Off Topic Best bank?

Santander were utter **** with us - we got a mortgage with them for a new property and managed to mash the postcode between our old and new properties together - that took 6 months of batting with them to sort - then they somehow managed to remove the mrs from the mortgage and replace her details with mine so it looked like i had a joint mortgage with myself - they never did fix that one - we moved to a different provider as they were so ****ing incompetent. Barclays are **** as well.

About the only ones i havent had bother with is halifax and starling.

 

Monzo are brilliant, planning on moving to them fully from Barclays.

High street banks may historically offer more security (probably just a mindset these days) but they are so far behind with regards to modern features. I have my kids accounts on there too and they can practice managing their own finances by creating savings pots and goals etc.

 

Been with Barclays over 60years, never had any problems.

 

Just changed from TSB to First Direct. £175 for changing, excellent customer service reviews, free to use your card abroad and you get bank exchange rates which are higher than the tourist exchange rates. Martin Lewis recommends it, so worth reading his site

 

I believe I'm moving around every couple of years.

 

This is the bottom line. Everyone will tell you that the bank they are with is either the mutts nuts or the negative equivalent.
There may even be bank employees on here telling you that the financial institution they are with employed by are brilliant.
Thing is, every big bank is exactly the same. Multinational corporations who don’t care about their customers and are driven purely by profit for their shareholders.
So, you might think that you should take your business to one of the smaller ones. Some of the smaller ones are owned by and therefore directed by the big ones.
And all banks work the same way though. They take on financial risks over long time periods using customer money.
You just have to hope that the bank you choose is prudent enough to make sure your cash isn’t at risk. The government have bailed out banks previously but don’t bank (see what I did there), on it happening again.

 

Something they haven’t got sorted with phone banking, went shopping in booths the other day got to the till payed by mobile card and then got told card not accepted please swipe your card for verification, how the hell do you do that after the bank has asked you to use your phone.
Do you have to carry all your cards as well as your phone?

 

I never carry cards anymore, just use my Google wallet and have 2 cards connected to that - never had an issue so far

 

same. I don’t even have keys as my car uses my phone and my front door is a keypad. Just go out with my phone.

 

what the hell happens if you lost your phone?

 

Hasn’t happened in the 5 years I’ve been doing it and I obviously hope it doesn’t

 

Very good imo and always speak to a person when there is a problem.

 

First Direct - Phone them up, you’re through to someone in the UK who doesn’t read from a script

Had business accounts with HSBC and Santander, had a Barclays account for 30 years and closed it a while back, I just have a personal HSBC account mainly for share dealing, a First Direct and a Nationwide, they’re okay too and would be my second choice

 

Natwest. Been with them about 20 years now, switched when I was having some financial problems but they showed faith in me and got me back on track.

Also got a Chase account I use when abroad.