Frequently Asked Questions
Choose a question to reveal the answer. If you cannot find the answer you are looking for, please contact us.
Visiting
How do I pre-book tickets as a member to visit?
You do not need your membership number to book. Booking in advance is essential to guarantee entry at some of our busiest attractions, or those with limited capacities. To find out which sites are open and where you need to prebook, visit historyawaits.scot. Select the site you wish to visit. There will be an option to book member tickets. Select the tickets appropriate to your membership category and for the date/timeslot you require. You should include any children under 7 visiting with you on your booking. You will receive an email confirmation with your order number - take this with you (printed or on your phone) for your visit, along with valid membership card(s), or membership confirmation email. For enquiries about tickets or ticketing issues, please contact ticketing@hes.scot. Please also contact them if you have booked your ticket and can no longer make it, so they can make the tickets available for others to book.
Can I access my digital membership card on the app?
Yes, you can use the app to access your digital membership card and show it on your phone when you visit.
I have another question about member visits
For all other questions regarding member visits please contact us.
Membership
How soon will I receive my membership cards?
Your membership order will be processed within 5 working days of your order being placed online. Membership cards will be posted no later than day 6 after the order was placed. Please allow up to 14 days for delivery. Contact us if you have not received your cards after this time.
When does my membership begin?
Membership starts from the moment you purchase it and will expire at the end of that month the following year. For example, if you buy membership on the 15th April, it will expire on the 30th April the following year.
Can I print off my order confirmation email and get into Historic Scotland properties with this until my cards arrive?
For new and renewal memberships, this email acts as confirmation of your membership and can be used to visit our sites and get your retail and café discount. This does not include gifts of membership, which cannot be used until membership cards are received. Booking in advance is essential to guarantee entry at some of our busiest attractions, or those with limited capacities. To find out which sites are open and where you need to prebook, visit historyawaits.scot.
Can I pay monthly but for fewer than 12 months?
No. Historic Scotland Membership is an annual subscription which you can choose to pay for in monthly instalments.
When will I receive the membership magazine?
The magazine is sent out 4 times a year and you will receive the next edition when it comes out. The magazine is published in March, June, September and November. If you would rather not receive a paper copy, you can receive a quarterly email with a link to the online magazine and an accessible downloadable PDF. You can change your preferences in the My Details section when logged in.
How do I get my 20% members discount on gift membership?
Once you have your membership cards and you are logged into the Members Only area of the website you will be able to receive your 20% discount. If you purchase a gift without logging in you will be charged the full rate. If you have not yet registered, please do so and within 1 working day you will have access to your account and be able to purchase a gift with the discount.
You have taken more than one payment by Direct Debit. Why?
We are required under the terms of the Direct Debit scheme to give you 10 working days notice before we debit your subscription fee from your account. Depending on the time of the month that we process your monthly Direct Debit, we may take two instalments in your second month of membership to give you enough advance notice of payment coming out of your account. We send out an advance notice letter with your membership cards advising you of exactly when and how much money we will collect from your account. If you are unsure, please refer back to the letter we sent with your cards.
If you believe we have made a mistake, please contact us at your earliest convenience.
Does membership get me free parking at sites?
Car parking is free to customers at most sites for the length of your visit. At Stirling Castle parking is discounted for members, for a maximum of 4 hours, on a first come first served basis. Disabled parking is available for drivers with a Blue Disabled Badge at Edingurgh Castle and Stirling Castle. Contact the site prior to your visit for details. At Urquhart Castle, we strongly advise that you pre-book your visit and car parking in order to guarantee entry.
I would like to cancel my membership but I can't see how to do that online.
Please contact us and we'll advise you of your options. If a monthly Direct Debit is cancelled before the expiry date of the membership, the outstanding balance for the membership will be due to be paid in full.
Renewals
I would like to renew my membership, but I can't see the link.
You need to be logged in to the Members Only area to be able to renew your membership. If you have not yet registered, please do so and within 1 working day you will be able to renew. If you can't see the option to renew, then you might be trying to renew too early. The link will only appear if your membership is due to expire this month. Alternatively, if you pay for your membership by direct debit this link will not appear as your membership is renewed automatically and new membership cards will be sent out to you in the month your membership is due to expire. If you do not feel you are being shown the correct menu option then please contact us and we will look into it.
How long do I have to renew my membership?
If you paid for your membership by cash or credit/debit card, you have 6 months from the expiry date of your membership in which to renew. After this time if you wish to rejoin membership you would do so as a first year member. If you pay for your membership by Direct Debit, we will write to you at the beginning of the month the membership is due to expire with your membership cards for the coming year, and you can decide if you wish to renew.
I would like to renew my membership and also purchase a gift membership. How do I go about this?
You will need to do this as 2 separate transactions. If your current membership has lapsed then you will need to wait until your membership has been renewed to purchase the gift membership with a 20% discount.
I pressed "submit" to buy/renew a membership but there was a problem and I don't know if the payment has gone through.
Even if you receive an error message, the membership transaction might still be submitted. Please check with us before buying a duplicate membership or you may end up paying twice.
I have received 2 confirmation emails. Why is this?
If you pressed the "submit" button more than once, the membership transaction might have been submitted more than once. Please contact us at your earliest convenience.
Gift Memberships
When will the gift membership be sent?
Gift memberships will be posted directly to the recipient within 5 working days of purchase.
Can a gift membership be used immediately upon purchasing?
No, gift memberships can only be used once membership card(s) have been received. If you need a membership that you can use immediately, you should purchase a standard new membership, not a gift, or buy when you first visit one of our sites.
When do gift memberships start?
Gift memberships start from the date they are purchased and will expire at the end of the same month in a year's time. Gift membership cannot be post-dated.
I've received a renewal reminder for a gift membership which I bought in the past. Can I renew this online?
Yes. Your Gift Renewal Notice will give you the web page to renew your gift on. Alternatively you can contact us for this.
Gift Aid
What is Gift Aid?
Gift Aid is a government scheme that adds 25p to every £1 you give - at no extra cost to you. Gift Aid is an easy way to ensure that charities receive more benefit from money given to them. Members who sign up to Gift Aid will be making a much-valued additional contribution to the charitable work of HES.
Why does HES need Gift Aid?
The ability to claim Gift Aid income is very important to HES because it will bring much needed income to help protect, conserve and preserve our historic environment for generations to come.
Am I eligible to make a Gift Aid declaration?
To qualify for Gift Aid you must pay an amount of UK tax (Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax) at least equal to the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all your donations in that tax year. If you pay less UK tax (Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax) than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all your donations in that tax year it is your responsibility to pay the difference.
I don't pay tax but my partner does. Can I still give Gift Aid?
If you have joint membership and your partner pays tax, and they are the lead member on the membership (and therefore on the Gift Aid declaration) then he/she can tick the Gift Aid box provided that the membership is paid either from your partner's account or from a jointly held or named account. If you are an individual member, you must personally pay for your membership in order to tick the Gift Aid box.
Can I change my mind one I've joined the scheme?
You are entitled to cancel your Gift Aid declaration at any time. Should you choose to withdraw from the scheme, or if you no longer pay enough Income or Capital Gains Tax to cover the amount claimed by us, please just let us know and we can take your membership subscription out of the Gift Aid scheme.
What membership categories are eligible for Gift Aid?
All categories with the exception of Life Memberships are eligible. Any memberships that are paid for as gifts are NOT eligible.
I would like to sign up to Gift Aid for my membership. How do I do that?
You can sign up to Gift Aid via our web page, or download, print and return this Gift Aid Declaration form to us. Alternatively, you can call us on 0131 668 8999 and we will post you a declaration to complete and return.
Members only Registration/Login
I have registered for the Members Only area, but I get a message saying that my login details are being processed. Why can't I see anything on the website?
The Members Only section is only viewable by current members of Historic Scotland. If you have registered for the site without buying a membership then you will never see anything in the Members Only section. When you buy a membership you will be invited to register for the website. Please do not try to register unless you are a current member of Historic Scotland. If you are a new or existing member and you still see this message, please contact us.
I have been trying to log in, but I've received a message saying, "Account has been locked due to repeated failed logins." What do I do now?
The website will lock you out after 4 failed login attempts. This means that you have incorrectly entered your password (you may have missed out a capital letter somewhere). At the bottom of the login page there is a link to request a user ID or password reminder that will be sent to you by email. After 30 minutes you can attempt to log in again.
I have been trying to log in, but I've received a message saying, "please enter a valid Username and Password".
Please check the user ID you entered is the one you set up (not necessarily your email address). Please check that you have entered your password correctly and not missed a capital letter somewhere. At the bottom of the login page there is a link to request a user ID or password reminder that will be sent to the email address you registered with. If you are still unable to log in, please contact us.
I just bought a membership but I have not received a confirmation email. Is something wrong?
It may be that your email address was entered into the system incorrectly when you purchased membership and we have been unable to deliver your confirmation email. If you did not get a confirmation screen at the end of your order, your purchase session may have been timed out and your order not processed. Contact us to find out if your order has gone through.
I've received two confirmation emails. Why is this?
If you pressed the “Submit” button more than once, the membership transaction might have been submitted more than once. Please contact us at your earliest convenience.
I pressed “Submit” to buy a membership, but there was a problem and I don’t know if the payment has gone through. What can I do?
Even if you receive an error message, the membership transaction might still be submitted. Please check with us before buying a duplicate membership or you may end up paying twice.
I am registered for the Members Only area but I can't remember my User ID/password. Can you help?
Please click on the Members Login button to go to the login page, then click on the Forgotten User ID/Password link. Type in your email address and click Submit. You will shortly receive an email containing your User ID and a link to reset your password.
The other person on my membership has already registered for the Members Only area and has a User ID and password. Can I also register or do I have to use the same login details?
If you have a joint membership with someone else, then there will be one login for this membership. In that case you will need to use the login details that they have set.
Change of Details
I pay for my membership by direct debit. Can I change my bank details online?
No. This can only be done over the phone or by returning a paper direct debit mandate that we can send out to you at your request. Please contact us to arrange this.
Can I change the payment date for my direct debit?
All direct debits are payable on the 1st working day of the month and we are unable to change this.
I want to change the 2nd adult on my membership. Can I do this online?
If you are about to renew your membership you can amend your category and the names of the members on it when you renew. However, if you are midway through your membership you cannot transfer membership to another person. Please contact us and we can advise you about the changes you might wish to make to your membership.
How can I change my user ID or password?
When logged in, go to the My Details page. From here you can amend your user ID and/or password by entering the appropriate new information and clicking update.
Technical
I'm having some problems with the website. What can I do?
We try our best to make the website as accessible as possible. However, some browsers and operating systems are not supported by this website. If you are experiencing problems, please try using an alternative browser.
Something’s not working right on your website.
If you are experiencing problems, first of all please try using an alternative browser. We’re currently making a number of changes to the website and we welcome any feedback you might have. Please contact us to report any errors, or feel free to leave us comments.
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A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we put on your computer with your consent. These cookies allow us to distinguish you from other users of the website for site-specific tasks, such as remembering your details when you log in to the members only area.
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