Leaving Santander

anotheruser

I think I'm leaving Santander.

I looked last month and I think we paid £2 to have the account
I have to recheck the fee, but online it says the account costs £5 a month. We only had £3 odd in cashback so is pointless.
Since the change in fee to the credit card, we've also questioned whether the nominal value is worth it or not.

For now, I've taken the interest on the balance out of the equation.

I think the only credible option is Halifax.
Their branches have given us rubbish experiences but their online banking is good and the actual products are okay too. The Reward Current Account seems okay - I'm aware it's only £3 now, so around the same as Santander but no fee.

Key Questions:

The Halifax Reward Current Account - can I have two? I have a personal one, solely in my name but the account we're looking to switch is a joint one.

We're planning on getting a credit card with them too. We got into the habit of putting food and petrol on the Santander 123 credit card, although that act seems redundant now.
Will the credit card come with a "lead" user and an "add-on" user like Santander?

Of course, wiser members of MSE feel free to suggest anything else, although we'd prefer a main-stream bank. I did think M&S but I hate their internet banking!

agrinnall

Best cashback cards

Best bank accounts

There is no need for card and account to be from the same provider, simply pick whichever you feel is best for your circumstances (and that you are likely to be accepted for).

anotheruser

Yeah, sorry forgot to add that I looked at those as a starter but thanks for linking them.
Perhaps this is a non-thread :P

SuiDreams

I have the Santander Lite account Fee only £1 a month so I make £2/month profit and get access to their 5% regular saver. I have the Halifax account as well for the £3. I have lost of different current accounts to maximise benefits

Don80

If you are happy with Santander as a bank you could switch to the lite version of the 123 account and see if you make money with that?

The Halifax T&Cs say you can have 2 Reward accounts but one must be in your name only, the other must be a joint account. I think you would only be eligible for one switching bonus though.

The Halifax Reward account has a £750 pay in to qualify. If you think you may not meet that, you would not get the rewards. In that case you could look at the Bank of Scotland (after all, Halifax is essentially a trading name of the Bank of Scotland) Classic Account with Vantage which pays interest and also offers the Everyday Rewards.
https://www.bankofscotland.co.uk/bankaccounts/classic/

Other accounts you could consider are the TSB account (also offering higher interest rates and £130 to switch, and in the short term lots of perks - but you may lose these. I had cashback on contactless up until Dec last year).

For credit cards, I would suggest you use the MSE eligibility checker to help you decide whether you can apply - and make your choices based on the results.