Metro Bank - how long in branch to open account?

glider3560

I'll be heading down to Metro Bank sometime next week (probably the Fulham Broadway or Earl's Court stores) to open a current account in advance of a trip abroad.

Can anyone share any experiences about how long I should allow for the whole process? Is the debit card issued immediately or do you have to come back later?

richardmk

In normal circumstances it takes less than 30 minutes.
But if there is a queue, or the application printer, card printer is not working properly it takes a little longer..

innovate

Took more than an hour for me in the Chiswick Branch, mainly because the clerk who dealt with my application felt compelled to constantly talk ask about my private life (without getting any useful answers), and that they only had one printer working in the entire Branch.

agrinnall

It took about 40 minutes for me, although it was done by somebody who had just started with Metro, so his actions were being checked by another member of staff as he did them which I would imagine added something to the time taken.

labp04

Hi, not sure how far you're travelling but it is probably a very good idea to take a number of different forms of personal id and someway of paying in cash to actually start the account off. Our sign up took about 40mns and we walked away with both debit and credit cards. I seem to remember that a MetroBank rep had got permission to post on these boards? Maybe they'll appear sooner or later and answer your question:)

huw01

I too visited the Chiswick branch and it took about on hour in total. I took in my photo driving licence and a recent credit card statement as ID. No pros, walked out with my debit card

glider3560

Thanks all. I'll be going directly from work near Hammersmith, so not too far in case the documents are not in order.

I was also thinking about their credit card. Do we know how "generous" they are with this. I'd ideally like them to match my existing credit limit, with a view to closing the old credit card account (it is paid off in full every month anyway). I don't have any adverse credit history, but have quite a lot of available credit (about 1/3 of my take-home pay) and have only been in my job for two months.

innovate

They talked me into taking their credit card and gave me the £7K I asked for. I only took it because it would be useful abroad for purchases since they don't charge any service fee (not sure what their exchange rate is like).

When I got to set up the DD to pay the CC off each month, I found that you can only pay by DD from your Metro current account, not any other. This was of no use to me so I asked them to cancel the card. Clearly didn't want £7K credit that I never use showing on my CRA files. The cancellation was incredibly difficult but after I raised a complaint, they could do it.

The Metro CC offers nothing that another CC can't offer, and none of the perks really you can get with other cards. E.g. the Nationwide Select is good for use abroad, and it pays cashback. And you can pay it off from whatever account you like to. If you have a good credit record, there's no issue getting another card elsewhere. Have you read the CC article on the main site? http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cards/

glider3560

innovate wrote: »

They talked me into taking their credit card and gave me the £7K I asked for. I only took it because it would be useful abroad for purchases since they don't charge any service fee (not sure what their exchange rate is like).

When I got to set up the DD to pay the CC off each month, I found that you can only pay by DD from your Metro current account, not any other. This was of no use to me so I asked them to cancel the card. Clearly didn't want £7K credit that I never use showing on my CRA files. The cancellation was incredibly difficult but after I raised a complaint, they could do it.

The Metro CC offers nothing that another CC can't offer, and none of the perks really you can get with other cards. E.g. the Nationwide Select is good for use abroad, and it pays cashback. And you can pay it off from whatever account you like to. If you have a good credit record, there's no issue getting another card elsewhere. Have you read the CC article on the main site? http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cards/

Thanks. I already have the Halifax Clarity Reward, which I often use abroad. However I have recently become exhausted with the poor customer service provided in the last year and am looking to move elsewhere.

labp04

Hi, a couple of thoughts have occurred. The MB CC on offer is a Master Card and this has proved a useful alternative to N/Wide Visa eg when, for whatever reason, the payment couldnt be processed whilst trying to pay with the NW card. There is also the question of exchange rates and, in my experience, Master Card does offer a slightly better deal which can add up overtime and usage.

Innovate says that the NW card offers cash back. This is correct when the credit card is used in this country but cashback is not paid when the card is used abroad.:eek:

RetiredInThailand

It took me about 20 minutes to open an account. When they started explaining the various bits and pieces I didn't hesitate to say "I know how that works" or "I dont want that" as needed, which probably saved 10 minutes or more. The staff are extremely "chatty" which comes as something of a surprise if you arent expecting it, though it isnt unpleasant and I'm sure it is a deliberate technique.

I took the debit card which has the same overseas advantages as the credit card and they printed it in the branch.