question for Virgin Money current account holders

colsten

couth said:

 what if you can't access your mobile (left home, lost etc.) or you don't have a smartphone? I find it odd that VM doesn't offer an alternative way to log in online or maybe it does and I don't know how. Not the friendliest 'digital' bank so far. 

You're snookered without the app. Virgin aren't the only bank which requires a (smart)phone / app. There are some banks which still work with older technology - Nationwide, Lloyds, Halifax, BoS spring to mind.

It is quite possible that Virgin, and other banks, don't want to attract customers who choose not to use more modern technology.

couth

I know, I have accounts with Barclays and Nationwide, and you can do 2-step authentication via SMS codes, or in other ways - if you don't have your mobile handy (or no app installed). In any case I will need to ring VM, as I tried again on different browsers and on a different laptop, and it doesn't work. I'll be transferring spending money to VM and I don't want to get stuck with a single way of accessing via the app. Thanks everyone. 

kaMelo

RG2015 said:

couth said:

Thanks both. @RG2015 yes I get that message, but after that the screen freezes. Might be a browser issue, will retry. @colsten what if you can't access your mobile (left home, lost etc.) or you don't have a smartphone? I find it odd that VM doesn't offer an alternative way to log in online or maybe it does and I don't know how. Not the friendliest 'digital' bank so far. 

There is no way to log in to the VM current account without a 2nd authorisation from their app. If you have a tablet you should also be able to download the app here which will give an alternative wifi option if you cannot get a mobile signal.

I assume that you can see your accounts on the app and it is just online banking that you cannot access. 

There is actually as long as you've never used the app. When logging in online they will send a code via text to complete the login.
Once you've used the app then this option is not available.

Ken68

Have just opened a  new Virgin current a/c. No mention of an app. 

couth

My online access issue resolved itself this morning, perhaps it was due to it being a new account... 

Gers

Ken68 said:

Have just opened a  new Virgin current a/c. No mention of an app. 

https://uk.virginmoney.com/current-accounts/pca/app-features

Ken68

Thanks Gers....not compatible with my Windows phone and doesn't seem compulsory.

couth

colsten said:
You're snookered without the app. Virgin aren't the only bank which requires a (smart)phone / app. There are some banks which still work with older technology - Nationwide, Lloyds, Halifax, BoS spring to mind.

It is quite possible that Virgin, and other banks, don't want to attract customers who choose not to use more modern technology.

That's right... excerpt from an email from Virgin Money credit card this morning is below. It looks like we need an app, and it has to work at all times. Tough luck if we lose our phone or don't have a smartphone altogether. Or tough luck for VM, as some people might not like this and leave. 

We wanted to remind you that we’ll be switching off Online Service in January 2021. You’ll need the Virgin Money Credit Card app to manage your card whenever and wherever you want to.

rogcal

I've only had my VM CC for a couple of months and it came as a surprise to me that after 21 Jan I could only operate my account via an app.  I don't use a smartphone for a variety of reasons and I'm quite happy using my laptop to service my other banking accounts, so rather than be held to ransom I'll close the VM account.
The alternatives appear to be virtual chat and the call centre.  Give me a break please, how often does virtual chat resolve an issue without going back and forth several times to get the point across and as for call centres, half a dozen menus and several minutes on hold listening to what passes for music before you get anywhere near a human being.
Consumer choice?  It's disappearing fast!

colsten

rogcal said:

I've only had my VM CC for a couple of months and it came as a surprise to me that after 21 Jan I could only operate my account via an app.  I don't use a smartphone for a variety of reasons and I'm quite happy using my laptop to service my other banking accounts, so rather than be held to ransom I'll close the VM account.
The alternatives appear to be virtual chat and the call centre.  Give me a break please, how often does virtual chat resolve an issue without going back and forth several times to get the point across and as for call centres, half a dozen menus and several minutes on hold listening to what passes for music before you get anywhere near a human being.
Consumer choice?  It's disappearing fast!

One day in the future, eventually, people won't be using laptops or apps, and still be able to buy and sell the stuff they need. Until that day, lots of people will try lots of different things, and many will be trying to leverage new technologies. Apps are one such technology. Imagine you'd have told your grandad or great-grandad or other ancestor that he could use a thing called credit card, provided he had an instrument called a laptop to manage it. Would they have rejected the idea of a laptop?

Things are changing. Apps are the next great thing. In the meantime, if you want a non-app credit card, you still have lots of alternatives right now. You might just lose out on the technological advances you get with apps, such as instant notifications of payments, mobile PIN services, mobile non-touch non-card payments, instant discounts, etc etc. All this alongside being able to check who is at your front door even if you are miles from home, regulate your heating when away from home, check your heart rhythm, log your daily steps and your weight, make free voice and video calls with your family, friends and business acquaintances, check the weather forecast, get travel directions, have an app that automatically tells the emergency services the exact location you are at when you have an accident or a heart attack, having your ID documents at your fingertips, having your bus/train/airline/event tickets all handy, and so on. Laptops still have their place for a while, and some do indeed support apps. But the near term future lies with devices which support much more than laptops can support.

Back to the subject of this thread, VM current accounts. As discussed in this thread, you can currently operate them exclusively on laptops/PCs if you never activate the VM app. Once you have used the app once, you will need it to log into your account on your laptop/PC/with a browser. Going by my own experience, it is possible, and easy, to operate the VM current account exclusively through the app.