Best Mobile App on Current Account?

dchurch24

Hi all,

I need to switch banks - Natwest are stuck in the 1980s and after several decades of being with them, I need a bank that wants to operate in this century!
Which bank has the best mobile app? 
I need to be able to transfer money around without the need for a card reader, and I need a limit higher than £1000 - many times this has caught me out; when buying cars, house improvements etc... There's supposed to be a limit of 20k on the Natwest mobile app, but that only occurs once you've logged into the website and made a transfer that way first. Of course, that requires a card reader, and the card reader they send you invariably has a flat battery every time you want to use it, as it lasts for about 2 months and I don't transfer that kind of money as often as the battery lasts! I need to transfer money to my sister this week, and Natwest's answer was to send them a fax (yes...a fax) with the account details on it so they could set up a CHAPS payment.

So, in short, I need an app that allows me to move money freely between current and savings accounts in the same app, allows transfers to contacts without a card reader. Allows me to set up new payees in the app (rather than on the website), and pay them however much I choose to pay them without the bank applying restrictions. I will need to be able to manage direct debits and standing orders as well - all from inside the app.

Is there a bank that has an app like this?

pmduk

I  can't answer your question, mainly because I've never had a card reader's battery go flat within such a short period.

The Barclays app however, incorporates its own code generator. Might this be an answer?

dchurch24

That sounds Ok. Do they have restrictions on transfer amounts do you know?
I've been to loads of banks websites but none seem to mention it.
I'm wary of ditching this bank, going through all the hassle of moving to another, and finding the same level of antiquation.

jimjames

Virgin Money, Bank of Scotland seem ok and do what you want

EarthBoy

dchurch24 said:

 Allows me to set up new payees in the app (rather than on the website), and pay them however much I choose to pay them without the bank applying restrictions. 

Lloyds (also Halifax and Bank of Scotland) has everything you're asking for except for no restrictions on payments.  I think it's unlikely that you'll find a bank with no restrictions on making payments at all, but some banks' limits will be higher than others.  

dchurch24

EarthBoy said:

dchurch24 said:

 Allows me to set up new payees in the app (rather than on the website), and pay them however much I choose to pay them without the bank applying restrictions. 

Lloyds (also Halifax and Bank of Scotland) has everything you're asking for except for no restrictions on payments.  I think it's unlikely that you'll find a bank with no restrictions on making payments at all, but some banks' limits will be higher than others.  

Thank you
I've googled around, but I can't seem to find mention of limits for most - I was hoping that a comparison list might be published, like there is for insurance companies etc...
I still find it quite distasteful that I'm forced to have a bank account, and they get to choose how much and who I can pass money to as if it's their money instead of mine.

EarthBoy

Just google  "(name of bank) faster payments limit"  here are some I found:
Lloyds Bank payment limits:
https://www.lloydsbank.com/online-banking/benefits-online-banking/payment-types.html
Barclays:
https://www.barclays.co.uk/help/payments/payment-information/mobile-payment-limits/
Santander:
https://www.santander.co.uk/personal/support/ways-to-bank/payments-and-transfers

dchurch24

Yep, I have been doing just that.
Thank you.
I've also been contacting the banks that I couldn't find - Lloyds for example. Their limit is 25k, and I'm chatting with them now over their live chat.

eskbanker

dchurch24 said:

I've googled around, but I can't seem to find mention of limits for most - I was hoping that a comparison list might be published, like there is for insurance companies etc...

https://www.fasterpayments.org.uk/about-us/personal-transaction is such a comparison list but hasn't been updated since December 2019 so can't be relied on to be 100% accurate, although banks' own data will always be more trustworthy than that collated by third parties anyway.

dchurch24 said:

I still find it quite distasteful that I'm forced to have a bank account, and they get to choose how much and who I can pass money to as if it's their money instead of mine.

They don't get to choose either but do have to comply with anti money laundering legislation and a host of other regulations, so even if you were able to find a bank that had no such controls, it would be foolish to expect them to continue operating for any length of time.  If you're expecting to make substantial payments to numerous new or different recipients on a semi-frequent basis, it would be worth anticipating how this might look, and ensuring that you have a secondary account elsewhere ready for the primary one being blocked....

colsten

New feature coming to the Natwest app. Not before time.

penners324

Starling has the best app of all banks I've used.