4% AER at Clydesdale and Yorks Bank until March 2015

YorkshireBoy

Archi_Bald wrote: »

Freefone for CB and YB CS: 0800-234-6550

...and another for YB: 0800 202122

Call takes over 30 minutes

I can believe it. It took me nearly 25 minutes to re-designate my YB Current Account Plus.

innovate

I filled in the enquiry form on Monday on the CB site and they called me late this afternoon. After a painfully long phone call, three quarters of an hour, I emerged with an approval for a YB account. Most of the time was taken up with me having to listen to endless T&Cs being read out at speed, and periods on hold for CR checks (2 - first one for ID, 2nd one for credit worthiness). Girl also had to check with someone when I said I wasn't quite ready to ask them to switch my current account.

Could have chosen a CB one instead of a YB one but the girl suggested it would be better to go with a YB account since I am not living in Scotland. It wasn't going to argue, not after more than half an hour on the phone, anyway.

I almost lost the will to live during that phonecall - why can't they let people fill in application forms like every other bank? Only worse current account application I have ever gone through was with Metrobank, but at least they gave me an internet banking login account number and sort code and a debit card at the end of the ordeal they made me go through. With YB, I now have to wait for some stuff to arrive by snail mail which will tell me how I can apply for telephone and Internet banking etc etc. But at least I'll have a 4% AER place for my surplus 3x£1K from the Vantage accounts. And who knows, may be I come to like the account once they are ready to let me use it!

If you found all this very boring, try applying for one of the CB/YB accounts!

patientperson

Innovate. Thanks for sharing this experience. Was there any other hard sell regarding insurance?. Also was there any commitment required to set up DD or STO on the new account?.

innovate

no hard selling of anything at all, no, apart from the couple of attempts to make use their switcher service which I said I might like to use at a later stage. No need for any DDs or SOs.

ryoko

Long call but, 35 minutes later have two accounts with YB (one a joint).
No hard sell and only briefly mentioned switching - just lots of holding for 'checks'.

I was told I couldn't also open account(s) at CB as they are classed as the same bank - NAB Group. So, it's one or the other.

lucky77

Thanks for the information innovate and ryoko. Does the bank ask why you are opening the account or how many current accounts you already have?

innovate

I can't recall being asked how many current accounts I have but they certainly wanted to know why I wanted their account? I said I had a current account that paid no interest and was attracted to one that did. They wanted to know the bank and account number, which I was of course happy to give them. They also asked where I had heard of the account and I said from a friend.

BTW, nothing in today's snail mail for me from CB/YB. May be tomorrow...

matttye

I don't think I can be bothered to open one for the sake of £2 a month extra over my 123 account!

Thanks anyway

Archi_Bald

It's a nice savings account if you have already maxed 123s, Vantages, Enhances, FDs etc etc.

And a sheer beauty for those people who always have moderate balances and still use banks who pay zero % interest for current accounts. No self-respecting MSEer with a half-decent credit rating should still stick with (in no particular order) Natwest, RBS, First Direct, HSBC, Barclays, M&S, Post Office or the Coop.

matttye

Archi_Bald wrote: »

It's a nice savings account if you have already maxed 123s, Vantages, Enhances, FDs etc etc.

And a sheer beauty for those people who always have moderate balances and still use banks who pay zero % interest for current accounts. No self-respecting MSEer with a half-decent credit rating should still stick with (in no particular order) Natwest, RBS, First Direct, HSBC, Barclays, M&S, Post Office or the Coop.

First direct however gives you access to a 6% regular saver that you can put £300 a month into. It'd make sense to have your wages deposited into a first direct account, then move £300 into their regular saver and the rest into another account that pays interest.