Can you recommend a simple bank account for an elderly person

car25

Looking for a simple bank account for elderly relative, want cheque book, paper statements, direct debit facility, standing order facility. Relative only has pension as income.

Is there also anyway I could act on her behalf (ie being able to speak to them with any queries) without becoming a joint account holder (don't particularly want to for tax reasons, but will if this is the best way).

margaretclare

Hi

How 'elderly' is your elderly person?

Does he or she go to the post office at present? If so, there are several banks which will act in conjunction with the post office. Alliance & Leicester is the obvious one that springs to mind.

Other than that, all of the banks do a straightforward basic account with all those services that you name.

The question of you being able to deal with queries is not so straightforward. I can't think why you would want to? All the banks do telephone banking and it's easy enough to pick up the phone and ask! NatWest have made an advertising programme of being local, you can speak to a person whenever you phone, day or night.

Some might say that my DH and I are 'elderly'. We do all our banking by internet - I have smile, he has RBoS. We have a joint account which we use solely for household bills on monthly budget accounts, and we both transfer money into that. Couldn't be simpler. However, long before internet banking it was possible to do many transactions by phone - that has been around for 20 years or so!

HTH

Margaret

a&akay

You don't have to have a joint account. I registered my mother's Nationwide Flex as an online account using the password etc I entered. Over the phone she gave me the additional 6 number code required to operate it when it arrived at her house 3 day's later. Of course this must be by mutual consent. She can't get out much but I can now undertake any transaction she wants on this account. It is in effect a power of attourney without legal milarky. She still gets paper statements and I explain any entries that she has forgotten about. Eg she told me that she couldn't get Corn Silk face powder any more. I Googled and ordered it online in 5 minutes. She was highly delighted and quite happy for me to transfer the amount to the credit card I used to order it.

car25

Thanks for your replies, elderly relative is housebound, 94 yrs old and gets easily flustered on the phone to unknown people. Current bank has made a right mess up of one of her standing orders and I'm now having to sort it. Think internet banking is probably the way forward.