It's BACK! £125 switching bonus from First Direct.
First Direct has been voted numerous times in a row as the best bank by MSE, and it's even better (again) with another £25 on top of it's normal £100 switching bonus!
Open a 1st Account then switch your banking to us using the Current Account Switch Service and pay in at least £1,000 within three months of your account opening and we'll add £125 to your account.
To keep the account free (usually £10/m), you need to pay in a minimum of £1,000 per month (equivalent to a £13,300 pre-tax salary), OR you can open a First Direct Savings account with £1 to waive the fee.
Plus £500 overdraft limit with the first £250 free of overdraft interest.
Don't like the account? Get £100 when you leave!
"We're so certain that you'll enjoy our service better than anyone else's, if you're not happy banking with first direct after six months, and within twelve months, we'll help you move banks and give you £100 for your trouble."
*Happy to move around a bit to earn £225? Thanks to "Hashman" for this:
Sign up to the Halifax switching bonus (see here: http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/potential-260-100-halifax-switching-bonus-40-quidco-5x2-pcm-after-tax-2112130)
Stay long enough to receive your bonuses, then switch to First Direct!
Total payout over a few weeks = £225. You may be lucky and get the £40 Quidco too!*
Top comments
karlie88 to slamukdeals
8 Jan 1522#8
Open an Everyday e-Saver and stick £1 in it.
No charges.
drago773
8 Jan 1512#9
I don't understand why everyone says they are an amazing bank. They haven't done anything out of the ordinary since I signed up just like the rest of my banks the only difference is I had to call them to set it all up and was on the phone for 40 minutes.
What does the fee even go towards? They offer no perks.
WBRacing
8 Jan 159#5
I have been with FD since the 90's and they are excellent. Their UK call centre almost always answers the phone within 2 rings and when passed about to other departments they have already spoken to their colleague so you rarely have to repeat yourself.
Their implementation of the secure digital key though is absolutely woeful, especially compared to other banks and their app quality on Android is terrible. I currently have limited online access as the app on the Nexus 5 (lollipop) crashes when trying to perform the second stage of the registration.
bigwheels to MJ10
8 Jan 154#4
From memory i think if you have one of the products they offer ie savings account isa credit card etc and dont pay in £1000.00 a month the account is still free.
I dont pay in £1000.00 a month but have a regular savings account with them which pays quite good interest and no charges.
Hope this info helps you decide.
If you join first direct you will never change banks again they are that good.
All comments (271)
honeymonster86
8 Jan 151#1
Do you know if you need any Direct Debits to switch to this account ... I don't actually have any!
Thanks :smiley:
ScarboroughKID
8 Jan 15#2
Is it just £1,000 total paid in, or £1,000 each month for 3 months? Good deal though.
MJ10
8 Jan 151#3
No direct debits needed
To keep the account free, you need to pay in a minimum of £1,000 per month (equivalent to a £13,300 pre-tax salary), and you must switch using First Direct's switching service.
bigwheels to MJ10
8 Jan 154#4
From memory i think if you have one of the products they offer ie savings account isa credit card etc and dont pay in £1000.00 a month the account is still free.
I dont pay in £1000.00 a month but have a regular savings account with them which pays quite good interest and no charges.
Hope this info helps you decide.
If you join first direct you will never change banks again they are that good.
honeymonster86 to MJ10
9 Jan 15#209
Thanks>
WBRacing
8 Jan 159#5
I have been with FD since the 90's and they are excellent. Their UK call centre almost always answers the phone within 2 rings and when passed about to other departments they have already spoken to their colleague so you rarely have to repeat yourself.
Their implementation of the secure digital key though is absolutely woeful, especially compared to other banks and their app quality on Android is terrible. I currently have limited online access as the app on the Nexus 5 (lollipop) crashes when trying to perform the second stage of the registration.
jimmymac87 to WBRacing
8 Jan 151#48
Would be my review too. Can't fault the bank one bit, but whoever designs the app and digital key needs to have a look how other banks are doing ut
Is there a charge to bank with first direct?
Banking with first direct usually costs £10 a month, but you will not be charged this fee for the first six months from account opening, when you pay in at least £1,000 to your 1st Account each month, or maintain an average monthly 1st Account balance of £1,000, or you hold a selected first direct additional product. Take a look at our interest rates and charges for more details of other additional products.
So I assume you will get charged after the 1st 6 months?
karlie88 to slamukdeals
8 Jan 1522#8
Open an Everyday e-Saver and stick £1 in it.
No charges.
mjayna270 to slamukdeals
8 Jan 15#19
From the FD website:
You will not have to pay the Banking fee:
•for the first six months following account opening
•for any month in which you: •pay into your account* (other than by internal transfer from another first direct account) a minimum of £1,000 or you maintain an average monthly balance on your account* of £1,000 (month means calendar month and we will work out the average monthly balance by adding together the end of day balances for each day during the month and dividing the sum by the number of days in the month) or
•hold a first direct mortgage, credit card, personal loan, savings account (*excludes Regular Saver Account), First Directory, or first direct car or home insurance policy
PabloCreep to slamukdeals
8 Jan 15#157
Been with them a couple of years now. They waive the charge if you pay in £1000 a month. It is in the Ts and Cs somewhere.
drago773
8 Jan 1512#9
I don't understand why everyone says they are an amazing bank. They haven't done anything out of the ordinary since I signed up just like the rest of my banks the only difference is I had to call them to set it all up and was on the phone for 40 minutes.
What does the fee even go towards? They offer no perks.
karlie88 to drago773
8 Jan 154#20
Avoid the fee and get:
- Good customer service.
- 6% regular saver.
- Hassle free phone number with no option selection menus, easy/simple security verification and open 24/7.
- £125 switch incentive.
GeniusGizmo to drago773
8 Jan 15#23
No speaking to a Machine, English call centre and they are on the ball. Sorry but this is such a massive perk for me. Especially with my recent run ins with Barclays and BT
ScoobyZ to drago773
8 Jan 15#97
Agree I have just left them. All they did was keep reducing saving rates and offer poor mortgage deals.Zero percent interest on current accounts.
soap_box to drago773
9 Jan 15#208
I've been with them for 7-8 months. By far the best thing is that if you you need to speak to someone you call the phone number, it rings a couple of times, no menus or anything, and then you're talking to a human being, with English as a first language, who's always polite, knowledgeable and helpful.
However the banking itself isn't that special. Speaking as a web developer, their website (once logged in) is absolutely atrocious. It's a throwback to 10+ years ago, with a fixed width, left aligned website which insists in opening in a pop-up, a lowercase, white on black menu with no clear distinction between items, it's a mess, especially compared to my previous bank, Lloyds.
I also had problems with my payment recipients that transferred over, they wouldn't work because they had no references, but the website just gave a nondescript error and wouldn't let me amend the references or delete the recipient.
The 6% regular saver sounds great but it's not all that, you'd have to put the max of £300/mo in per month (min is £25) for 12 months to make the max interest, which off the top of my head would be about £95 for the year if you don't miss a monthly payment (which is once a month, by standing order, not whenever you feel you can). And after 12 mo it's done.
In all honesty, I'm quite sure I'll be making sure of my "£100 if you don't" pretty soon.
Monstersnowman to drago773
12 Jan 15#240
They are amazing because their telephone staff have been 100% perfect in every single call i have ever made. They have always answered in seconds in every single call i ever made, except once just after Christmas, once ... And they are not a foreign call centre. I have never had an error or reason to complain and their service is seamless and simple and very quick. I cant think of one single solitary issue I have ever had. All this is to be taken into consideration alongside the fact that they have maintained this perfect service from opening my account when they first started and have not slipped up once. I would recommend them over any other bank, and i use several.
voodoo85
8 Jan 15#10
Done this switch last year and had no problems, switched away from them after 11 months though as they offer £100 if you leave too, didn't leave due to any problems and some people say they are an excellent bank but ive never had to call them so cant really evaluate customer service aspect of things
If you open their savings account along with a current account then you won't be charged any monthly fee either.
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Opening post
First Direct has been voted numerous times in a row as the best bank by MSE, and it's even better (again) with another £25 on top of it's normal £100 switching bonus!
Open a 1st Account then switch your banking to us using the Current Account Switch Service and pay in at least £1,000 within three months of your account opening and we'll add £125 to your account.
To keep the account free (usually £10/m), you need to pay in a minimum of £1,000 per month (equivalent to a £13,300 pre-tax salary), OR you can open a First Direct Savings account with £1 to waive the fee.
Plus £500 overdraft limit with the first £250 free of overdraft interest.
Don't like the account? Get £100 when you leave!
"We're so certain that you'll enjoy our service better than anyone else's, if you're not happy banking with first direct after six months, and within twelve months, we'll help you move banks and give you £100 for your trouble."
*Happy to move around a bit to earn £225? Thanks to "Hashman" for this:
Sign up to the Halifax switching bonus (see here: http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/potential-260-100-halifax-switching-bonus-40-quidco-5x2-pcm-after-tax-2112130)
Stay long enough to receive your bonuses, then switch to First Direct!
Total payout over a few weeks = £225. You may be lucky and get the £40 Quidco too!*
Top comments
No charges.
What does the fee even go towards? They offer no perks.
Their implementation of the secure digital key though is absolutely woeful, especially compared to other banks and their app quality on Android is terrible. I currently have limited online access as the app on the Nexus 5 (lollipop) crashes when trying to perform the second stage of the registration.
I dont pay in £1000.00 a month but have a regular savings account with them which pays quite good interest and no charges.
Hope this info helps you decide.
If you join first direct you will never change banks again they are that good.
All comments (271)
Thanks :smiley:
To keep the account free, you need to pay in a minimum of £1,000 per month (equivalent to a £13,300 pre-tax salary), and you must switch using First Direct's switching service.
I dont pay in £1000.00 a month but have a regular savings account with them which pays quite good interest and no charges.
Hope this info helps you decide.
If you join first direct you will never change banks again they are that good.
Their implementation of the secure digital key though is absolutely woeful, especially compared to other banks and their app quality on Android is terrible. I currently have limited online access as the app on the Nexus 5 (lollipop) crashes when trying to perform the second stage of the registration.
:smiley:
Is there a charge to bank with first direct?
Banking with first direct usually costs £10 a month, but you will not be charged this fee for the first six months from account opening, when you pay in at least £1,000 to your 1st Account each month, or maintain an average monthly 1st Account balance of £1,000, or you hold a selected first direct additional product. Take a look at our interest rates and charges for more details of other additional products.
So I assume you will get charged after the 1st 6 months?
No charges.
You will not have to pay the Banking fee:
•for the first six months following account opening
•for any month in which you: •pay into your account* (other than by internal transfer from another first direct account) a minimum of £1,000 or you maintain an average monthly balance on your account* of £1,000 (month means calendar month and we will work out the average monthly balance by adding together the end of day balances for each day during the month and dividing the sum by the number of days in the month) or
•hold a first direct mortgage, credit card, personal loan, savings account (*excludes Regular Saver Account), First Directory, or first direct car or home insurance policy
What does the fee even go towards? They offer no perks.
- Good customer service.
- 6% regular saver.
- Hassle free phone number with no option selection menus, easy/simple security verification and open 24/7.
- £125 switch incentive.
However the banking itself isn't that special. Speaking as a web developer, their website (once logged in) is absolutely atrocious. It's a throwback to 10+ years ago, with a fixed width, left aligned website which insists in opening in a pop-up, a lowercase, white on black menu with no clear distinction between items, it's a mess, especially compared to my previous bank, Lloyds.
I also had problems with my payment recipients that transferred over, they wouldn't work because they had no references, but the website just gave a nondescript error and wouldn't let me amend the references or delete the recipient.
The 6% regular saver sounds great but it's not all that, you'd have to put the max of £300/mo in per month (min is £25) for 12 months to make the max interest, which off the top of my head would be about £95 for the year if you don't miss a monthly payment (which is once a month, by standing order, not whenever you feel you can). And after 12 mo it's done.
In all honesty, I'm quite sure I'll be making sure of my "£100 if you don't" pretty soon.
If you open their savings account along with a current account then you won't be charged any monthly fee either.