First Direct - Thoughts please

CopperPlate_2

Yeah, as anactuary says, fd will add something like 'Do not Use' to the payee part or wherever, for the bill payment. Real handy. As I said, it's one of the very few picks I have with their internet banking - virtually every other internet bank I've used has offered the option to amend or delete bill payments whenever you like, so I'm really surprised that fd don't do this, yet can offer automatic sweeps from my current account!

A_Nice_Englishman

Hopefully the fd developers will look at this now they've finished the 1st Account changes.

peester

some good advice on here.. im looking into the 1st account with the free overdraft up to £250...
Just that i cant do the £1500 a month thing.. dont earn that much..
So ide be charged £10 (a month?) for that??

A_Nice_Englishman

peester wrote: »

some good advice on here.. im looking into the 1st account with the free overdraft up to £250...
Just that i cant do the £1500 a month thing.. dont earn that much..
So ide be charged £10 (a month?) for that??

Not if you have another account with fd
http://www.firstdirect.com/1st-account/in-detail-charges.shtml

peester

aye, im still reading through bits n bobs on the site..
thanks tho, i understand 'additional products' means another/second account..
I think to start with ide just pay the tenner, look into other 'products' after establishing a lil while..

CopperPlate_2

peester - see your other thread for my post in reply to yours.

pigeonpie

Some questions for you FD ac holders please:
what are FD like with joint accounts? Can either account holder phone up and ask questions concerning the account?
Do you get a cheque book with them?
what's the best way to open the account - on the phone or online?
If you shuttle between their savings a/c and current a/c to maximise your interest, how long does the transfer take to be reflected in your current ac?
Any 'hidden' charges lurking that I should be aware of? (the £10 pm if you don't pay in £1500pm isn't hidden thankfully).
I have been with my current non interest paying bank so long that some of the staff there weren't born when I opened it!....and am very nervous about changing to one of the high interest building society accounts because they seem to have awful customer service.

CopperPlate_2

In answer to your questions:

a) yes if you're both named as account holders, you're given separate security details so when you call you're identifiable as an individual account holder.
b) yes, but if you don't want one you can request that they stop sending you one after the first one, or alternatively I think you can say whether you want one or not when you apply.
c) probably online - it's just as easy, they send you the completed app form for you to sign, etc and send back. Very quick to open the accounts from memory. You can phone them as well, but online is the way to go, although it is a freephone number for new apps.
d) transfers between first direct accounts are instant (except between 'normal' accounts (i.e. savings, 1st acc, etc) and the credit card which normally takes about 2 days to appear.
e) can't think that I've been charged any 'hidden' fees. As you say the £10pm fee is pretty open to view.

first direct now don't pay any interest on their current account (known as the '1st account' now) but for all that it was (2% generally gross for the bank account and about 0.1% for the cheque account) it's not much loss. I've an offset mortgage so I don't get any interest on any of my accounts but the theory is that the interest is saved on the mortgage instead.

first direct have to be one of the best organisations for customer service I've ever experienced. Comparing them against the major high street banks, they're miles ahead, and I doubt (pending any major disaster with them - albeit they sort problems out fairly quickly (not that I've had any)) that I'd leave them now, and that's after a couple of years.

HTH

disney_cjd

i would not bother

i have nothing but problems with them

if you just pay bills and thats it then fine but anything else you get scripted answers

you end up doing all teh work yourself

waster of my time

for instance, paid a bankers draft in. They cleared it via the cheque system so it took three days!

On our mortgage - they missed the draw down date!

useless

samjef11_2

disney_cjd wrote: »

i would not bother

i have nothing but problems with them

if you just pay bills and thats it then fine but anything else you get scripted answers

you end up doing all teh work yourself

waster of my time

for instance, paid a bankers draft in. They cleared it via the cheque system so it took three days!

On our mortgage - they missed the draw down date!

useless

This thread is 3 years old are you just trying to up your post count.