Best Premier bank account and credit card?

ChristopherM87

Hello all,

I've been looking for a new bank account and found that Barclays Premier seems a good choice as I dont need to meet any minimum salary criteria but I would have to pay £25/month. With the mobile phone and gadget insurance and RAC cover seems worth it. Do any members have any experiences with them? I'm curious about the Life's Rewards and Lifestyle Management Service.

I'm also thinking about getting an AMEX Gold card as I dont qualify for Platinum.

Many thanks

Rainmaker_uk

ChristopherM87 wrote: »

I've been looking for a new bank account and found that Barclays Premier seems a good choice as I dont need to meet any minimum salary criteria but I would have to pay £25/month. With the mobile phone and gadget insurance and RAC cover seems worth it. Do any members have any experiences with them? I'm curious about the Life's Rewards and Lifestyle Management Service.

I'm also thinking about getting an AMEX Gold card as I dont qualify for Platinum.

Yes this seems to be a good option. My AA was costing £350pa and the cost of this which includes top RAC cover is circa £200 per annum - that's before you look at the free travel insurance and airport lounge access etc.

FYI I only pay £17.50 pm rather than £25pm but this is linked to whether you pay your wages in an how much you pay in.

rb10

You will generally find that 'Premier' accounts are poor value for money ... if you want the 'extras' like mobile phone insurance etc, then it's normally cheaper to get them from a normal account. These cost in the region of £10-£15 rather than £20+ per month.

See http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/compare-best-bank-accounts

ChristopherM87

I'm also quite interested in the Premier telephone banking (maybe I'll get to speak to a human without waiting?) and the concierge and Life's Rewards (not sure what they offer?).

Rainmaker_uk

rb10 wrote: »

You will generally find that 'Premier' accounts are poor value for money ... if you want the 'extras' like mobile phone insurance etc, then it's normally cheaper to get them from a normal account. These cost in the region of £10-£15 rather than £20+ per month.

See http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/compare-best-bank-accounts

Well mine has sved me £150 pa straight off the bat. That's good value in my book! The mobile phone stuff is free as I am already up...

Plus I don't have the time to always be looking to shave a couple of quid off for stuff I don't use.

FLAPJACK

I have the Lloyds Premier Account which sounds very similar to the Barclays one..same fee too... however Lloyds do provide a £500 fee free (and interest free) O/D, handy as Lloyds have started charging £5 a month plus interest if you go overdrawn..and thats on an "Agreed O/D!.
Also Home Emergency Cover, I.D Aware (Fraud prevention and ID protection), Worldwide travel insurance....including Winter Sports plus also the AA cover (top of the range one).

All in all not a bad deal really...nice almost black debit card too!

ChristopherM87

That sounds good but Lloyds dont do concierge and Life's Rewards (are they worth it?)

Rainmaker_uk

FLAPJACK wrote: »

I have the Lloyds Premier Account which sounds very similar to the Barclays one..same fee too... however Lloyds do provide a £500 fee free (and interest free) O/D, handy as Lloyds have started charging £5 a month plus interest if you go overdrawn..and thats on an "Agreed O/D!.
Also Home Emergency Cover, I.D Aware (Fraud prevention and ID protection), Worldwide travel insurance....including Winter Sports plus also the AA cover (top of the range one).

All in all not a bad deal really...nice almost black debit card too!

They sound virtually identical - I get a black card too

Rainmaker_uk

ChristopherM87 wrote: »

That sounds good but Lloyds dont do concierge and Life's Rewards (are they worth it?)

Do you work for Barclays or something???

ChristopherM87

I'm jsut asking whether or not the concierge and Life's Rewards service are worth the monthly fee. Also is the Premier telephone service better than the standard one (ie a shorter wait?).

FLAPJACK

Forgot to say my Premier A/c is with Lloyds Private Banking......it does include a concierge service and the airport lounge facility, plus your dedicated account manager. These seem to be the only differences to the other Premier A/c..so maybe Barclays is better if you get those services too.
Before anyone asks ....No I don't work for Lloyds ....(now retired)... but have banked with them since '75 and have never had problems with them.....of course now I have said that....