Getting fleeced with monthly charges from barclays . . . want to change!!

dizzygirl78

Hi everyone

I want a new current account and was wondering if anyone could help as im useless at deciphering the information on bank websites and

CURRENTLY

I bank with barclays i opened the account 10 years ago when i was a student on the high street. I hadnt really thought about it too much but i looked closely at my statements recently i am being charged SIXTEEN pounds a month for the privilege of having that account which is £192 a year!!! I use none of their "benefits" and i really detest the thought that they are taking my money like this.

MY CIRCUMSTANCES

1) i am always in credit
2) i am in full time regular employment
3) i already have a savings account

WHAT I WOULD LIKE IN A CURRENT ACCOUNT

1) Has to have Internet access

2) Good reputation for security
3) DOESNT CHARGE STUPID AMOUNTS FOR THE ACCOUNT :T

4) Im not bothered too much about decent interest rates but would be nice i suppose


If anyone can direct me to a current account that fits the above criteria id be really grateful

Thanks very much

Dizzy

Extant

Uh, ask Barclays to remove the Additions Plus feature from your account? Then it will be free.

Otherwise, your requirements could be pretty much anyone. Every high street bank has internet access, and they're all nicely secure.

Calchas

dizzygirl78 wrote: »

Hi everyone

I want a new current account and was wondering if anyone could help as im useless at deciphering the information on bank websites and

CURRENTLY

I bank with barclays i opened the account 10 years ago when i was a student on the high street. I hadnt really thought about it too much but i looked closely at my statements recently i am being charged SIXTEEN pounds a month for the privilege of having that account which is £192 a year!!! I use none of their "benefits" and i really detest the thought that they are taking my money like this.

MY CIRCUMSTANCES

1) i am always in credit
2) i am in full time regular employment
3) i already have a savings account

WHAT I WOULD LIKE IN A CURRENT ACCOUNT

1) Has to have Internet access

2) Good reputation for security
3) DOESNT CHARGE STUPID AMOUNTS FOR THE ACCOUNT :T

4) Im not bothered too much about decent interest rates but would be nice i suppose


If anyone can direct me to a current account that fits the above criteria id be really grateful

Thanks very much

Dizzy

I concur with BarclaysManager, dizzygirl78.

Tell me, what made you ask to be upgraded to one of these additions type accounts in the first instance?

I am not being critical, I am just interested.

rb10

BarclaysManager wrote: »

Uh, ask Barclays to remove the Additions Plus feature from your account? Then it will be free.

Otherwise, your requirements could be pretty much anyone. Every high street bank has internet access, and they're all nicely secure.

But afaik Barclays doesn't pay any interest, which was one of the OP's requests.

If you want interest, then your options are Halifax (£5 interest for each month that you pay in £1000), Lloyds, or Abbey/A&L (although many people don't like the customer service at Abbey/A&L).

getmore4less

Barclays offer a range of current accounts

the one you may want is

Current Account (FREE)
http://www.personal.barclays.co.uk/BRC1/jsp/brccontrol?task=homefreevi2&value=12828&target=_self&site=pfs

There are others but why did you open/upgrade to this account in the first place?

EarthBoy

rb10 wrote: »

But afaik Barclays doesn't pay any interest, which was one of the OP's requests...quote]

She didn't request it. In fact, she said she wasn't too bothered about it, she just said that it would be nice to have.

If you just want an account without monthly charges, dizzy, then you can easily get this just by asking Barclays to change your account to an ordinary current account. You will get all the same facilities but no charges -providing you don't go overdrawn!

If you want interest, the Halifax Reward is a good offer at the moment, but there's no guarantee that the Reward bit will continue for very long.

Calchas

EarthBoy wrote: »

but there's no guarantee that the Reward bit will continue for very long.

There's no guarantee that Barclays will continue for very long either! :rotfl:

rb10

EarthBoy wrote: »

If you want interest, the Halifax Reward is a good offer at the moment, but there's no guarantee that the Reward bit will continue for very long.

I expect it will continue for a while ... in the T&Cs (page 7) it says they have to personally inform customers of any change to the Reward amount, by writing to them. This means they can't implement sneaky changes hoping customers won't notice.

3. How will we tell you about any changes to the reward payment?

We will tell you about any changes we make under condition 2.4 or condition 2.5 to the reward payment:

• by writing to you within 30 days of the change if we are increasing the amount of the reward payment; or

• by writing to you at least 30 days before the change if we are decreasing the amount of the reward payment.

EarthBoy

So they have to give a month's notice. So there's no guarantee that the Reward will continue for more than the next 30 days.

Realistically, I expect it will continue for a few months, and then be reduced or withdrawn. They can't afford to continue it long term if they want to cover their £10 billion losses.

If lots of people open multiple accounts, pay in the £1000 and take it straight back out again, they will probably limit customers to one account each and start closing accounts that are being abused.

Calchas

EarthBoy wrote: »

If lots of people open multiple accounts, pay in the £1000 and take it straight back out again, they will probably limit customers to one account each and start closing accounts that are being abused.

The people you describe, EarthBoy, will be, no doubt, considerted a minor irritation; however, the account is aimed at the vast majority of people who, in at least part of the month, are using their overdraft.

It is this feature where Halifax are banking on making a big profit.

rb10

Calchas wrote: »

The people you describe, EarthBoy, will be, no doubt, considerted a minor irritation; however, the account is aimed at the vast majority of people who, in at least part of the month, are using their overdraft.

It is this feature where Halifax are banking on making a big profit.

I agree. Remember that HBOS has several million customers, the vast majority of whom will do as is intended ... have one Reward account, which they use for salary etc. It will be a tiny minority who abuse/take advantage of the system.