Bank branches

pjwilliams35

I've just had a right goat ropin' exercise trying to deposit cash into my First Direct account. It used to be easy, just go to any HSBC branch but trying to find one now that actually handles cash is a struggle. I know I can use the PO but their limit is £3000 per day, not handy if you've got more than that to deposit.

Anyone know which bank has the best network of branches?

PloughmansLunch

Nationwide? It's not a bank, but for finding somewhere on any given average high street to pay into a current account then I'd guess there's a branch that's not at risk of closure within fairly reasonable distance.

jon81uk

If you are regularly handling more than £3000 in cash then First Direct, which has always for its 30+ year existence been primarily a phone bank, is probably not the right bank account for you. If regularly using that amount of cash then looking for a branch based bank is something you should have done a long time ago.

eskbanker

pjwilliams35 said:

I've just had a right goat ropin' exercise trying to deposit cash into my First Direct account. It used to be easy, just go to any HSBC branch but trying to find one now that actually handles cash is a struggle. I know I can use the PO but their limit is £3000 per day, not handy if you've got more than that to deposit.

Anyone know which bank has the best network of branches?

Depositing large amounts of cash into any bank is regarded as increasingly suspicious in this day and age, so doing so into a brand new account may not be as straightforward as you'd hope, especially if, as above, you're implying that this isn't a one-off occurrence.  It's not business-related income is it?

FredTrump

Either hunt down a full-phat HSBC branch or look for another real bank with a business banking counter - I'd personally suggest Lloyds/BOS or Natwest/RBS.

Smaller branches and building societies are not advisable. 

boingy

Having more than 3k cash to deposit is not very common these days. Is it a one-off, maybe from selling a car or something?
If it's a one-off and not a crazy amount higher than 3K I think I'd just be depositing each day at the Post Office until done.

lr1277

You need to investigate Nationwide before committing to it. My local branch has gone part time, but it is still open on a Saturday morning. Just not every weekday. Off the top of my head I can't remember the days of the week they are open.

Edited to add: if you can reach a Metro bank branch, they are open most days of the year. But admittedly their branch network is not extensive.

Bigwheels1111

Just do what I did, go to more than one Post office.
But I have 7 bank accounts.
In the space of 90 minutes, I hit Beckenham main post office, a sub post office in Beckenham, Bellingham office, Downham and
Grove park. Cash from car sale.

gt94sss2

pjwilliams35 said:

I've just had a right goat ropin' exercise trying to deposit cash into my First Direct account. It used to be easy, just go to any HSBC branch but trying to find one now that actually handles cash is a struggle. I know I can use the PO but their limit is £3000 per day, not handy if you've got more than that to deposit.

Anyone know which bank has the best network of branches?

All HSBC branches handle cash, though with some branches it's via an ATM rather than a counter service.

A list of the different types of HSBC branch and the services they offer are at https://www.hsbc.co.uk/branch-finder/

Your issue is that First Direct changed their debit card to one issued by MasterCard and that doesn't yet offer the same functionality at HSBC branches as your old visa debit card.

This is supposed to be a 'temporary' issue until the ATM software has been updated. No idea how long that will be though - suprised it hasn't already been.

EarthBoy

First Direct changed to MasterCard under a previous Chef Executive who promised great things to come. Now that's he's history, and no great things have materialised, it wouldn't surprise me if First Direct moved back to Visa. 

boingy

EarthBoy said:

First Direct changed to MasterCard under a previous Chef Executive who promised great things to come. Now that's he's history, and no great things have materialised, it wouldn't surprise me if First Direct moved back to Visa. 

I seem to recall quite a few cards went from Visa to Mastercard but there was never really an explanation. Did Visa increase their fees or something?