Ease of use ISA

Fredbloggs1

Hi.
There seems to be dozens of so called banks offering good isa deals. But I’m not just after the best rate, but also ease of use and good service. 
Almost every time I search it’s a different supplier with the best rate, but what are they like to deal with?
Could you please, if possible give me a preferred few to look at. Doesn’t have to be the absolute best rate, but still pretty good of course. 

Many thanks. 

eskbanker

Fredbloggs1 said:

There seems to be dozens of so called banks offering good isa deals.

It's a regulated industry, so they're either banks or they're not, there's no interim state of being a "so-called" bank.

Fredbloggs1 said:

But I’m not just after the best rate, but also ease of use and good service. 
Almost every time I search it’s a different supplier with the best rate, but what are they like to deal with?
Could you please, if possible give me a preferred few to look at. Doesn’t have to be the absolute best rate, but still pretty good of course.

But what specifically are you looking for - simple application process, good app, fast withdrawals, responsive phone lines, etc, etc?  Most of these things will be subjective, so you'll get contradictory views on any individual institution, but much will depend on how you envisage interacting with your ISA provider, i.e. for fixed term products, they'll often be 'fire and forget', in that there's no need to deal with them at all during the term....

JGB1955

I don't have/need much/any interaction with my ISA providers (and don't see any need for it).  I've probably had ISAs with more than 7 institutions and they all advised me of my options when the ISA matured, and acted on it in a timely manner.  I just go for the highest interest rate and ensure that they are FSCS protected.

One's I've used - Vanquish, Oak North, Aldermore, Nationwide, Paragon, Principality and Santander (would probably not got with them again).

jimjames

eskbanker said:

Fredbloggs1 said:

There seems to be dozens of so called banks offering good isa deals.

It's a regulated industry, so they're either banks or they're not, there's no interim state of being a "so-called" bank.

At the risk of being pedantic, Nationwide isn't a bank or even a so-called bank although still regulated.

I find the company Chip to be good for my ISA, very easy to use and also good rate

eskbanker

jimjames said:

eskbanker said:

Fredbloggs1 said:

There seems to be dozens of so called banks offering good isa deals.

It's a regulated industry, so they're either banks or they're not, there's no interim state of being a "so-called" bank.

At the risk of being pedantic, Nationwide isn't a bank or even a so-called bank although still regulated.

I find the company Chip to be good for my ISA, very easy to use and also good rate

Yes, I wasn't claiming that any institution offering ISAs represents itself to be a bank (or needs to do so) - they're offered by banks, building societies, investment platforms, e-money companies and other regulated institutions!  The point was really that if a bank has earned the right to call itself a bank, via the extensive qualification process, then it's harsh to diminish that by dismissively using trite tabloidy terms like 'so-called bank'....

Reed_Richards

You really need to specify if you want to bank online or in-branch because what is easy in one case could be difficult in the other.

Qyburn

Personally I like the Virgin "Exclusive".
You get a proper account number and sort code
Easy access and flexible
Accessible from app or a web page (possibly in branch as well)
Supports multiple payees, unlike some savings providers where everything needs to go through a single linked account


It just remains to be seen how competitive their rates remain in the medium term.