Best first current account for a 16 year old?

thor

My 16 year old niece has got herself a part time job to tide her over till starting college in Autumn and is looking to open her first current account.
Are there any recommended ones out there? Maybe with useful freebies thrown in? or are they as good as another and it does not matter which she chooses?

opinions4u

Don't expect freebies.

Lloyds TSB perhaps for the rate.

I'd avoid Santander and open account with a bank that has the most convenient branch and ATM.

dr_adidas01

opinions4u wrote: »

Don't expect freebies.

Lloyds TSB perhaps for the rate.

I'd avoid Santander and open account with a bank that has the most convenient branch and ATM.

Just because you would avoid Santander, doesn't mean everyone else should. Personally I've not experienced any problems with them.

Lloyds TSB is a good one though if she has a part time job the rate of interest will be nominal!!

Don't know any bank that throws in freebies these days, as other have said if it matters chose one that has a branch close by.

System

The Santander account requires 1 deposit per month so I'd personally avoid it for a 1st current account in case she can't for some reason.

The LTSB and Bank of Scotland Under 19 accounts do seem the most competitive as Opinions4U suggests.

dr_adidas01 wrote: »

Just because you would avoid Santander, doesn't mean everyone else should. Personally I've not experienced any problems with them.

Lloyds TSB is a good one though if she has a part time job the rate of interest will be nominal!!

Don't know any bank that throws in freebies these days, as other have said if it matters chose one that has a branch close by.

opinions4u

dr_adidas01 wrote: »

Just because you would avoid Santander, doesn't mean everyone else should. Personally I've not experienced any problems with them.

Well they do, still, have the worst complaints per 1,000 accounts record of the major banks. So I thought it fare to shout that out. They also have irritating hoops to get their decent rate.

Most santander customers don't have complaints. They're just more likely to have problems than customers of other banks.

katies_mum

Our daughter has recently opened up the under 19 account with Lloyds, very pleased with the speed it was opened, she received her debit card within a few days and they registered her for online banking there and then.

username

My first proper current account was with Lloyds when I got a part time job at college.

Banks all a much of a muchness, but I would have gone with HSBC if I had the chance back then, purely for the fact that they've got the facility in some branches to pay in coins with a machine and have a useful feature to preview what's coming in/out of your account.

Avoid any 'basic' bank accounts as some have restrictions, likewise the packaged ones that offer phone insurance, breakdown cover etc unless you would need it.

thor

The interest rate won't be all that important as she won't be making all that much anyway. I was just hoping that they were still giving away free stuff like they did when I opened my 1st account.
It was quite a few years ago and I can't even remember if it was a savings or a current account but I do recall what the Midlands Bank gave me:- a sports bag, pencil case kit and a mini english dictionary. It worked too! I'm still with them 30 years later(although they were taken over by HSBC).
In the absence of gifts I guess she should just go for the one that is physically the closest to her house.

jimjames

Depends on the bank closest to them I think.

My kids (11 and 13) both have current accounts with Natwest as most local branch to home and opens on Sat mornings. Over last couple of years have had no problems with them and account seems to run fine.