Top Student Accounts 2010/11 MSE Guide discussion area

WilliamTurner

hello there, i have just currently moved to bournemouth uni and recived my student loans.

I am with Halifax and have a reward card i got some time ago, it has an over draft of £100 yet charges if you go into the over draft, as all my student loan money will be going into this account is it worth asking Halifax to change my account to a student account? or should i change banks all together? if that is the case how do i go about changing the account and making sure future student load money goes into this new account?

sorry for the questions i just don't want to be paid late from student finance then go into my over draft and be charged.

all the best William.

stargirl78

I just went to Santander to change my account to a student account. Which I was going to do despite terrible customer service because of the free insurance option.

However, BEWARE! The insurance is on for phones and laptops which were not valued at over £500 AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. So I just got an iphone4 so this is not valid as although I didn't pay full price for it as I got a contract, it is still valued at over £500.

Same with my laptop...

Just incase someone else might be planning to do the same!

rev_henry

Well I now seem to have everything from Natwest. Only a month in coming...

Davidben83

This is a bit random but a word of warning about Smile.

Just to say that Smile treats students really badly. I am no longer student, but when I graduated five years ago, I had two student bank accounts. One of them had money, Smile, the other one, was over drawn.

As is common practice, the other bank (highstreet) wrote to me saying that they were reducing the interest free overdraft by £500 a year so that I have a chance to pay it off without interest charges.

Smile on the other hand wrote to me giving me one month notice that I was going to start being charged on my overdraft. Fortunately, I had the money so I paid it off and closed my account. But if I didn't I would have been in trouble. Terrible behaviour and one that is not typical banks.

Do as you will but do not believe their ethical, caring branding.

zannza

TheTallOne wrote: »

Spending my first year on campus at uni I found the bank being on campus quite useful, mainly for when I want to pay money into the account.

With a Smile (Co-op online bank) student account you can pay in at Post Office branches, which are usually much easier to get to than a bank branch. I have had a student account with them for 5 years (undergrad and postgrad) and they are excellent.

Rufff

Seems like HSBC's overdraft offer is only available to new customers with *no* strings attached.

They want to charge me £25 for the privilege of telling me my student overdraft amount - I told them to close my account immediately if thats the way they treat loyal customers as Santander have given me £1k OD, no questions asked. :rotfl:

traciethomson

my son is 18 and doing courses at our local collage we are at the moment looking at his bank and i am woundering if he would be able to get a student account i have looked all over the place and dont seem to get a straight answer.
hope someone can help

rev_henry

traciethomson wrote: »

my son is 18 and doing courses at our local collage we are at the moment looking at his bank and i am woundering if he would be able to get a student account i have looked all over the place and dont seem to get a straight answer.
hope someone can help

Generally you must be studying for a degree to get a student account.

atypical

traciethomson wrote: »

my son is 18 and doing courses at our local collage we are at the moment looking at his bank and i am woundering if he would be able to get a student account i have looked all over the place and dont seem to get a straight answer.
hope someone can help

As the poster above says, they're only for undergraduates. Most banks offer a 'youth account' though. Santander is worth looking at, even if only for the £35 cashback:
http://www.santander.co.uk/csgs/Satellite?appID=abbey.internet.Abbeycom&c=Page&canal=CABBEYCOM&cid=1210609166115&empr=Abbeycom&leng=en_GB&pagename=Abbeycom%2FPage%2FWC_ACOM_TemplateB2

Hodgelett

I graduated a year ago then decided to do an MA. I missed the fact you need to be a student for 2 years to apply for a TSB account but the bank manager said I could apply for a Graduate account starting in the second year.
Could I then get a student account from Co-op for instance, then restart the graduate account at TSB?
i.e. TSB 2nd year grad + Co-op student overdrafts at £1500 and £1400 this year, then a 1st year Graduate at £3k next year?