The Top Fixed Interest Savings Discussion Area

TiVo_Lad

The very popular Newcastle Base Rate Tracker Easy Access at 4.3% has just been withdrawn. If you try and apply, you get the following:Suggests they might be launching some new fixed rate products soon. As the Easy Access was market leading they might be going through a funding round and offer some market leading rates on fixed products too.

A._Badger

susanann_2 said:

Is anyone still going to wait,  how much higher are the accounts going to go. No one has a crystal ball I know, just interested in people theories. I don’t like the idea of a ladder to many accounts to keep a record of. 

Not I. I had an opened but unused account with Charter and last night when they passed the magic 6% I opened a new one and will fund that. I share your feelings about  the complexity of having multiple accounts. 

SpanishBlue

mebu60 said:

Cynergy is offering 18 months 6.0% for auto-renew of existing fixed rate bonds. Have a 1 Year maturing next Friday with auto-renew switched off. Will have to investigate whether can direct auto-renew into different duration to existing (or does anyone know?). Otherwise is 5.92%. 

There's no downside that I can see to Cynergy's auto-renew.

You still have the option for 14 days after your bond matures to add to the original investment, change the length of the bond to any of the options they have available at the time, or if you wish withdraw your funds.

mebu60

Doctor_Who said:

susanann_2 said:

Is anyone still going to wait,  how much higher are the accounts going to go. No one has a crystal ball I know, just interested in people theories. I don’t like the idea of a ladder to many accounts to keep a record of. 

If you don't like the idea of a ladder or going 'all in' today, why not save half now and half in a month or two? None of us will always time the market correctly, I know I haven't, but once you've locked-in at whatever rate you can move on.

Yup. I put a modest amount into Coventry's 14 month 5.9% yesterday. Have two 1 Years maturing next week. Looking at 18 Month 6%s for them. Then I'm away until the end of the month so that will be that. 

You haven't got the rate susanann_2 until you put the money in, there's a cost to waiting too long too. 

badger09

BooJewels said:

badger09 said:

JGB1955 said:

Just gone to the 'dark side' with an Atom 1 year FRB, monthly interest, 5.7%.  Pleasantly surprised how easy it was - apart from having to provide facial recognition .... do they know I was still in my dressing gown?  Do I care?!  Having said that, I have Starling and Marcus accounts... just seemed 'scary' trusting them with my £20K.  As a side note, Nationwide had no problems moving them money over (another of my 'angsts').  All done and dusted by breakfast time.

You do realise that you’ll have to wear that dressing gown every time you want to log in now😘

BooJewels said:

JGB1955 said:

Just gone to the 'dark side' with an Atom 1 year FRB, monthly interest, 5.7%.  Pleasantly surprised how easy it was - apart from having to provide facial recognition .... do they know I was still in my dressing gown?  Do I care?!  Having said that, I have Starling and Marcus accounts... just seemed 'scary' trusting them with my £20K.  As a side note, Nationwide had no problems moving them money over (another of my 'angsts').  All done and dusted by breakfast time.

I mentioned a couple of pages back that there was some reason why I didn't use Atom - that might have been it - I didn't have my face on.

I struggled with facial recognition on Atom app. It didn’t like me wearing my glasses, despite the fact that I was wearing them when I set it up. Problem was, when I took them off, I couldn’t see clearly enough to get my face in the right place on the screen. Now I just use fingerprint, but you can also use a passcode or voice ID. 

I tend to avoid apps that need a fingerprint as I have Reynauds and my fingers aren't good on a screen, so my fingerprint thing doesn't work reliably.  Hence I'm reluctant to use organisations that only have apps - I can't trust my fingers on screen devices and prefer using a computer for important stuff with money.

I also have Reynauds but have never had any issues with fingerprint ID. Everything I’ve read about the technology suggests it’s based on the patterns of the arches, loops & whorls of a fingerprint. Dryness of the skin, the surrounding temperature & pressure exerted can all influence the functionality, but I’ve never seen any mention of the temperature of the finger. 

Sorry, I’ll get my coat (& gloves😉)

Beddie

A._Badger said:

Secret2ndAccount said:

A._Badger said:

BooJewels said:

I tend to avoid apps that need a fingerprint as I have Reynauds and my fingers aren't good on a screen, so my fingerprint thing doesn't work reliably.  Hence I'm reluctant to use organisations that only have apps - I can't trust my fingers on screen devices and prefer using a computer for important stuff with money.

Likewise. In fact I refuse to use apps at all for large sums of money. What happens if your phone is broken, lost or stolen? As for voiceprints or fingerprints, they can forget it,. The security risk is ridiculously high.

I think you will find that the banks are using multiple parameters to check your id:
What ip address is the data coming from - is that your usual location?
What version of the app, or which browser release are you using?
What time of day are you logging in - is this consistent with a pattern?
Which screen do you go to first? How long do you take to tap from screen to screen?

I was told by one bank that they were scoring 29 parameters to weigh up whether the person on the other end was the person they were expecting. Too many inconsistencies and you get selected for extra security checks.

And I think you will find (though in a sense I hope you don't) that while the banks might talk a good game about security, in reality it can leave a great deal to be desired. Having just had my card skimmed I speak from experience but I was lucky, my bank accepted it was fraud,. Others have been far less fortunate. When it comes to the smaller banks, I have even less confidence.

For the benefit of others, how was your card "skimmed"?

BooJewels

badger09 said:

BooJewels said:

badger09 said:

JGB1955 said:

Just gone to the 'dark side' with an Atom 1 year FRB, monthly interest, 5.7%.  Pleasantly surprised how easy it was - apart from having to provide facial recognition .... do they know I was still in my dressing gown?  Do I care?!  Having said that, I have Starling and Marcus accounts... just seemed 'scary' trusting them with my £20K.  As a side note, Nationwide had no problems moving them money over (another of my 'angsts').  All done and dusted by breakfast time.

You do realise that you’ll have to wear that dressing gown every time you want to log in now😘

BooJewels said:

JGB1955 said:

Just gone to the 'dark side' with an Atom 1 year FRB, monthly interest, 5.7%.  Pleasantly surprised how easy it was - apart from having to provide facial recognition .... do they know I was still in my dressing gown?  Do I care?!  Having said that, I have Starling and Marcus accounts... just seemed 'scary' trusting them with my £20K.  As a side note, Nationwide had no problems moving them money over (another of my 'angsts').  All done and dusted by breakfast time.

I mentioned a couple of pages back that there was some reason why I didn't use Atom - that might have been it - I didn't have my face on.

I struggled with facial recognition on Atom app. It didn’t like me wearing my glasses, despite the fact that I was wearing them when I set it up. Problem was, when I took them off, I couldn’t see clearly enough to get my face in the right place on the screen. Now I just use fingerprint, but you can also use a passcode or voice ID. 

I tend to avoid apps that need a fingerprint as I have Reynauds and my fingers aren't good on a screen, so my fingerprint thing doesn't work reliably.  Hence I'm reluctant to use organisations that only have apps - I can't trust my fingers on screen devices and prefer using a computer for important stuff with money.

I also have Reynauds but have never had any issues with fingerprint ID. Everything I’ve read about the technology suggests it’s based on the patterns of the arches, loops & whorls of a fingerprint. Dryness of the skin, the surrounding temperature & pressure exerted can all influence the functionality, but I’ve never seen any mention of the temperature of the finger. 

Sorry, I’ll get my coat (& gloves😉)

I have no idea quite what the phenomena is that's at work, but when my fingers are dead, as they are just now, I really struggle getting anything on a screen to work - both tablet and phone.  Just looking it up it suggests it's something to do with the electrical conductivity - or lack of it - from dead fingers, not changing the screen's current when touched.  I think it's the lack of blood, rather than just skin temperature.

clowning

My 1 year fixed rate that I opened and funded yesterday, is showing interest rate of 5.78% rather than 6%. I had requested interest to paid annually back into the account. I have sent an email asking why the difference

ETA - I had obviously made a mistake. Oaknorth have not offered a 6% fix. I must have dreamt it!

A._Badger

Beddie said:

A._Badger said:

Secret2ndAccount said:

A._Badger said:

BooJewels said:

I tend to avoid apps that need a fingerprint as I have Reynauds and my fingers aren't good on a screen, so my fingerprint thing doesn't work reliably.  Hence I'm reluctant to use organisations that only have apps - I can't trust my fingers on screen devices and prefer using a computer for important stuff with money.

Likewise. In fact I refuse to use apps at all for large sums of money. What happens if your phone is broken, lost or stolen? As for voiceprints or fingerprints, they can forget it,. The security risk is ridiculously high.

I think you will find that the banks are using multiple parameters to check your id:
What ip address is the data coming from - is that your usual location?
What version of the app, or which browser release are you using?
What time of day are you logging in - is this consistent with a pattern?
Which screen do you go to first? How long do you take to tap from screen to screen?

I was told by one bank that they were scoring 29 parameters to weigh up whether the person on the other end was the person they were expecting. Too many inconsistencies and you get selected for extra security checks.

And I think you will find (though in a sense I hope you don't) that while the banks might talk a good game about security, in reality it can leave a great deal to be desired. Having just had my card skimmed I speak from experience but I was lucky, my bank accepted it was fraud,. Others have been far less fortunate. When it comes to the smaller banks, I have even less confidence.

For the benefit of others, how was your card "skimmed"?

That's a very good question and I wish I were able to answer it. Unfortunately, the bank either can't or won't tell me, so I'm left playing 'guess the villain' from the various places I used the card in the week or so before some little Herbert decided to buy computer equipment on a Saturday night, My guess (and that's all it is) was that the details were copied at a country show I attended, though I can't prove it. Presumably, two factor authorisation wasn't applied though had said Herbert also stolen my phone, it would have demonstrated how ridiculous that system is, too.


 

Noneforit999

Charter Savings 1 year fixed cash ISA seems a good deal at 5.2% if you are near or over the PA

My wife has £40k in a chase easy access at 3.8 and with what she has in another fixed savings, she is over or near the PA so thinking we stick £20k into the Charter ISA at 5.2%.

Annoyingly she has been using a rubbish Lloyds Cash ISA to move money about so I need to figure out what she’s used of the allowance since April into that, pay whatever of the allowance is left into that and then do a transfer I think?