Nationwide free travel insurance to end 31st December 2021 boo hoo/good riddance 3 September 2021 at 1:35PM edited 3 September 2021 at 1:37PM in Budgeting & bank accounts 53 replies 2.8K views

Zanderman

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Exodi said:

I prefered not knowing this, now I feel wronged that large sweeps of people have free travel insurance!

Well, maybe not that many people.

It was only for those who had FlexAccounts and paid £750 in monthly, hasn't been available for new FlexAccount holders for some time now, so it's only people with legacy FlexAccounts that still had the freebie.

And they're losing it now too. 

But if you feel wronged my best suggestion is to continually review what's on offer with bank accounts so you don't miss out on these things   It wasn't being kept secret!

Or the Building Society should have phased it out for everyone to make it equitable for all.

Instead, they quietly continued provided it to existing FlexAccount holders - who likely are of an older demographic. 

I'm not sure Exodi (who I was replying to) felt wronged because some FlexAccount holders had travel insurance and some didn't.  I assumed they simply felt wronged because they had never realised this benefit had ever been available. I was simply pointing out that it was, probably, never a huge number of people benefitting.

I wonder if the hushed up nature was deliberate on Nationwide's part - you are effectively making two classes of FlexAccount holder / member and second class don't even know that their lacking something that others are being provided for free. 

It's doesn't seem consistent with equal membership ethos but then Nationwide isn't what it used to be.

'Hushed up nature'?  What was hushed up?

Those who had older FlexAccounts had free travel insurance.

Those who opened them later didn't, because it was no longer offered.

What was hushed up?  Are you suggesting that Nwide should have said, to all those opening the newer version, 'oh, by the way, we'd like to tell you that if you'd opened this account last year you'd have free travel insurance'?  What would be the point of that?!  

And yes, there were two tiers, those who had the account a long time, and those who didn't. This is very common across many banks/building societies - there are some examples posted in replies above for Nwide.  Others I can think of are, for example, TSB allowing 2 interest-paying current accounts per person at one time and then changing it to one per person, but allowing the status quo to remain for those who already had two.  

It's not an odd thing to do. 

And I can't see anything was 'hushed up'.

[Deleted User]

wmb194 said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Exodi said:

I prefered not knowing this, now I feel wronged that large sweeps of people have free travel insurance!

Well, maybe not that many people.

It was only for those who had FlexAccounts and paid £750 in monthly, hasn't been available for new FlexAccount holders for some time now, so it's only people with legacy FlexAccounts that still had the freebie.

And they're losing it now too. 

But if you feel wronged my best suggestion is to continually review what's on offer with bank accounts so you don't miss out on these things   It wasn't being kept secret!

Or the Building Society should have phased it out for everyone to make it equitable for all.

Instead, they quietly continued provided it to existing FlexAccount holders - who likely are of an older demographic. 

I'm not sure Exodi (who I was replying to) felt wronged because some FlexAccount holders had travel insurance and some didn't.  I assumed they simply felt wronged because they had never realised this benefit had ever been available. I was simply pointing out that it was, probably, never a huge number of people benefitting.

I wonder if the hushed up nature was deliberate on Nationwide's part - you are effectively making two classes of FlexAccount holder / member and second class don't even know that their lacking something that others are being provided for free. 

It's doesn't seem consistent with equal membership ethos but then Nationwide isn't what it used to be.

I wouldn't say that it has an, "equal membership ethos." For quite some time Nationwide has had tiers of membership e.g., its 'loyalty' savings accounts that pay/paid a higher rate of interest the longer you'd been a member. Continuing to offer the insurance to members with this account before a certain date fits with this. Anyway, it's now moot.

The point being that it isn't what it used to be and I've been a member a long time. They operate pretty much like retail bank now with introductory offers e.g. FlexDirect, wasting funds on RAF and switching bonuses.

I disagree - they should have simply phased it out for all members - rather than having the same product on differing terms for members. 

[Deleted User]

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Exodi said:

I prefered not knowing this, now I feel wronged that large sweeps of people have free travel insurance!

Well, maybe not that many people.

It was only for those who had FlexAccounts and paid £750 in monthly, hasn't been available for new FlexAccount holders for some time now, so it's only people with legacy FlexAccounts that still had the freebie.

And they're losing it now too. 

But if you feel wronged my best suggestion is to continually review what's on offer with bank accounts so you don't miss out on these things   It wasn't being kept secret!

Or the Building Society should have phased it out for everyone to make it equitable for all.

Instead, they quietly continued provided it to existing FlexAccount holders - who likely are of an older demographic. 

I'm not sure Exodi (who I was replying to) felt wronged because some FlexAccount holders had travel insurance and some didn't.  I assumed they simply felt wronged because they had never realised this benefit had ever been available. I was simply pointing out that it was, probably, never a huge number of people benefitting.

I wonder if the hushed up nature was deliberate on Nationwide's part - you are effectively making two classes of FlexAccount holder / member and second class don't even know that their lacking something that others are being provided for free. 

It's doesn't seem consistent with equal membership ethos but then Nationwide isn't what it used to be.

'Hushed up nature'?  What was hushed up?

Those who had older FlexAccounts had free travel insurance.

Those who opened them later didn't, because it was no longer offered.

What was hushed up?  Are you suggesting that Nwide should have said, to all those opening the newer version, 'oh, by the way, we'd like to tell you that if you'd opened this account last year you'd have free travel insurance'?  What would be the point of that?!  

And yes, there were two tiers, those who had the account a long time, and those who didn't. This is very common across many banks/building societies - there are some examples posted in replies above for Nwide.  Others I can think of are, for example, TSB allowing 2 interest-paying current accounts per person at one time and then changing it to one per person, but allowing the status quo to remain for those who already had two.  

It's not an odd thing to do. 

And I can't see anything was 'hushed up'.

Your example doesn't equate.  TSB Bank didn't have different terms for the new customers on the actual account itself plus TSB Bank isn't a mutual organisation owned by it's members.
 

The FlexAccount insurance info was difficult to find on Nationwide's website and not even mentioned in the FlexAccount info area plus staff would generally deny it existence. It wasn’t discontinued, it was auto renewed annually by the society. 

Zanderman

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Exodi said:

I prefered not knowing this, now I feel wronged that large sweeps of people have free travel insurance!

Well, maybe not that many people.

It was only for those who had FlexAccounts and paid £750 in monthly, hasn't been available for new FlexAccount holders for some time now, so it's only people with legacy FlexAccounts that still had the freebie.

And they're losing it now too. 

But if you feel wronged my best suggestion is to continually review what's on offer with bank accounts so you don't miss out on these things   It wasn't being kept secret!

Or the Building Society should have phased it out for everyone to make it equitable for all.

Instead, they quietly continued provided it to existing FlexAccount holders - who likely are of an older demographic. 

I'm not sure Exodi (who I was replying to) felt wronged because some FlexAccount holders had travel insurance and some didn't.  I assumed they simply felt wronged because they had never realised this benefit had ever been available. I was simply pointing out that it was, probably, never a huge number of people benefitting.

I wonder if the hushed up nature was deliberate on Nationwide's part - you are effectively making two classes of FlexAccount holder / member and second class don't even know that their lacking something that others are being provided for free. 

It's doesn't seem consistent with equal membership ethos but then Nationwide isn't what it used to be.

'Hushed up nature'?  What was hushed up?

Those who had older FlexAccounts had free travel insurance.

Those who opened them later didn't, because it was no longer offered.

What was hushed up?  Are you suggesting that Nwide should have said, to all those opening the newer version, 'oh, by the way, we'd like to tell you that if you'd opened this account last year you'd have free travel insurance'?  What would be the point of that?!  

And yes, there were two tiers, those who had the account a long time, and those who didn't. This is very common across many banks/building societies - there are some examples posted in replies above for Nwide.  Others I can think of are, for example, TSB allowing 2 interest-paying current accounts per person at one time and then changing it to one per person, but allowing the status quo to remain for those who already had two.  

It's not an odd thing to do. 

And I can't see anything was 'hushed up'.

Your example doesn't equate.  TSB Bank didn't have different terms for the new customers on the actual account itself plus TSB Bank isn't a mutual organisation owned by it's members.
 

The FlexAccount insurance info was difficult to find on Nationwide's website and not even mentioned in the FlexAccount info area plus staff would generally deny it existence. It wasn’t discontinued, it was auto renewed annually by the society. 

Yes it does.  TSB's terms originally said you could have 2 accounts.  They altered them to say you could have only one.  And they never again referred to the fact that you used to be able to have two.  It was a definite change to T&C for the actual account.  It was discussed on this very forum.

You're still not saying what was 'hushed up'. If you had a FlexAccount that had the perk you knew about it. They informed you, and stressed the need to actually activate it.

They announced it would be discontinued for new accounts.  It was discussed on this very forum.  

From then on it wasn't mentioned by Nwide except to legacy account holders.  If you had it you knew.  If you didn't have it you didn't have it.  So you weren't told.  Because you didn't have it.  Why would they tell you that you didn't have something that you didn't expect to have? It wouldn't be mentioned on the website after it was discontinued as it would mislead people opening a new account.

JohnSwift10

kuratowski said:

And that's the same thing Nationwide did with their select credit cards too - existing holders kept their cashback even when it was no longer on offer to new cardholders.  Until they finally canned it.

That's when I got a Tesco card, never used my select card since.
Things are getting difficult for over 75's now, nothing free, except my bus pass which I can't use as there are no busses near where I stay

roddydogs

Even if  you switched to flex plus, then back to  normal flex, ( when they increased fees) you still lost the european insurance, even if like me you had 30+ years. Now just keeping open with 1£ i might win the draw!

wmb194

Deleted User said:

wmb194 said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Exodi said:

I prefered not knowing this, now I feel wronged that large sweeps of people have free travel insurance!

Well, maybe not that many people.

It was only for those who had FlexAccounts and paid £750 in monthly, hasn't been available for new FlexAccount holders for some time now, so it's only people with legacy FlexAccounts that still had the freebie.

And they're losing it now too. 

But if you feel wronged my best suggestion is to continually review what's on offer with bank accounts so you don't miss out on these things   It wasn't being kept secret!

Or the Building Society should have phased it out for everyone to make it equitable for all.

Instead, they quietly continued provided it to existing FlexAccount holders - who likely are of an older demographic. 

I'm not sure Exodi (who I was replying to) felt wronged because some FlexAccount holders had travel insurance and some didn't.  I assumed they simply felt wronged because they had never realised this benefit had ever been available. I was simply pointing out that it was, probably, never a huge number of people benefitting.

I wonder if the hushed up nature was deliberate on Nationwide's part - you are effectively making two classes of FlexAccount holder / member and second class don't even know that their lacking something that others are being provided for free. 

It's doesn't seem consistent with equal membership ethos but then Nationwide isn't what it used to be.

I wouldn't say that it has an, "equal membership ethos." For quite some time Nationwide has had tiers of membership e.g., its 'loyalty' savings accounts that pay/paid a higher rate of interest the longer you'd been a member. Continuing to offer the insurance to members with this account before a certain date fits with this. Anyway, it's now moot.

The point being that it isn't what it used to be and I've been a member a long time. They operate pretty much like retail bank now with introductory offers e.g. FlexDirect, wasting funds on RAF and switching bonuses.

I disagree - they should have simply phased it out for all members - rather than having the same product on differing terms for members. 

I've been a member for a long time too - my qualifying date relates to the first account I ever opened and it was with Anglia BS - and NW has always been up to shenanigans e.g., remember how it used to offer its best rates on passbook accounts, then postal accounts ('InvestDirect') when they became popular and then internet 'e-saver' accounts when they were on the rise? You've always needed to be on your toes with it. 

Obviously they try to present this in their advertising as a USP so people can be forgiven for having the wrong impression but I think it's a mistake to view BSs as something special and nice when actually what they are are profit seeking, corporation tax paying businesses but just with an odd ownership structure and an Act of Parliament that restricts how they can operate. If you see them this way, as I do, you'll spend a lot less time being shocked and surprised by anything they do or don't do.

[Deleted User]

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Exodi said:

I prefered not knowing this, now I feel wronged that large sweeps of people have free travel insurance!

Well, maybe not that many people.

It was only for those who had FlexAccounts and paid £750 in monthly, hasn't been available for new FlexAccount holders for some time now, so it's only people with legacy FlexAccounts that still had the freebie.

And they're losing it now too. 

But if you feel wronged my best suggestion is to continually review what's on offer with bank accounts so you don't miss out on these things   It wasn't being kept secret!

Or the Building Society should have phased it out for everyone to make it equitable for all.

Instead, they quietly continued provided it to existing FlexAccount holders - who likely are of an older demographic. 

I'm not sure Exodi (who I was replying to) felt wronged because some FlexAccount holders had travel insurance and some didn't.  I assumed they simply felt wronged because they had never realised this benefit had ever been available. I was simply pointing out that it was, probably, never a huge number of people benefitting.

I wonder if the hushed up nature was deliberate on Nationwide's part - you are effectively making two classes of FlexAccount holder / member and second class don't even know that their lacking something that others are being provided for free. 

It's doesn't seem consistent with equal membership ethos but then Nationwide isn't what it used to be.

'Hushed up nature'?  What was hushed up?

Those who had older FlexAccounts had free travel insurance.

Those who opened them later didn't, because it was no longer offered.

What was hushed up?  Are you suggesting that Nwide should have said, to all those opening the newer version, 'oh, by the way, we'd like to tell you that if you'd opened this account last year you'd have free travel insurance'?  What would be the point of that?!  

And yes, there were two tiers, those who had the account a long time, and those who didn't. This is very common across many banks/building societies - there are some examples posted in replies above for Nwide.  Others I can think of are, for example, TSB allowing 2 interest-paying current accounts per person at one time and then changing it to one per person, but allowing the status quo to remain for those who already had two.  

It's not an odd thing to do. 

And I can't see anything was 'hushed up'.

Your example doesn't equate.  TSB Bank didn't have different terms for the new customers on the actual account itself plus TSB Bank isn't a mutual organisation owned by it's members.
 

The FlexAccount insurance info was difficult to find on Nationwide's website and not even mentioned in the FlexAccount info area plus staff would generally deny it existence. It wasn’t discontinued, it was auto renewed annually by the society. 

Yes it does.  TSB's terms originally said you could have 2 accounts.  They altered them to say you could have only one.  And they never again referred to the fact that you used to be able to have two.  It was a definite change to T&C for the actual account.  It was discussed on this very forum.

You're still not saying what was 'hushed up'. If you had a FlexAccount that had the perk you knew about it. They informed you, and stressed the need to actually activate it.

They announced it would be discontinued for new accounts.  It was discussed on this very forum.  

From then on it wasn't mentioned by Nwide except to legacy account holders.  If you had it you knew.  If you didn't have it you didn't have it.  So you weren't told.  Because you didn't have it.  Why would they tell you that you didn't have something that you didn't expect to have? It wouldn't be mentioned on the website after it was discontinued as it would mislead people opening a new account.

Opening new accounts doesn't equate with differing standard terms (on a existing account) as each new application is effectively a new contract negotiation.

Zanderman

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Deleted User said:

Zanderman said:

Exodi said:

I prefered not knowing this, now I feel wronged that large sweeps of people have free travel insurance!

Well, maybe not that many people.

It was only for those who had FlexAccounts and paid £750 in monthly, hasn't been available for new FlexAccount holders for some time now, so it's only people with legacy FlexAccounts that still had the freebie.

And they're losing it now too. 

But if you feel wronged my best suggestion is to continually review what's on offer with bank accounts so you don't miss out on these things   It wasn't being kept secret!

Or the Building Society should have phased it out for everyone to make it equitable for all.

Instead, they quietly continued provided it to existing FlexAccount holders - who likely are of an older demographic. 

I'm not sure Exodi (who I was replying to) felt wronged because some FlexAccount holders had travel insurance and some didn't.  I assumed they simply felt wronged because they had never realised this benefit had ever been available. I was simply pointing out that it was, probably, never a huge number of people benefitting.

I wonder if the hushed up nature was deliberate on Nationwide's part - you are effectively making two classes of FlexAccount holder / member and second class don't even know that their lacking something that others are being provided for free. 

It's doesn't seem consistent with equal membership ethos but then Nationwide isn't what it used to be.

'Hushed up nature'?  What was hushed up?

Those who had older FlexAccounts had free travel insurance.

Those who opened them later didn't, because it was no longer offered.

What was hushed up?  Are you suggesting that Nwide should have said, to all those opening the newer version, 'oh, by the way, we'd like to tell you that if you'd opened this account last year you'd have free travel insurance'?  What would be the point of that?!  

And yes, there were two tiers, those who had the account a long time, and those who didn't. This is very common across many banks/building societies - there are some examples posted in replies above for Nwide.  Others I can think of are, for example, TSB allowing 2 interest-paying current accounts per person at one time and then changing it to one per person, but allowing the status quo to remain for those who already had two.  

It's not an odd thing to do. 

And I can't see anything was 'hushed up'.

Your example doesn't equate.  TSB Bank didn't have different terms for the new customers on the actual account itself plus TSB Bank isn't a mutual organisation owned by it's members.
 

The FlexAccount insurance info was difficult to find on Nationwide's website and not even mentioned in the FlexAccount info area plus staff would generally deny it existence. It wasn’t discontinued, it was auto renewed annually by the society. 

Yes it does.  TSB's terms originally said you could have 2 accounts.  They altered them to say you could have only one.  And they never again referred to the fact that you used to be able to have two.  It was a definite change to T&C for the actual account.  It was discussed on this very forum.

You're still not saying what was 'hushed up'. If you had a FlexAccount that had the perk you knew about it. They informed you, and stressed the need to actually activate it.

They announced it would be discontinued for new accounts.  It was discussed on this very forum.  

From then on it wasn't mentioned by Nwide except to legacy account holders.  If you had it you knew.  If you didn't have it you didn't have it.  So you weren't told.  Because you didn't have it.  Why would they tell you that you didn't have something that you didn't expect to have? It wouldn't be mentioned on the website after it was discontinued as it would mislead people opening a new account.

Opening new accounts doesn't equate with differing standard terms (on a existing account) as each new application is effectively a new contract negotiation.

The terms of the accounts, in both cases, were changed - legacy holders had the old terms, in both cases.  You still haven't explained what was hushed up?

roddydogs

Should have voted for ending the bs status when you had the chance! You would have got a nice bonus!