Best second account for emergencies?

nicetomeetyou

I currently have a virgin account and currently have £50 4 weekly paid into it, I'm using this as my emergency account. I'm going to close it as no branch in town. I'm With nationwide and very happy with them but also no branch in town...  What second account should I open with a bank? Are Santander good? I'm only after a basic current account, hopefully save some money in it....
Are Santander good? 
Can I perhaps open a Natwest account, I had a Debt Relief Over in 2010 and Natwest shut my account. Am I blacklisted from there now?
Also I don't want to bank with TSB.

Can I ask what are your arrangements like with a second account? Thanks...

eskbanker

nicetomeetyou said:

I currently have a virgin account and currently have £50 4 weekly paid into it, I'm using this as my emergency account. I'm going to close it as no branch in town. I'm With nationwide and very happy with them but also no branch in town...  What second account should I open with a bank?

Surely if you consider lack of local branches to be a factor then your shortlist should start from which banks do have a branch in your town?  Are you saying through your other comments that this is Santander, NatWest and TSB?

nicetomeetyou

eskbanker said:

nicetomeetyou said:

I currently have a virgin account and currently have £50 4 weekly paid into it, I'm using this as my emergency account. I'm going to close it as no branch in town. I'm With nationwide and very happy with them but also no branch in town...  What second account should I open with a bank?

Surely if you consider lack of local branches to be a factor then your shortlist should start from which banks do have a branch in your town?  Are you saying through your other comments that this is Santander, NatWest and TSB?

Yes I do... Santander, NatWest and TSB do have branches in my town... But I unsure if I can open a NatWest account again as I had one 10 years ago and owed money on an overdraft and after DRO they closed it. I opened a TSB one when they changed over some years back and I had so many problems with them so closed it, I don't want to go there again

In my town we have have....
Lloyds -- unsure about them with their connection to TSB.
HSBC -- any good for a second account?
Barclays  -- I have heard good things about them... 
Nottingham building society --  ????
Halifax ---??


Basically I want a account that I continue paying £50 every 4 weeks into and build some savings up, not connected to Nationwide, that is in my town.. I want a online account that I can monitor, perhaps without a card reader to transfer money... Although solo I would be happy just with a branch in my town...

I like Nationwide very much.. Even though they don't have a branch in my town I still would use it as my main account.....
Yorkshire closed the branch in town 2 months after I opened it, Now Virgin... I want a brach in town...

eskbanker

nicetomeetyou said:
But I unsure if I can open a NatWest account again as I had one 10 years ago and owed money on an overdraft and after DRO they closed it.

Probably worth steering clear of NatWest if there are plenty of other options to choose from.

nicetomeetyou said:

Lloyds -- unsure about them with their connection to TSB.

That connection ceased in 2013!

I think you have plenty to choose from that fit your criteria, I can't recall off the top of my head which rely on card readers though....

penners324

Any particular reason you need a branch nearby?

NedS

nicetomeetyou said:

Basically I want a account that I continue paying £50 every 4 weeks into and build some savings up, not connected to Nationwide, that is in my town.. I want a online account that I can monitor, perhaps without a card reader to transfer money...

Barclays uses a card reader for it's online banking but also has the option of using it's app which doesn't require the use of a card reader. I think you may also be able to use the app in place of the card reader for online banking.

Lloyds does not use a card reader for their online banking - they send codes to your mobile for anything that needs validation. I've not tried their App.

george9071

I currently have 2 everything accounts with Barclays who are just amazing! and Halifax who are really good i would recommend both banks but the decision is down to you, what is it your looking for in an account? Go and compare some. Also Lloyds now no longer have anything to do with TSB they have split up, let us know what bank you decide to go for.

typistretired

I haven't been in a bank for years all you need is an online account and an ATM.  Virgin Money are paying 2.02% on their latest current account with a linked savings account

fenwick458

lloyds and barclays are both ok, apps are both easy to use, can pay cheques in with both
steer clear of HSBC if you want it to be open this year

xlnc99

LLOYDS, BOS, HALIFAX and SANTANDER = THE BEST
NATIONWIDE AND BARCLAYS = NEXT BEST
HSBC AWFUL
TSB = AWFUL
NATWEST = AWFUL
My experience using all these accounts

kaMelo

xlnc99 said:

LLOYDS, BOS, HALIFAX and SANTANDER = THE BEST
NATIONWIDE AND BARCLAYS = NEXT BEST
HSBC AWFUL
TSB = AWFUL
NATWEST = AWFUL
My experience using all these accounts

I thought you were disgusted with Barclays for their outrageous, crooked behaviour, ripping you off whilst laughing in your face?