Virgin Money to close almost a third of its bank branches — here's the full list, plus alternatives

Most other high street banks are also closing branches this year; read more on the closures at Barclays, Bank of Scotland, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Santander and TSB.

Alternative ways to bank face-to-face with Virgin Money

Here are some alternative ways to access face-to-face banking services if your local branch is closing.

See if there's a 'banking hub' in your area – more should open this year

As bank branches continue to disappear from the high street, shared banking hubs are being rolled out to replace them in some areas. These operate in a similar way to bank branches with cash and counter services available, but their facilities are shared, with banks providing staff on rotation so that trained specialists from different banks are available on different days.

Seven hubs are now open at the following locations:

• Acton, London - Unit 2, The Oaks Shopping Centre, W3 6RE

• Brixham, Devon – 62 Fore Street, TQ5 8EF

• Cambuslang, Lanarkshire – 158 Main Street, G72 7EL

• Carnoustie, Angus - 63 High Street, DD7 6AD

• Cottingham, East Yorkshire – 121 Hallgate, HU16 4DA

• Rochford, Essex – 38-40 West Street, SS4 1AJ

• Troon, Scotland - 11 Ayr Street, Ayrshire, KA10 6EB

There are plans for over 60 other hubs across the UK – for more on how they work, see our Banking hubs MSE News story.

If you need branch access and don't have alternative services nearby, consider switching

If you no longer want to stay with Virgin Money, you might want to consider switching to a bank that does have a local branch nearby – although bear in mind there's no guarantee that too won't close.

Banks currently offering cash switching incentives include:

• NatWest / RBS - get £200 for switching, plus up to £36 a year cashback. To get the £200, you can't have had a switch bonus from these banks since October 2017. You'll also need to complete a full switch, pay in £1,250+ and use the app within 60 days of opening the new account. 

• TSB - get £200 for switching. You'll get £125 paid upfront and then £75 paid later once you've jumped a few hurdles. You can't get the bonus if you've had a switch bonus from TSB since 1 October 2022.

• First Direct - get £175 for switching plus fee-free overseas spending. To get the £175 you can't have ever had ANY First Direct account before and you'll need to pay in at least £1,000 within three months of switching. You also can't have opened an account with its sister bank HSBC since January 2020.

  First Direct doesn't have any branches of its own, but First Direct customers can use HSBC branches to pay in cheques, as well as deposit and withdraw cash. So it could be an option if you have an HSBC branch nearby – though bear in mind HSBC is also closing lots of branches.

See our Best bank accounts guide for more options including the best bank accounts for savings interest and longer-term rewards.

Some may want to consider setting up online banking

Of course, if you want to switch to banking online or via an app, Virgin Money's website has instructions on how to set this up. You can also book one of the bank's 'digital know-how' sessions for one-to-one help over the phone or at a branch.

Virgin Money bank closures 2023 — full list