Do you still use a banking passbook?

hydratoad

When I opened my Nationwide account, two decades ago, I specifically opted for the card based version of my account to avoid the pass book. I always remember my mum taking us in to Abbey National with her and her grey and red books. They seemed so much less useful than even a basic, non-debit, link ATM card.

Yet, now I do have one! A couple of years back, I opened a Saffron Building Society regular saver, as was then reccomended by MSE, and had a pass book foisted upon me. All the transactions happen either via internet banking or by post if I need to roll it over, when I send the book in with the form and it comes back a week or so later fully updated. Since I can download a full statement at any time from their internet banking portal, the books seems like an unnecessary token.

davidr1964

I have a passbook for a building society account. I still use it, and I like the format.

Thrugelmir

MSE_Laura_F said:

Santander has announced it's phasing out its passbooks by March 2021.

Once a common bank account supplement, passbooks are seen much less often these days.

Do YOU still use a passbook?

How do you feel about Santander scrapping theirs?

Santander acquired various UK banks that were previously building societies. Is this what you are referring too? As the number left in existance must be relatively small now. Given the number of years that have passed. 

Gers

I've got about five of them from regular savers with building societies and never used as the accounts are online.  A waste of paper!

I have fond memories of my Post Office savings account as a young child, it was splendid to see those 6ds build up over weeks. 

EarthBoy

Thrugelmir said:

MSE_Laura_F said:

Santander has announced it's phasing out its passbooks by March 2021.

Once a common bank account supplement, passbooks are seen much less often these days.

Do YOU still use a passbook?

How do you feel about Santander scrapping theirs?

Santander acquired various UK banks that were previously building societies. Is this what you are referring too? As the number left in existance must be relatively small now. Given the number of years that have passed. 

Santander, and Halifax, only stopped offering passbook savings accounts in the last few years.

[Deleted User]

Nationwide are fairly inconsistent - I used to have a loyalty saver (branch based savings) that Nationwide would only issue a passbook for and not an ATM card for 'as that what members wanted' apparently.

Nationwide BS and Yorkshire BS are probably the largest institutions that still use them.

Brie

I used to love them when I was a kid.  We'd go to the bank about once a quarter, deposit what we'd saved in our piggy banks and clip the coupons on our savings bonds to claim the interest.  

Found about half a dozen books when clearing out FiL's brief case after he died.  Nothing updated in about ten years although all the accounts were active.

GaleSF63

I suppose the question being "Do you still USE a banking passbook, the answer is no. But I do have 2 - Nationwide and YBS. Neither has been used for years (both accounts are online if I want to use them), but I would be quite happy to use pass books if there was an accessible branch to get to. I always found them quite satisfying to look at, and still would if they ever got updated. (Perhaps not the one with £10 in it.)

lesleyvhalifax

davidr1964 said:

I have a passbook for a building society account. I still use it, and I like the format.

same here I am with Yorkshire BS, and i am a lousy saver so no online access for me i just update my book when i am on holiday from work

[Deleted User]

Passbooks can be useful to those who are not very good with online/digital banking such as older people ect. 

They shouldn't be abolished completely, but should become like chequebooks where the customer has to request one, rather than being issued as standard to all customers.

Many credit unions in the Republic of Ireland have now done away with passbooks, and instead issue something called a "visual savings card" instead, which is reusable and displays the members current savings balance as and when it's used, its much more sustainable than passbooks.