Best current account website?

ValiantSon

18cc wrote: »

one thing you might consider is how long you will continue to use their website anyway - these days i do 90% of my banking using the bank's app so to me the app rating is of more interest than the website rating.

The OP does say that he isn't interested in app based banking, so the app is pretty irrelevant in his case.

I don't use the apps either. I much prefer using online banking, and I suspect there are still plenty of others who feel the same. I don't think online banking is going to disappear any time soon.

18cc

Agree with you totally. But I think apps will be the way forward (if ponly for convenience and security) and more and more people will start using apps and not internet banking. Only my opinion of course.

Martinslovechild

ValiantSon wrote: »

The OP isn't happy with the security on First Direct online banking (even though they use two factor authentication) because the log in opens in a second window. This could be considered poor security because it replicates the behaviour of browsers in scam pop ups. However, the two factor authentication negates that problem as no scammer will have the physical security token. Conversely, someone could access your account more easily on Halifax, if they got hold of your mobile phone. As long as they had the other log in details then an automated phone call is no barrier at all. In reality, therefore, First Direct is actually more secure than Halifax, although neither have poor security.

There's also another reason - Immediately confirming to a user that the Login ID they've entered is valid or invalid is considered extremely bad practice and would fail a Symantec Penetration Test ('pen test'). The correct method is to collect the Login ID (valid or invalid), forward the user to the next page to collect letters from their password and only then display a message confirming that 'One or more of the details entered is incorrect'. After three attempts from the same IP address, access should then be blocked for 30 mins.

Martinslovechild

ValiantSon wrote: »

Why don't you think Santander customer service will be any good? Do you have first hand experience? They are actually fairly well regarded, and my own personal experience is positive.

I used to have a Santander account. They were absolutely awful. They messed up numerous times - charged me interest when they failed to prove I'd gone overdrawn, kept me waiting 4 hours to approve a payment when I was purchasing a car, overcharged me on my mortgage and even blocked access to my account. They're totally incompetent in my opinion.

Martinslovechild

18cc wrote: »

one thing you might consider is how long you will continue to use their website anyway - these days i do 90% of my banking using the bank's app so to me the app rating is of more interest than the website rating.

I guess it comes down to real estate. Viewing my banking transactions on a tiny screen isn't my ideal, hence I prefer using a website. It's not that I'm completely against using an app, it's simply down to the screen size and usability.

ValiantSon

Martinslovechild wrote: »

I used to have a Santander account. They were absolutely awful. They messed up numerous times - charged me interest when they failed to prove I'd gone overdrawn, kept me waiting 4 hours to approve a payment when I was purchasing a car, overcharged me on my mortgage and even blocked access to my account. They're totally incompetent in my opinion.

How long ago was this? You may well find that things have improved considerably.

agrinnall

I wouldn't be particularly concerned about the security aspects but the FD website itself is by far the worst of all the banks that I use, and would prevent me even considering it as my main account (I have it purely for the regular saver). None are perfect but I find Nationwide the one that suits me best, although that may be familiarity having used it for many years.

Martinslovechild

ValiantSon wrote: »

How long ago was this? You may well find that things have improved considerably.

It was about 5 years ago, but even the offer of a year's worth of free coconuts wouldn't make me use them again.

Martinslovechild

agrinnall wrote: »

I wouldn't be particularly concerned about the security aspects but the FD website itself is by far the worst of all the banks that I use, and would prevent me even considering it as my main account (I have it purely for the regular saver). None are perfect but I find Nationwide the one that suits me best, although that may be familiarity having used it for many years.

Many Thanks. I'm getting some good vibes on here around Nationwide's online banking website, so I'll definitely take a look.

ValiantSon

Martinslovechild wrote: »

It was about 5 years ago, but even the offer of a year's worth of free coconuts wouldn't make me use them again.

It's obviously your choice, but for some context, I became a customer due to the purchase of Alliance & Leicester. I found the customer service to be dismal and after a little while switched away. I switched back a few years later for the glory days of the 123 account and found a dramatic improvement in customer service. It's like dealing with a completely different company.