With First Direct but want to move to Barclays Premier

shaggy

I have been a happy customer of first direct for about 5 years. I do all my daily banking with them, including an ISA and a savings account. I have no reason to complain - they always answer the phone on the first one or two rings, never get delayed by annoying offshore drones reading off a script, or by automated 'Press 1 for ... 2 for ... etc'.

I have no reason to complain really, except that I have seen the benefits that a Barclays Premier current account offers. RAC membership, mobile phone insurance, travel insurance, extended warranty .. etc. All of which I need right now, or will be making use of in the next few months.

I know that if you meet certain criteria they will reduce the monthly fee from £25 to £17, and Im planning on meeting a local barclays manager in the next few days to discuss this.

Am I mad for wanting to switch from a bank I'm perfectly happy with? Do Barclays call centers operate off-shore with foreign staff? Anyone have good/bad experiences with them?

onlypaddy

Are you mad? Yes, IMHO

remember £25 a month is £300 a year
£17 a month is £204 a year.

Can you honestly say that with a bit of digging you can't find all the benefits you get with Barclays premier for a lot less?

For example, I got my RAC cover for £9 this year after gonig through topcashback...

shaggy

onlypaddy wrote: »

Are you mad? Yes, IMHO

remember £25 a month is £300 a year
£17 a month is £204 a year.

Can you honestly say that with a bit of digging you can't find all the benefits you get with Barclays premier for a lot less?

For example, I got my RAC cover for £9 this year after gonig through topcashback...

good point.

I'd personally make use of their laptop insurance, extended warranty, mobile phone insurance, and travel insurance (covers the whole family).

Need to go back and re-avalute to see if all this is worth £300 per year.

System

Barclays Premier used to be excellent, but now it's only major benefit is UK call centres over overseas ones.

Most of the Barclays products that they try to sell you are mediocre at best - you can often find better ones in the Barclays range yourself and then again much better elsewhere.

I wouldn't be so quick to move from First Direct or anywhere else you have little cause for complaint...

getmore4less

Why change banks just open the account for the benifits I don't think there is a requirement to use it, there is none on the additions

We have an additions account we just use for the benifits and as a feeder to barclays regular savers as part of our mortgage offset pool.

I use another account for day to day.

It really depends on the cover you need for the main benifits

the RAC is full european personal cover(so any car you are in) and it is for both account holders if joint.

The travel insurance is world wide and again individual for joint account holders( I like this because it is also continuous cover no renewal issues) so you can travel seperately.

The family cover also allows independant travel of spouse and kids staying with relatives.

other benifits are ok ish if you will use them.
the 6 airport lounges might be usefull if you travel.

shaggy

You guys all make good points. Dont really want to change banks just for the sake of it. In fact First Direct offer a similar thing called 'first directory' at £12 a month. At first glance I dont think the benefits are as comprehensive as the Barclays offering, but I'll look into it as it looks like they'll be good enough for me

DrSyn

Yes you are mad to switch banks if you are perfectly happy with the one you are with now!!

From every program I have heard about these accounts where you pay a fee and get these extras:-

(a) You can buy the extra much cheaper as a stand alone.

(b) These extras the banks offer may not be as good as you might initially think.

As always in life there is NEVER a "free lunch", the "devil is always in the detail". So get all the info and read it carefully BEORE you jump.

jinkster

Sorry to bring the thread up from the basement but......

On the website their is a premier current account as appose to premier life account with barclays.

What does anyone think to this?

pwuk

shaggy wrote: »

You guys all make good points. Dont really want to change banks just for the sake of it. In fact First Direct offer a similar thing called 'first directory' at £12 a month. At first glance I dont think the benefits are as comprehensive as the Barclays offering, but I'll look into it as it looks like they'll be good enough for me

Hopefully you ended up making the right decision - I hope that you didn't end up moving on from First Direct - they offer great levels of customer service.

On the other hand as a Barclays Premier Life Customer the same cannot be said - Barclays are POOR POOR POOR. :mad:

I changed to Lloyds TSB Private Banking and am delighted with the result - forget Barclays they are useless.

jinkster

I switched from Nationwide to Handelsbanken.

I'd try those - they seem to be really good so far and if you need help, you simply call your local branch rather than a call centre!

penrhyn

Feel free to move to Barclays, but you may regret it, not today, not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.