Regular Savings Accounts: The Best Currently Available List!

Section62

friolento said:

Looks your best bet to obtain your account number would be a quick call to MONBS. 

I tried that myself... they said they couldn't give me the account number over the phone.... despite me being able to answer all the security questions, list all the accounts I have, and the current balance of each, etc etc.

I understand the need for security, but given the only benefit of knowing the account number would be the ability to pay money into the account, it wasn't clear how this particular piece of security policy did anything of value.

Bless them.

Bridlington1

Section62 said:

friolento said:

Looks your best bet to obtain your account number would be a quick call to MONBS. 

I tried that myself... they said they couldn't give me the account number over the phone.... despite me being able to answer all the security questions, list all the accounts I have, and the current balance of each, etc etc.

I understand the need for security, but given the only benefit of knowing the account number would be the ability to pay money into the account, it wasn't clear how this particular piece of security policy did anything of value.

Bless them.

A couple of weeks ago they sent one of my letters containing my full address and Regular Saver Issue 2 account number to another customer so I phoned to complain and after going through security they were able to then ring me back later that day and give me new account numbers for both the Regular Saver and Exclusive Regular Saver over the phone, before sending me 2 new passbooks for each regular saver by special delivery.

I would imagine my case was an exception rather than the rule though and if I were to hazard a guess I'd say they won't normally give account details over the phone because if they did they'd probably be absolutely swamped by people ringing them asking for account numbers every time they launch a competitive savings rate. By refusing to give account numbers over the phone most would only ever try ringing to find out their account details once, fail and not pester them too much when opening accounts in the future and may tell others not to bother ringing them to get their account numbers, allowing them to process applications a bit quicker.

r6mile

I applied for the Regular Saver 2 and received a letter with my account number, and a pre-paid envelope to return my signature which I did.

I then didn't hear anything - so speculatively applied for the Exclusive Regular Saver (even though I had not yet funded my Regular Saver 2). Yesterday I received my pass book for the ERS account - so rang MonBS and turns out they sent my RS2 passbook on the post on 1 September so it must have got lost. I wonder if the same thing happened to me where they sent it to someone else? In any case it's apparently being re-sent. In the meantime I have just funded both.

Rudyson

SJMALBA said:

SJMALBA said:

Nick_C said:

BestSeagull said:

qsk said:

Has any "new" customer who opened 7% one and then applied for the 8% one? Are you treated as an existing customer in this case?

According to the T&C you are not but some people have been trying that sort of thing (opening an instant access saver followed by an exclusive RS, for example) anyway and MBS appear to have been lenient with these types of applications so far.

What makes you think that?

From the web site:-

"To be a qualifying member you must :

• Be an existing savings member (sole or joint) or mortgage customer.
• Your savings account must have money in it.
• Your account needs to have transactions within the last 24 months. "

So once you have opened the 7% account and made a couple of deposits, you are an existing member.

That was my reading of the Ts & Cs too; having opened the 7% last month, as a first time MBS member, and therefore having to wait for their snail mail processes, this morning, with the 7% now funded, I applied for the 8% RS - time will tell if it is successful...

Update: Success! Passbook for Exclusive RS received today. 

Excellent news, as I'm also waiting to hear if my application for the 8% a/c has been successful

t1redmonkey

Section62 said:

friolento said:

Looks your best bet to obtain your account number would be a quick call to MONBS. 

I tried that myself... they said they couldn't give me the account number over the phone.... despite me being able to answer all the security questions, list all the accounts I have, and the current balance of each, etc etc.

I understand the need for security, but given the only benefit of knowing the account number would be the ability to pay money into the account, it wasn't clear how this particular piece of security policy did anything of value.

Bless them.

I worked on the phones for a different financial institution about 15 years ago, and we also had instructions to not read out a customer's account number on the phone even if they passed DPA, and the only way we'd be able to provide it to them was by letter.  The reason at the place I worked was that the account number was one of the primary DPA questions and they would get through the DPA process quicker if they knew it.

I did think this rationale was weird though even when I worked there, since even if the customer didn't know their account number and passed enough DPA questions then we could do pretty much anything for them anyway (e.g. initiating withdrawals, changing address etc.) so the fact not giving out an account number was deemed more of a security risk than those other actions was always bizarre to me.

chris_the_bee

Section62 said:

friolento said:

Looks your best bet to obtain your account number would be a quick call to MONBS. 

I tried that myself... they said they couldn't give me the account number over the phone.... despite me being able to answer all the security questions, list all the accounts I have, and the current balance of each, etc etc.

I understand the need for security, but given the only benefit of knowing the account number would be the ability to pay money into the account, it wasn't clear how this particular piece of security policy did anything of value.

Bless them.

If you ask them, they will send a secure message with the account number to your MONBS My Accounts.

subjecttocontract

Let's face it, complain as much as you like......and I certainly do, but most of us will put up with virtually anything to secure an account paying 8%.

SJMALBA

Rudyson said:

SJMALBA said:

SJMALBA said:

Nick_C said:

BestSeagull said:

qsk said:

Has any "new" customer who opened 7% one and then applied for the 8% one? Are you treated as an existing customer in this case?

According to the T&C you are not but some people have been trying that sort of thing (opening an instant access saver followed by an exclusive RS, for example) anyway and MBS appear to have been lenient with these types of applications so far.

What makes you think that?

From the web site:-

"To be a qualifying member you must :

• Be an existing savings member (sole or joint) or mortgage customer.
• Your savings account must have money in it.
• Your account needs to have transactions within the last 24 months. "

So once you have opened the 7% account and made a couple of deposits, you are an existing member.

That was my reading of the Ts & Cs too; having opened the 7% last month, as a first time MBS member, and therefore having to wait for their snail mail processes, this morning, with the 7% now funded, I applied for the 8% RS - time will tell if it is successful...

Update: Success! Passbook for Exclusive RS received today. 

Excellent news, as I'm also waiting to hear if my application for the 8% a/c has been successful

Good luck!

Mine are both open and funded, but like others it seems, I still await the 'mythical' activation code for their online 'My Accounts' - 9 days (which is probably about 1 day in MBS time! ) and counting...

Bridlington1

Leek BS Regular Saver Issue 3 will rise from 5% to 5.25% from 1/10/23. See:
https://www.leekbs.co.uk/content/images/page/files/Savings Interest Rates (Available Accounts).pdf

PowerSavingMode

qbadger said:

DJDools said:

janusdesign said:

...does that first email mean I won't receive any login details until I make that first deposit? or does that second email mean the login details are supposedly already on the way??...

I'm only new to MONBS myself, but I do have their acknowledgement that my first deposit (£1) was made yet I am still waiting (2+ weeks and counting) for the code so I can access my a/c online. Hope this helps you in some way.

How did they send you the acknowledgement for the payment?

It was there in print in the 'fetching shade of orange' passbook (received yesterday). Still no activation code received to date, though.