information if you have it. Some services describe the company providing the connection separately from the app's trading name.

Write down which account you intend to disconnect and whether other accounts should remain connected. This is especially useful when you use the same app for personal and household planning. A vague intention to remove access can become confusing if several permissions appear together.

If you do not recognise a connection, contact your bank through a trusted route for help identifying it. Avoid assuming that an unfamiliar name is either harmless or fraudulent. Our Open Banking safety guide explains how service names and permission checks fit into a wider review.

Use the service or the bank

Open Banking UK's FAQs describe two ways to stop data access: withdraw consent in the app or website, or contact your bank or building society. The names of menus vary, so use the provider's current instructions rather than searching for a button label that another app happens to use.

Look for language about connected accounts, data sharing, permissions or consent. Read the confirmation screen before accepting. It should help you understand whether you are removing a particular account, an entire bank connection or access for the service more broadly.

If you cannot find the control, ask support to explain the route for your situation. Say that you want to stop future account information access and identify the connection using only the information necessary. Keep the support reference and the date of the request so that you can follow up clearly.

Check what the result actually says

After making the change, read the confirmation and revisit the relevant connection settings. Look for an explicit indication that access has ended. An error message or a temporarily unavailable balance is not the same evidence as a confirmed withdrawal.

Keep a short record of what you did, where you did it and what the service reported. You do not need a folder full of financial screenshots. A note of the account label, provider name and confirmation can be enough for your own follow-up, while keeping sensitive details out of unnecessary copies.

If the bank and app appear to disagree, ask the relevant providers to clarify the status. Do not reconnect merely to make an old screen look tidier when your intention is to leave. Reconnecting introduces a new permission decision and may obscure the question you were trying to resolve.

Treat existing records as a separate question

A screen containing old transactions does not, by itself, prove that new information is still being collected. Check the dates and ask what the app retains after disconnection. Stopping a data feed and deciding what should happen to existing records are different questions to put to the service.

If you want personal information deleted, the ICO explains that you can make an erasure request, but the right has exceptions. Its deletion guidance notes that legal obligations can justify keeping some data. The page was under review when checked, so follow its current guidance for detailed rights and timescales.

Make your request specific. Ask what will be erased, what will remain and why. Keep the response with your connection record. Avoid assuming that account closure instantly removes every copy of information, or that a retained record automatically means the original bank permission remains active.

Separate access from subscriptions and payments

If you pay for the app, review that arrangement separately. Ask where the subscription is managed and what confirms its cancellation. A bank connection control answers an access question; it should not be relied on as evidence that a separate paid contract has ended.

Likewise, distinguish an account information connection from a payment permission. The FCA's explanation treats account information and payment initiation as different services. If your aim is also to stop a payment arrangement, identify it explicitly and follow the relevant provider's instructions.

Do not cancel ordinary household payments while trying to remove a budgeting view. Rent, utilities and other commitments still need their own plan. A useful note is to record what is ending, what remains payable and who will handle anything outstanding. This keeps an app change from becoming a missed bill.

Preserve the parts of your plan you need

Before leaving a service, consider what information you rely on that is not obvious from a bank statement. You may have notes about shared expenses, a future renewal date or a category rule that helps your review. Decide what you need to keep for your own budgeting, using any available export or a simple personal note.

Keep saved information somewhere appropriate for financial records. If an export contains more than you need, consider whether a smaller summary will do. Sharing a complete transaction history with someone helping you budget may be unnecessary when a category total answers the question.

Our read-only connection guide explains the difference between account data and the app's interpretation. That distinction helps here: the bank may retain the original transaction record, while the context you added for planning may need a separate note.

Move to a replacement only when it is useful

You do not need to connect another app immediately after disconnecting one. First decide which part of your previous routine was helpful. Perhaps you needed a combined account view, or simply a place to remember bills. Identifying that need makes any later choice more deliberate.

If you are exploring alternatives, use the factual comparison of UK budgeting apps to frame questions about compatibility, information access and practical features. A different service requires its own checks, even if you have used Open Banking before.

Finish by checking your next budgeting task. Can you still see the accounts you need, find upcoming commitments and understand which records are current? Keep unresolved questions attached to a clear next action, such as contacting support or checking a confirmation. Disconnection is complete when the access you intended to end is confirmed and the separate account, payment and record questions have been dealt with.