Best bank account with no app-bothering and minimal 2FA?

Calavera

I'm finally fed up with Lloyds. The only way to contact them is to wait on the phone for ages or message them from their app. I do not want to use an app, I want to use my PC. Also every time I sign in now they want to go through the 2FA nonsense where they text my phone. It started with happening occasionally and now it's every !!!!!! time. Anybody recommend a current account that doesn't stick all their features on an app and does only minimal, or better yet, none, 2FA?

ZeroSum

You should be able to opt out of app 2FA, but the alternative is via text so need phone. The other alternative is just don't buy anything online.

Sensory

You shouldn't have to go through 2FA every time you log in, as long as you enable the option to trust your device (and enable browser cookies). You can't escape SCA (Strong Customer Authentication), which was enforced by the FCA on 14 March 2022.

Lloyds also offers phone calls to landlines as another alternative for verifying yourself.

eskbanker

Calavera said:

Anybody recommend a current account that doesn't stick all their features on an app and does only minimal, or better yet, none, 2FA?

So you're looking for a bank with weak security that falls short of (mandatory) industry standards, thereby not protecting your money very well?  Let's hope the fraudsters aren't reading any responses....

wmb194

Calavera said:

I'm finally fed up with Lloyds. The only way to contact them is to wait on the phone for ages or message them from their app. I do not want to use an app, I want to use my PC. Also every time I sign in now they want to go through the 2FA nonsense where they text my phone. It started with happening occasionally and now it's every !!!!!! time. Anybody recommend a current account that doesn't stick all their features on an app and does only minimal, or better yet, none, 2FA?

I don't have this issue with Lloyds on my PC and being asked for 2FA when logging in is exceptionally rare. Are you clearing your cookies every time you close your browser? Have you tried a different browser? With Lloyds I'm using Edge.

Band7

You will have great difficulties (to put it mildly) finding a bank without 2FA as they would breach their licence terms if they didn’t use 2FA.

As has  alreagy been explained, and I am sure you have seen when logging in, you can select “trust this device” to avoid the need for an OTP for every login. Though this only works if you don’t delete your Lloyds cookies.

It’s all a lot easier with the app as you can use biometrics for logging in but it’s your choice to stick with online banking.

As to contacting them: alas, it seems that calling any bank involves incredibly long wait times these days. Same applies to getting hold of an actual human via chat - most of the time, you are just in some sort of one-sided combat with a bot which is supposed to be intelligent but rarely is.

Rob5342

All banks will have some sort of security. If you don't want the convenience and simplicity of an app then you will have to accept another method like verification text messages.

Calavera

This is what I get, no checkbox to "remember me". I don't delete cookies but if I leave and come back 10 minutes later I've got to do it again.

Calavera

And I really can't understand why they can't put their messaging service on the website as well rather than trying to strongarm me into downloading their app.

Band7

Calavera said:

This is what I get, no checkbox to "remember me". I don't delete cookies but if I leave and come back 10 minutes later I've got to do it again.

 It’s on the next screen, after you have entered your OTP

Band7

Calavera said:

And I really can't understand why they can't put their messaging service on the website as well rather than trying to strongarm me into downloading their app.

It’s a commercial decision what kind of digital facilities they provide. If you want a bank with online chat, you can try Santander. Though I would take bets that you would find shortfalls with them, too.