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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask who you bank with any why?

69 replies

audens · 06/03/2019 08:42

I've got accounts with Barclays and NatWest. Now I have a son, I want to open a junior ISA for him. I want a good one with good rates but also want to transfer all my money to the same bank so it's all in the same place. Not sure how easy it is to do but sounds stressful...

Any bank recommendations? I'm not massively enamoured by Barclays, NatWest is ok...

OP posts:
ElinoristhenewEnid · 06/03/2019 10:21

First Direct for me. Moved 6 years ago from Barclays.
Unfortunately the last few times i have phoned them I have waited several minutes to be connected and have been in a queue.
Still like the fact that a person answers a phone who can deal with most queries straightaway and no menus to fight your way through!!

OddestSock · 06/03/2019 10:22

Lloyds because that's where I opened my first bank account and it's always been fine.

I've also got a NatWest account which I opened before starting university as it was the only bank with a branch on campus. They've been fine, but I only have my personal spends in there

needmorespace · 06/03/2019 10:23

First Direct and Nationwide
I opened my FD account around 1990, was one of the first customers. When my husband died, they sent me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Nationwide because they are a mutual.

BahamaLlama · 06/03/2019 10:23

Sorry I meant Nationwide - not Legal and General. Doh!!

FD also offer an interest free overdraft. Lloyd's don't.

MoistMolly · 06/03/2019 10:23

Natwest for current account as their app is possibly the best around (being able to get cash out when I've forgot my card has been amazing). Barclays for ftb isa as they had the best rate.

BelindasRedPlasticHandcuffs · 06/03/2019 10:24

I had no end of issues with NatWest. Their customer service is shocking. There was an odd looking transaction on one of our accounts (nothing sinister, completely legitimate!) and it was flagged by the fraud team.

After that our accounts were frozen on a fairly regular basis because anything that was a person-person transaction would trigger a freeze just in case it was fraud or money laundering (not particularly large amounts but we were planning group holidays so there was eg money changing hands to settle up where one person had paid for something on behalf of everyone). We'd have to call up to unblock the account which sometimes took over an hour with waiting in queues and being passed between departments. It was a nightmare.

We moved to FirstDirect and I couldn't fault them. Easy, convenient, and their customer service has been a dream.

Nanny0gg · 06/03/2019 10:26

First Direct. Been with them since their beginning.

Fantastic service and online very easy to use.

watchmefly · 06/03/2019 10:29

I’ve also had only good experiences with First Direct.

DontCallMeCharlotte · 06/03/2019 10:31

My sole account is with HSBC because when I first started work over 35 years ago I had to literally cash my paycheque and I think they had some kind of arrangement with my then employers for us to be able to do that. To be fair, they've always been brilliant with me.

I did have a dalliance with First Direct when they first started who were great but I was not a model customer Blush and they "expelled" me ha ha!

Joint accounts are with Lloyds as that's who DH was with before he met me and he does the finances (thank GOD!).

OllyBJolly · 06/03/2019 10:31

Nationwide for personal as they are a mutual

Metro bank for business because they made it so quick and easy and do everything I need (except don't have branches in Scotland so cheques have to be posted)

LBOCS2 · 06/03/2019 10:41

First Direct, they're brilliant.

When DM died I needed to extend my basic overdraft to one which would allow me to absorb some of the costs - upfront payments for funerals, crematorium fees, etc. They extended it for me despite the computer saying no, sorted everything out and gave me plenty of time to sort out repayment.

Completely happy with them.

M4J4 · 06/03/2019 10:44

The Halifax banking app and website are easy to use (much easier than NatWest) but their new app functionality that supposedly lets you process smaller value cheques by scanning and uploading just didn't work for me. It kept saying I had to take the picture in better lighting, I tried in daylight, sunlight, evening with very bright lighting, nothing worked.

Trillis · 06/03/2019 10:44

I'm with First Direct, more or less since they started. They are excellent, however I don't think they do children's accounts.

Two of my kids have Nationwide accounts and they are great. Good branch staff and good online/mobile app. We applied in branch for an account for DS(12), and at the meeting to open the account they took a lot of time to explain important aspects of day to banking, security issues etc. to my son, directing questions and info to him, and taking time to answer all the questions he had. He found it very useful.

DD has HSBC, which pays better interest, but account is not as easy to manage. She only has it as they came into her primary school and ran a 'school bank' where she could deposit money at school. She is no longer at primary school so we now manage it online, but of the 3 it is by far the most annoying system to use.

Foslady · 06/03/2019 10:45

Awful experience with Nationwide, wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole - would rather keep my cash under the mattress.
RBS have always been good with me, and TSB good with dd

Burlea · 06/03/2019 10:48

Nationwide as it's a mutual. Friendly staff and local, on-line banking is easy.

Lungelady · 06/03/2019 10:49

Been with First Direct over 20 years. Love them. I love online banking.

whatsthepointthen · 06/03/2019 10:56

Halifax but I really dont like them so will be changing.

NewYoiker · 06/03/2019 11:01

Starling- it's all online. We have a joint account with them and get real time updates when either spends money. It comes up as a notification as you pay at the till, the app tells you how much you've spent and where

And you can round up payments to go into savings. I really like

NewYoiker · 06/03/2019 11:02

Like it

Kindheartsandcoronets · 06/03/2019 11:02

I always read the positive reviews of First Direct with interest. A number of years ago I was seriously injured due to DV and was unable to work for 6 months. As I was self-employed, all I and small DC had to live on was a tiny amount of benefits. I explained all this to First Direct and they weren't remotely interested. Obviously my account got into temporary difficulties (which had never been the case before) as I had to pay all the bills, XH was in prison for what he'd done and he'd also made our home uninhabitable so I was trying to pay a mortgage and rent. They piled charge upon charge on my account, adding terrible stress to my situation. It took me an age to pay off all the charges. I'd never bank with them again.

Barclays, with whom I had my other bank account - and who generally come out badly in surveys - were brilliant and gave me a mortgage offer on another home as soon as I spoke to them and before I even filled in a form, ignoring my poor credit rating because of my particular circumstances.

TeacupDrama · 06/03/2019 11:06

first direct brilliant but they don't do kids account and you have to bank at least £1000 a month unless you have other products
a real person answers phone in the uk which being partially deaf is a huge bonus as I sometimes struggle with some different accents

wheresmymojo · 06/03/2019 11:08

RBS...

All UK staff

Often get through to the Aviemore centre and they have lovely accents and are usually the perfect call centre staff - friendly without being over-personal, polite without being overly formal, do everything I ask

Have never had any issues with them or cause for complaint in the 20 years I've been banking with them

Judashascomeintosomemoney · 06/03/2019 11:11

First Direct. As pps, excellent, second to none, customer experience (they once covered the cost of vip tickets to a gig after their random fraud checks meant I lost my chance to get normal tickets). Cannot fault them. I see you have tried to get an ac, though I’m not sure they do a junior isa anyway.

crosspelican · 06/03/2019 11:13

Lloyds, because they're the ones I'd heard of when we moved to the UK, and the horse.

🐎

talulahbelle · 06/03/2019 11:16

Triodos due to their investment policies.

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