Anyone tried Starling Bank?

[Deleted User]

scgf wrote: »

I opened a Starling account but was very unhappy how they include pending transactions in the account balance. You could make a few purchases in shops and have those purchases immediately appear in the transaction list and reflect in the running balance, yet if you make a few purchases via PayPal, for example, and they are invisible for a few days. It makes no sense - rather than having a better understanding of your finances you are in a more confused situation. Trying to use software like many of us do, to reconcile your account, is made much more difficult. It all seems rather amateurish to me. I also decided I don't like having a smartphone only interface - IMO it's not particularly good, unintuitive and of necessity the screen is too small. I am now closing the account.

If I got a DD going out the next day or a payment going into my account the next day i.e salary, it tells me the day before (tagged as pending & due the next day) but it isn't included in my total bank balance until the next day when it actually hits or leaves the account.

Starling is designed for modern people who are happy to do their banking on their smart phone. If you don't want a smart phone, or you want a counter service then stick to your traditional high street dinosaur banks. But watch out because they are constantly closing branches.

One time it was only quiet villages and secondary/small towns they closed branches in. Now that they have closed all those, they have moved on to closing branches in large main towns too.

eskbanker

Deleted_User wrote: »

Starling is designed for modern people who are happy to do their banking on their smart phone. If you don't want a smart phone, or you want a counter service then stick to your traditional high street dinosaur banks. But watch out because they are constantly closing branches.

One time it was only quiet villages and secondary/small towns they closed branches in. Now that they have closed all those, they have moved on to closing branches in large main towns too.

There is of course a sizable middle ground between the two extremes of smartphone-only banks and banking via branches, i.e. online banking via browsers on whatever devices suit people! I'm not sure if you were deriding scgf as some sort of dinosaur for not finding smartphone-only banking to be as useful as they'd thought but the fact that they mention reconciling with software would imply to me that they're comfortable with technology and in all likelihood will bank online, via larger devices, perhaps choosing to use a smartphone app for some tasks....

[Deleted User]

eskbanker wrote: »

There is of course a sizable middle ground between the two extremes of smartphone-only banks and banking via branches, i.e. online banking via browsers on whatever devices suit people! I'm not sure if you were deriding scgf as some sort of dinosaur for not finding smartphone-only banking to be as useful as they'd thought but the fact that they mention reconciling with software would imply to me that they're comfortable with technology and in all likelihood will bank online, via larger devices, perhaps choosing to use a smartphone app for some tasks....

I'm not deriding, I'm just making sense as to why you would use an app-only bank if that is not what you want to do.

Zanderman

Deleted_User wrote: »

I'm not deriding, I'm just making sense as to why you would use an app-only bank if that is not what you want to do.

I don't think you were deriding - but you did seem, possibly inadvertently, to be suggesting the choice was app-based or branch-based banking.

As Eskbanker points out there is, also, browser-based banking. Which is used by huge numbers of people, whether they have a smart phone or not. People not using app-based banking do not need to use branches.

Personally i find browser-based banking far better then app-based - with much more functionality. But that's a personal choice. App-banking has it's place - but I don't, generally, need it.

Now if I only had a tablet and a smartphone then, yes, app-based would be the obvious choice (browser still optional though), but whilst I still have a 'proper' screen and a keyboard as well, the screen and keyboard win, nearly every time! Many people of course no longer have a pc - which, though they may not realise it, does reduce their options for managing bank accounts.

Agree entirely that Starling isn't for those who don't like app-based though!

d123

scgf wrote: »

yet if you make a few purchases via PayPal, for example, and they are invisible for a few days.

If you want Paypal to be an instant payment change the payment source from the bank account details to the debit card.

When funding from the account the process takes a few days for the money to be claimed, from the debit card always happens instantly.

jonnygee2

Strange your address change took so long.
I've juat got into the area where the address can be changed in about 20 seconds.
Was there something else going wrong with your account at the time?

Trying to update the address in the app produced an error code, which is why I needed customer service.

I could still send and recieve transfers. I think it was just lousy customer service, to be honest. They wanted proof of address, then took six weeks to look at it and update the address.

System

Including pending transactions in your balance and putting them in your transaction list is inconsistent in that the user still can't use the balance shown in the app as a means to know how much they have left to spend - there could be all manner of direct debits, standing orders and suchlike pending but the banking app does not see them as pending in the way it does when you use your debit card. IMO the result is a bit of a mess and worse than not including pending debits at all. I may be old-fashioned to some by using accounting software but I I know to the exact penny how much is in my account at any time. Most of my friends haven't a clue. I don't want any pending transactions to appear on the transaction list of my account.

System

LeeUK - I think your comments paint a picture in black and white. It's not about app-based banking OR dinosaur high Street banking. There's plenty in between where banks have a very good, fully functional smartphone app AND a web-based presence for those who prefer to back that way. It had nothing to do with branches or an archaic infrastructure. To wish to use tried and trusted accounting methods to keep track of finances does not suggest one is old fashioned, elderly or not up with the times.

penners324

Why brand this bank as amateurish then if you can't get on with instant notifications and balance updates? Starling also advise in app of any requested DDs due to pay the following day and any SOs due out the following day.

Most banks are introducing these features, and the new banks and cards use this as a USP in advertising and selling the accounts.

The older legacy banks don't do it yet due to antiquated IT systems but are working on fixes.

System

I use Apple and Android Pay and I like notifications of transactions. What I don't like is pending transactions presented when they have not been actually debited - and may not even be debited at all if they are simple earmarked funds. On top of this future transactions made via direct debit or standing order do not show up at all until nearer the date so the less concerned customer may be left thinking they have more funds available that month than they actually do. A partial attempt to present what we end up with using external software is worse than making no attempt at all. Just my opinion.

Metro Bank presents pending transactions separately and I found that most helpful. I'm not sure I'd describe the Metro Bank software as older, legacy or antiquated - it might be off the peg but it just does things properly.