Good internet banks

squashy

I too would recommend Nationwide. The account's pretty decent anyway but the internet banking on top of that means it should tick all the boxes you require in terms of good layout, statements and instant transfers. It has an e-savings function too which you can tag onto the side of your current account and flick funds between the two as and when needed (plus transfers to any other accounts or bill payments)

Fill_7

Precious_Thing wrote:

Does Smile work with Firefox?

I've been with NatWest for 20 years and want to change. I use internet banking all the time and want to continue this with whoever I change to.

Smile seem to be getting great reviews in this thread. I've been putting off changing for ages just for the fear of something going wrong with the DDs etc.
I've just had to take a salary cut due to illness forcing me to reduce my hours at work, but I can pay in over £500 pcm. I don't want anything to go wrong with the change, as my anxiety levels are high enough already

If I change to Smile, what happens if I need to pay in a cheque? Can I do this at the Post Office?

Thanks a lot,

Precious Thing.

yes, you can pay in cheques at the post office.cheques take one day longer to clear when paid in at PO. you can also pay in cash and withdraw from your account using your debit card, all free of charge.

hth
:beer:

Norbert_Colon

Does Smile work with Firefox?

I've never used it with anything else - never had any problems.

inmypocketnottheirs

Another one to try is Norwich & Peterborough Building Society. Current Account, savings, regular saver accounts, on line access, instant inter-account transfers, cheque book, visa debit (if your credit history is good plus £500 o/d) or link cash card. Good, plain, easy to use web site, well recommended. Plus it's not 'one of the big boys'. Take a look at https://www.npbs.co.uk

vandanfc

Abbey's internet banking is pretty good. Probably worth having a look at.

Wyndham

Jake'sGran wrote:

For Babe Ruth

I have bonds with the Nationide but for banking I found that I had to transfer money into the Flex Account from the savings account and this transfer took a few days which I thought was ridiculous when it is with the same organisation. At least with Smile the transfer is instant.

I don't think this is true anymore, and when I transfer from my FlexAccount to the e-saver (and vice versa) it is immediate. I quite like the quick transfer thing as well where all you do is select accounts and put in the amount, so I'd recommend Nationwide.

I have A+L as well, but as I'm only doing it for the interest, I don't have enough transactions going through to get as annoyed by it as some other people on these boards. Though I can't see that I would ever make it my main account.

Mc4ndy

I think different people have different ideas about what they want / need from their bank so it's pretty hard to say one is catagorically 'Better' than another.

People like A+L because they have good interest rates. There are lots of ppl on the refers board offering up to £45 of their refers bonus, so you could make £95 for opening it, and if you have spare cash you may as well stick £250 a month in their regular savers at 12%. The money earned by doing this is equal to my car insurance for a year, so in that context it is worth it to me. Their internet banking is far from the best, so for you it's not the right choice, but on the other hand it works ok...

I have a joint Nationwide account. Nationwide are pretty good, especially if you want to use your card abroad.. I don't think any other bank come close on that point. Their internet banking is better than A+L , instant xfers between current / savings etc.

First Direct are fine but I never ever speak to them on the phone, I have no need. The internet banking is better again with the instant xfer between accounts. Their esavings account has the old 'no interest paid on the full balance in any month you make a withdrawal' which means using it as a temp dump for spare cash is not a good idea. The Plusaver (A+L's version) does not have this but interest is yearly not monthly.

For me the rates are the most important. All banks are a business and they want to make money out of each of us, so sure the customer services are nice helpful and polite. First direct CSC reps usually try plug another product if you do phone up, they have targets, with rewards for meeting them...

I think the best thing to do is assess what is the most important key points you want, and make your choice this way. No one bank comes top of the list on every point

EagerLearner

First Direct are still the best - I tried Smile 2 years ago and found their service to be lax. Tried Cahoot 3 months ago and they were awful - took ages to respond to e-mails and on the phone you never got anyone who knew much about anything... FD have the 'drop down' box you mention and all your bill payments show up real time, as do cash withdrawals and quite often shop transactions too, particularly supermarkets and big chains show up really quick. I did not find that with Smile (maybe they've improved in the last 2 years) or Cahoot (doubt they've improved that much in 2 months!).

Give FD a try - as they started as an internet bank, I think they have invested the most in making the system smooth and easy to get arounfd.

someone

My tip is to try the online demo. Nearly every bank has one

Quiet_Life

I'm with smile, switched from abbey to co-op, then to smile as it offers free over draft facility. My messages are always answered within 24 hours. Love the fact that you can take cash out at any post office. Works for me.