Top Bank Accounts Discussion Area

polymaff

louibax wrote: »

I've just switched to RBS for the £150 switching bonus but no mention of the bonus when I switched and I have had a look round for the switch terms and conditions (re the bonus) on the RBS website and I can't find anything that mentions a switching bonus. The only reference I can find to a bonus is on here and other money comparison websites. Can anyone help?

RBS had a switch window between 23 April 2019 and 28 June 2019. The latest is 27 August 2019 to 29 November 2019. RBS' site has been a bit dodgy this week...:(

Marigold123

Kiwi_g wrote: »

Has anyone got an opinion on First Direct's "new" appearance of their bank accounts?

I find the transaction display not easy to understand, nothing like a bank statement. They've managed to merge payments and receipts into one field for display purposes and only use + or - signs to differentiate between payments and receipts. As for transaction details, someone has decided that the first letter of the description is upper case followed by lower case letters. Looks awful!!

God awful, is my opinion. I've banked with them as my main bank for 21 years, and loved (almost) everything about them up until now. Their actual products weren't up to much, (apart from their Regular Saver, which beats every similar product out there), so I have freely spread my business around, taking advantage of switching offers, in-credit interest, monthly rewards, etc, like the good little money-saver that I am, but I always used them for receiving payments, and generally running my life. I found their online experience to be excellent, and I judged every other bank by their standard. Unfortunately that has all gone since they decided they wanted their online banking to look like an app, apparently with the same limitations, and I currently don't know which way is up.

I thought I was just being a baby about it looking different, but I just cannot get used to only a few transactions being visible at one time, all the unnecessary titles and headings saying Today, Yesterday, etc, (what's wrong with having a date column like every other bank account on the planet?) and the fact that debits, credits AND daily balances are all in the same column! What's the thinking there?? I find it impossible to keep track properly anymore, and I'm constantly worrying that I will miss something.

They have also (according to the person I spoke with just now) done away with any ability to search past transactions, (further back than 3 months), and you can't view your statements online anymore, only as a pdf download or by importing into some financial program on your computer. In other words, I have lost nearly all the functionality I look for in my day to day banking.

I'm genuinely looking for a new account to start using instead, (not switching, I'll keep it for the savings account, as that's useful), and am about to start the long search through my other existing but only casually used accounts, to find one that does better. Honestly, I would have found it impossible to complain about First Direct for two decades, for anything, but now I'm finding it impossible not to.

It seems peculiar to have come so far in technological advance in the last 20 years, then all of a sudden, (not just with First Direct, but across the board), to apparently be going backwards. Is it me, or has technology dumbed down dramatically since everyone has started carrying a computer in their back pocket?

Anyway, I'm not sure whether this is the right place to ask, or whether I'll get told off, but does anyone have a bank account with really good online functionality that they are pleased with? I don't care whether their products are any good from a financial perspective, I can go elsewhere for that, and I don't mind about CS, (I want a really good bank account I can use, not breakfast in bed and a foot massage). I just want something that works well.

I got myself a Starling account for the fee-free ATM use overseas, ages ago, but haven't explored it much. I've been impressed by them so far, so might consider app-only, but it scares me to think of keeping my entire financial life on a device which could get dropped, just randomly stop working or fall down the toilet! Not sure I fancy Monzo, as they charge you to deposit cash, (though I can't remember the last time in ten years that I've needed to do that.)

Sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere on this thread. There is years' worth of information on here, and I couldn't figure out a search string that would find what I wanted.

Thanks.

schiff

I have used Santander since they were Alliance & Leicester and have been extremely happy with them. I would hate it if they changed substantially as FD has. So they are my suggestion to you.

I visit FD once a month in relationship to my RS. Like you I find the layout etc awful and I do sympathise.

It has intrigued many of us how FD has been trumpeted as wonderful in every way over the years, led by Martin himself. This is sure to change that opinion.

YorkshireBoy

schiff wrote: »

I have used Santander since they were Alliance & Leicester and have been extremely happy with them.

I like the Santander online set up too. I also very much like Nationwide, Lloyds & Halifax. Tesco was OK, but offers nothing to me now.

I dislike FD, HSBC, M&S, and TSB (the old Lloyds/Halifax set up, but very clunky for me and was incredibly unreliable last year). Didn't like NatWest/RBS when I was with them following incentive switches. Don't really like the online offerings of Metro Bank, or Co-op, or YB.

Marigold123

Kiwi_g wrote: »

Has anyone got an opinion on First Direct's "new" appearance of their bank accounts?

I find the transaction display not easy to understand, nothing like a bank statement. They've managed to merge payments and receipts into one field for display purposes and only use + or - signs to differentiate between payments and receipts. As for transaction details, someone has decided that the first letter of the description is upper case followed by lower case letters. Looks awful!!

schiff wrote: »

I have used Santander since they were Alliance & Leicester and have been extremely happy with them. I would hate it if they changed substantially as FD has. So they are my suggestion to you.

I visit FD once a month in relationship to my RS. Like you I find the layout etc awful and I do sympathise.

It has intrigued many of us how FD has been trumpeted as wonderful in every way over the years, led by Martin himself. This is sure to change that opinion.

You were replying to Kiwi-g, but thanks from me also. I had an Alliance and Leicester account back in the day and I found getting hold of their online/telephone banking team so complicated and stressful, with different length passcodes depending on which number you phoned, and just a mess of a system and stressed out, bad-tempered CS agents. I found dealing with them so difficult that I eventually ditched them with a sigh of relief. I had a Santander 123 account more recently, and found them pleasantly changed in all ways, but left again when they cut their reward rates right back a few years ago, as I didn't have the mortgage that you really needed to to continue to do well out of that account. I'll definitely have another look!

It's interesting what you say about Martin's attitude to First Direct. The first few years I was coming to this site his attitude was the polar opposite, and he was strident in his condemnation of them. He seemed incensed by the idea that people stayed with them just because they offered good customer service, and not a lot else. (I think he was actively trying to get people to switch, which was rare at the time.) Attitudes have changed a lot in recent years, and now that is what seems to attract people the most, and MSE's line has changed accordingly. (Not quite sure which was the chicken and which was the egg there, though!)

Marigold123

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

I like the Santander online set up too. I also very much like Nationwide, Lloyds & Halifax. Tesco was OK, but offers nothing to me now.

I dislike FD, HSBC, M&S, and TSB (the old Lloyds/Halifax set up, but very clunky for me and was incredibly unreliable last year). Didn't like NatWest/RBS when I was with them following incentive switches. Don't really like the online offerings of Metro Bank, or Co-op, or YB.

Yep, I also dislike HSBC & M&S, and now sadly I don't like FD either.

I can't see much difference in functionality between TSB and Halifax, both of which work quite well, apart from the fact TSB completely melted down last year and still isn't right.

Co-op is slow and awkward, malfunctions a lot, and is just a bit weird. Statements are triggered by number of transactions rather than by the date, so you can have two or more statements per month on what seems a completely irregular cycle. It also takes ages to post faster payments received. (Even longer than Tesco.)

Haven't done much with Metro bank, as it's one of my 'overseas ATM' accounts, but it seems a bit minimal.

Tesco is slow to send and receive faster payments, and has regular scheduled outages, plus their in-credit interest rate turned to crap a few months ago. The only thing I liked them for was their really good standing order and future dated payments system. That worked really well for me. I could change anything about a standing order without having to phone somebody up or needing to create a new one. It's just a shame there's no point me keeping a balance there anymore to transfer from!

(Don't even think about trying to schedule more than one future-dated payment to the same recipient with TSB. It's just not possible. Probably applies to Halifax as well, though I haven't tried it there.)

I never really took to Nationwide, but might explore its higher functions a bit more, for the sake of completeness. However, I don't like the fact I have to set up a new recipient, (even if I have sent money to a destination previously), and fully authenticate with the card reader, to simply change a payment reference. That's far too inflexible for me. (I think that was Nationwide.)

I didn't like NatWest/RBS when I did the switches either. I ditched them with what was probably unseemly haste as soon as my incentive was paid - though I made use of one for a subsequent switch.

I think it's looking like Santander for me.

I-LOV-MONEY

Marigold123 wrote: »

Yep, I also dislike HSBC & M&S, and now sadly I don't like FD either.

....




Tesco is slow to send and receive faster payments, and has regular scheduled outages, plus their in-credit interest rate turned to crap a few months ago. The only thing I liked them for was their really good standing order and future dated payments system. That worked really well for me. I could change anything about a standing order without having to phone somebody up or needing to create a new one. It's just a shame there's no point me keeping a balance there anymore to transfer from! .

As a bank I have always liked FD. Unfortunately I don't like their new website, no clearly defined lines, eg on the statements page 'today' just merges into the transactions and every other day.


Tesco, I have rarely had any problems with. The faster payment system seemed to work well for me - at times just a bit slower than other banks. However as the interest rate is now c*ap, I will take out my £5 and move it elsewhere!

TiberUK

I have been with santander since I turned 18 and got a student account. I have had my issue with them, particularly when they screwed up my overdraft- they admitted their fault. But to be fair they have always been good about paying compensation when I have had issues.

I have never used the switch service before, or hae an adult bank account with anyone other than Santander but I recently signed up to switch my current account to Danske. My mortgage will be with danske, so I had to open some form of account with them anyway and they offered me a free fiver every month- my Santander account has zero perks.

I dont mind leaving Santander, I have recently felt a bit resentful and letdown over the overdraft screwup. However, I will miss their online banking. I have no clue what the Danske setup will be like, but both the Santander App and Website are fantastic

Have never used the switching service before. Hopefully none of my direct debits fail while everything is getting moved across.

colsten

TiberUK wrote: »

my Santander account has zero perks.

Really? What kind of a Santander account do you have? Do you not get at least cashback for certain DDs? And perhaps also interest? And access to a 2.5% Regular Saver account ? Whilst the benefits have become less and less, like at other banks, they do still exist.

You wouldn't have to have switched your Santander account to Danske in order to get a Danske account and benefit from their offer. In fact, it would have been a good idea to have both as that way, you would reduce your risk if there are any problems with either of them. After all the issues people have had with several current account provider in the last few years, having at least two current accounts seems prudent.

Halabala9

Well, seems like HSBC hasn`t got good opinion here LOL. I was just trying to open the Advanced Current account with them, as I need to split my savings that I have got on Lloyds account to be below 85k money protection limit. They rejected my aplication and said that they can offer me Basic account and are not able to answer why it has been rejected. Well, if they don`t want my 60k savings, someone else will get it. I won`t go to FD either, as they are a part of HSBC anyway.