Regular Savings Accounts: The Best Currently Available List!

Steve_xx

colsten wrote: »

Can you tell us please, what are the transfers incentives and the DDs needed for them?

I think what the poster means is that they have a couple of dd mandates set to pull from their Barclays account in readiness for shifting the account from Barclays to an account that does require two dd mandates on it!

s71hj

colsten wrote: »

Can you tell us please, what are the transfers incentives and the DDs needed for them?

the incentive is a £100 gift card i think? . I don't believe m and s are specific about what needs to be transferred regular payment wise unlike some switching incentives. The only account i have to switch has token dds on it on the basis that incentives from other accounts in the past have generally required some dds so i set them up in preparation. I would assume that m and s would want something transferring as they refer to transferring "everyday banking" so I'm happier with the idea of transferring an account that has some actual payments to transfer though perhaps this is not required. Clearly if I'm missing something I'd be keen to know!!!

Steve_xx

s71hj wrote: »

the incentive is a £100 gift card i think? . I don't believe m and s are specific about what needs to be transferred regular payment wise unlike some switching incentives. The only account i have to switch has token dds on it on the basis that incentives from other accounts in the past have generally required some dds so i set them up in preparation. I would assume that m and s would want something transferring as they refer to transferring "everyday banking" so I'm happier with the idea of transferring an account that has some actual payments to transfer though perhaps this is not required. Clearly if I'm missing something I'd be keen to know!!!

The M&S switching offer doesn't mention a requirement to switch any dd mandates. But I had two set up in case I'd missed something.

IanIan

I opened one of these a few months ago. The deal then was 2% for the first year, then 1.5%. I have today received a letter confirming that the rate will fall to 1.1% on 23rd February. This is not good!

I hope that Leeds and Market Harborough are not starting a new fashion.

taf_2

IanIan wrote: »

I opened one of these a few months ago. The deal then was 2% for the first year, then 1.5%. I have today received a letter confirming that the rate will fall to 1.1% on 23rd February. This is not good!

I hope that Leeds and Market Harborough are not starting a new fashion.

Received the same letter. Not clear to me what that means for the introductory rate of 2% that applies currently (as far as I am aware at least) as it only cites a drop from 1.5% to 1.1%.

Anyone else any clearer on this?

Thanks.

Andystriker

s71hj wrote: »

Have opened one of these for the 6 % reg saver. I have a barclays current account with a couple of £1 direct debits on it set up to take advantage of transfer incentives. I'm tempted by the £100 m and s gift card but adviser told me that you have to have a couple of phone conversations to do tranf er. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience of this. I'm particularly wondering if I'll be quizzed as to why there are only 2 £1 direct debits set up and my transfer request be refused.

I opened a M&S current account for the £100 gift card and 6% regular saver. I opened the current account over the phone and when it was set up I put £300 in. I then phoned and opened a Regular Saver and they did this straight away transferring the first payment from my £300.

I then rang and spoke to the switching team for the £100 gift card. I have a Norwich & Peterborough Current Account with 4 standing orders on for £2.00 each. They said they could not use the switch service for N&P but if I did it myself and rang back they would send the voucher. So I set up 4 S/O's for £2 each on M&S current account and transfeered by faster payment £2,000 into the current account. I then rang the switching team again and said I had done the switch myself and they have sent me the £100 gift card. All this process took less than 2 weeks.

I am very impressed with M&S (and I still have the N&P account open if I need to switch to somewhere else).

Biggles

Andystriker wrote: »

I have a Norwich & Peterborough Current Account with 4 standing orders on for £2.00 each. They said they could not use the switch service for N&P but if I did it myself and rang back they would send the voucher. So I set up 4 S/O's for £2 each on M&S current account and transfeered by faster payment £2,000 into the current account. I then rang the switching team again and said I had done the switch myself and they have sent me the £100 gift card.

Very odd stuff. So they took your word for it that you had switched and, as they don't require DDs to be transferred, you needn't actually have done anything at all apart from telling them you had 'switched'?

IanIan

taf wrote: »

Received the same letter. Not clear to me what that means for the introductory rate of 2% that applies currently (as far as I am aware at least) as it only cites a drop from 1.5% to 1.1%.

Anyone else any clearer on this?

Thanks.

I have spoken to the Market Harborough people. The answer is that the 2% rate (which I am on at the moment) is 1.5% plus a bonus of 0.5%. The bonus remains, for the first year only, but the interest rate falls to 1.1%. Therefore, from 23rd February to the anniversary of opening my account I'll receive 1.6%.

colsten

Have you maxed all the 4 and 6% Regular Savers? 1.6% or even 2% sounds exceedingly dire.

Even if you discarded these because they require a current account, there are still much better Regular Savers about. Or even current accounts?

IanIan

colsten wrote: »

Have you maxed all the 4 and 6% Regular Savers? 1.6% or even 2% sounds exceedingly dire.

Even if you discarded these because they require a current account, there are still much better Regular Savers about. Or even current accounts?

Yes I have. I also have the current accounts. I intend to keep the now-poorer paying accounts going, with minimum payments, because last year I had my fingers burnt with Skipton. I closed my Skipton accounts when the 12 month period expired, which meant that when they launched their loyalty regular saver, I didn't qualify for the higher rate! Chorley have issued a similar thing recently, where they paid a higher rate to existing members. I don't want to lose out on future opportunities of this type.