Open an Everyday e-Saver and stick £1 in it.

No charges.

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.

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.

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.

Do you know if you need any Direct Debits to switch to this account ... I don't actually have any!
Thanks :smiley:

Is it just £1,000 total paid in, or £1,000 each month for 3 months? Good deal though.

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.

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.

More information here: http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/time-play-banks-their-own-game-maximise-switch-incentives-earn-up-700-megathread-2079867

:smiley:

Was going to sign up until I saw this:

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?

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.

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.

I've tried switching to this bank in the past and it's been a lot of hassle as there are no branches so everything has to be done via post.

Been with them 15 years.....I cannot fault them.

Amazing bank. We switched last year from Natwest and it was like a breath of fresh air. So easy and friendly.

Even when ran into problems they did everything they could until it was solved.

new non previous customers only. I guess I don't qualify as I closed my account in 1993?

How do you pay money in with them and does it have to be your main bank account?

I really wouldn't recommend them. Moved from Natwest and regret it!

The online banking is a nightmare worst I've used both the app and the website. lost count how many times I've gone to login and its given some error such as "something went wrong" and so have to go through it all again.

Now to login into the website for full banking you have to use your mobile and login on that to produce a code which you enter on the website!

Finally needed to change my address last month. Natwest & Santander simply logged in and changed it myself but First Direct i had to call up and get it changed! Worst part is i called up the other day only to find out my address hadn't been changed when i requested it!!!

Personally would go over to Santander 123 brilliant account, Great App and so far best service out of any bank I've been with.

gave them a go and switched back, horrendous online banking

Switched to them around 13 or 14 months ago - can't fault them. Always very easy to deal with over the phone and as others have said, HSBC branches allow you to pay money in. iPhone app is yet to let me down, either... Apple > Android.

Can open, worms all over the place!

I can't praise First Direct highly enough. Switched to them years ago to get the £100, then left to get another £100, but ultimately returned to them as no other bank comes close to them on customer service IMHO.

Call them 24/7/365: one ring & through to incredibly helpful & courteous people in their UK call centre (no IVR or menu options to navigate). This is what banking should be like.

And no: I don't work for them.

I left them due to an immense mess they made of my savings and and current accounts and won't go back due to the terrible customer services issues I had, they may be there every day with hi's and bye's but when things go wrong the nicey nicey disapears

Awesome bank been with them from this offer last year and wont leave.

this is a great deal if you want a new current account for your salary to pay into. Then transfer the minimum into another account that gives interest annually. A few good ones out there

Looking to setup a new joint account, we would like the following:

1. Individual statements for myself and my wife, to make it easier to account for all expenditure.
2. Ability to download statements into third party software. (currently with HSBC, and this is not possible with them)

Could First Direct satisfy these requirements?

How long does this offer run for?

100% good retail bank. 17 years, when they made one small cock up, they sent me a bottle of wine!

I had to chase First Direct to get my switching bonus weeks after the eligible period had gone by. If you do switch to them, don't forget to make sure they pay the bonus!

What about £385 if you don't mind switching a little from your current account says RBS, HSBC or something to First Direct and then Move from First Direct to Halifax's Reward Account

Move to First Direct ... get your £125 ... then leave and get your £100 then switch it to Halifax Reward account and earn £100.
£125 + £100 + £100 = £325 Boom.

PLUS pay in £750+ pcm to Halifax, stay in credit and have 2 direct debits in place to receive a further £5 per month AFTER tax! So potentially £60 on top Making it £385 of free money :smiley:

*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!*

this would be good fun if there wasn't a risk of affecting your credit records

Good bank.

Only negative is the online changes they've made recently, absolute ball ache to sign into anything now.

£150 for Yorkshire Bank

Better deal if you dont want to leave within 12 months

http://www.ybonline.co.uk/personal/current-accounts/compare/

http://www.ybonline.co.uk/personal/current-accounts/switch-offer

Voted ?????

Made the switch a few years ago and am glad I did - their phone support is great.

Is this £125 dependant on paying in £1000 every month?

I can keep the balance over £1000, but can't pay in a new £1000 each month, my money goes elsewhere.

Thanks.

I've been a member since the bank was formed (transferred from the Midland Bank) and have never considered leaving due to their excellent customer service.

The 6% regular saver for existing customers beats a lot of ISA savings accounts.

What kind of rates does the savings account have? Do they offer an ISA?

Comment

The time taken to write that you could have done the research yourself! The time taken to write this I could have done the research for you.......:wink:

Just switched from First Direct after 2 years for Lloyds for the 4% interest but keeping my First Direct account open for the 6% Regular Saver.

I really don't get what is so good about them, can someone enlighten me?

I've had a bank account for about 20 years and don't think I've ever needed to phone them, for what exactly?

Switch incentive and 6% savings rate are great, plus the fee saver mortgages, but anything else about them I'd say is gash...the online & telephone security is overkill in my opinion and in the last 3 months on the bounce they have messed up on my over draft, never had a bank make so many mistakes without offering more than an apology....

Worthwhile doing though for anyone who want to make some more cash, Santander or Hbos are my preferred banks though.

good account if you dont have 1 with them already. good sign up bonus. good acc to put pay into then transfer the minimum to get interest in another account

This offer has been back for a week or two now, I am currently in the process oswitching from Natwest to them.

Is taking a bit longer than the headline figure of "7days" sems more like 10-20 days. Not really an issue, just that after you apply they then get back to you and ask you to send in two forms of ID (original and a copy), signed by a professional (ie doctor or solicitor) to prevent money laundering issues.

I am definitely looking to leave Natwest, The current account has been fine, but my ISA is going down to 0.5% soon which is pretty pointless, as is my saving account with them. First Direct seem to offer much better opitions for both.

I am not too bothered about how nice they are on the phone, but they are well rated for this.

I am a bif concerned reading here about the FD online thing, as i do like to login regulary, but also swap my main phone round a lot...still think its worth a go though, and after twenty five years with Natwest its time to move on.

love FD been with them since they started one way or another, love their internet banking, hate their secure key but lucky enough to have it only on my wifes account but still can do most things and anything we need on the joint account I can do it. Regular savings is good as well always good rates. mortgage rates have been amazing we managed to get a life time tracker just as the rates started to fall to 0.79% above base with no fees still cant believe it, it was pulled within a day. Their car insurance can be competitive as well.

Do they want evidence of income? Yorkshire bank wanted proof I was earning enough to qualify (which I'm not, but have savings)

I don't use FD as my every day account but I did switch last year and have rang them a couple of times since and I cant fault their customer service to be fair.

Clydesdale, however. There's a reason they'll pay you £150 to switch. Wish I'd never bothered. Will never give them another penny.

You will have to call them on an 0845 number to activate your account after it has been setup, something they don't mention during application.

I have used numerous banks over the years and none come close to the customer service you get with First Direct.

dial the 03456100100 from a mobile its free and comes from inclusive mins
or landline 0113 234 5678 New customers - 0800 242424

As long as their online banking sucks I'll stay away

Got, Got, Need, Got

:wink:

I closed my account with them about 5 years ago. Would I be eligible? Do they perform a credit check? (I can't remember, haha)

I have to agree with an earlier poster, they offer nothing special. I joined them with this offer about 2 years ago from LloydsTsb and i was amazing at how poor their online service (doesn't open in full screen etc.) was compared to Lloyds. The app was virtually useless and all in all i didn't feel that they were miles better on the customer service front either. Since then the online service has improved and the app is better. I don't think i would have moved if it wasn't for the money. My advice would be to look at what you have (current account, savings, investments etc.) and look at what there is on offer from everyone. A regular saver only sounds good if you don't have a lump to save. They also offer a pretty poor value enhanced account option compared to most other banks.

Personally, great experience banking with them!
- got my switching bonus
- had a very pleasant experience talking to them (speak to EE and then these guys, you will know)
- have a regular saver
- their app on my android works like it should
- I don't have a mortgage with them but I know they do some deals on mortgages as well if you are a customer.

Charming. I don't want £100 to leave them.

I have been with them for 15 years. No issues so far. They always answer the phone within 1-2 rings and no confusing menu options to select.
On-line banking is not pretty but it works.

good pirce, i think i may consider switching

Have anybody seen a first direct bank on the high street ? Atleast i have never seen one.

To be honest I tried to switch with them they requested a tons if documents with original passport and lots if original papers that I didn't understand why!!! My friend managed to switch without any issue, most probably because of my foreign name more docs are needed I switched to Halifax and it went so smooth, for this reason FD IS a no no for me

I have been with them for over 10 years. They are superb.

Not sure as I don't bank with Tesco. As others have said, there is nothing wrong with it.

Been with them for over 10 years. They don't win the awards for nowt. Great Bank. Treat you as a person not a number.

i switched to them a few months back for this offer! Left Nat west who were poor! Excellent Bank

I recommend First Direct. They're really good.

Switch in, then out to Santander or similar and you will be £225 better off

Something dodgy. Paying you to bank with them? No thanks...

fd best bank very good call centre

I hope it gets better!!!!!

"Sorry we are currently unable to display your balances. Please try later or call us on....."

Tempted but I've been with barclays over 20 years and they've always been good IMO

"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.

You must have paid at least £1,000 a month into your bank account for six months and have not tried us before.

You'll need to have moved your banking using the Current Account Switch Service. Incentives are paid within 28 days of criteria being met.

You must contact us to claim the Service Guarantee prior to closing your account.

All your other accounts within first direct will need to be closed, including any fixed term products"

They said you must have paid £1000 a month for 6 months So £6000 must go in before getting that £100...

I switched to them a couple of years ago and theyv've been brill. Got £125 for switching then too. They didnt close my santander account so i switched to halifax who did close it and got £100 from them. I then switched to m&s from halifax and received a £125 voucher which paid for our lovely christmas food and drink.

Got to play them at their own game!

You been living under a rock? Your loss! Free money is free money!

4.8% net x 300 is 14.40 x 12 is 172.80.... They state

if you saved £300 per month for 12 months, you'd receive returns of approximately £117 gross (£93 net) in interest after 12 months. Interest is calculated daily and paid on the 12 month anniversary after account opening

What have I missed

How long do I have to stay with them to receive a bonus? Can I leave straight after getting it?

I think you were meant to be replying to darkbat1 there. I am on your side.

Been with this Bank for a long time. I can totally recommend them.

Moved to them last year. Best bank ever!

Does the 1,000 a month have to be a BACS transfer from your wage or can i just deposit a cheque monthly?

Spot on.

Been thinking of this for the Mrs as she's looking to switch but she earns just short of £1k a month. If I topped it up to £1k entering the account per month, would that count? Or would it need to be £1k wage or single payment going in?

do you have to be phone with them when switching? the marks and Spencer's switch keeps me on phone for more than 1 hrs going through all the t and c.. what a nightmare. any thought please??

Your having a Giraffe, I was with Alliance & Leicester happily minding my own business and then Santander took over and my financial world fell apart, they switched account numbers without telling me, followed by the sort code, then they lost applications only to find them after applying somewhere else. I switched several years ago to First Direct and I couldn't be more impressed. I get through to a real person in a UK call centre within a few rings every time. Santander were that bad that even when they had great products Which magazine would advise against taking them out as their customer service is so poor. First Direct on the other hand have been voted best bank for many years in a row!

i was with them in those days too but that was a million years ago and all the fault of two banks trying to integrate. nowadays that are just fine... but if you're happy with an account that pays zero interest, you just feel free to continue... as will i.

If you have a HSBC account are you unable to do this?

For clarity I was checking that if I am with HSBC I cannot switch and get the bonus correct?

don't forget once you have an account you can use the regular saver account to get 6% on savings. Save a Max £300 per month for 12 month for £117 gross (£93 net) paid on the 12 month anniversary.

I've banked with First Direct for about 12 years now, they're brilliant. Always available on the phone 24/7.

doesent switching banks take a hit on ya credit score ...... if u have no probkems with your bank why change for a 100 odd. pound incentive.....

If i want to pay money into a firstdirect account (in an actual bank), where can i do this?

Great find. To get the £100 if you leave within 12 months, you need to of had £1000 go into your bank for a min of 6 months

Whats the different between a savings account and a current account?

Thanks OP :smiley:

OK so from a former employees perspective as to why they are so good.

no ivr (automated service) just straight through to a human

all the staff are trained to do everything except the switching process as they have a dedicated team for that.

this mean when you call up they can do all your banking requirements all be it some have specialist areas so sometimes its best to pass you to a colleague who can do xy and z quicker.

everyone knows everyone else who works there so if you say you spoke to bob and it wasn't done they will speak to bob and get it sorted.

the regular saver is good but keep in mind that's 6% compound interest. so you can only put in £300 a month and you only earn the full 6% on that first £300 then the next £300 the following month is only in for 11 months so its slightly less.

on the up side they tell you up front how much you will get back after the 12 months so no loss really.

if you have an isa AND run the regular saver along with it you get tax free interest plus a nice wee lump sum of £3690 ish after a year inc interest and you can bang that straight into the isa the following tax year or just recycle it into another regular saver.

I agree and it was always an annoyance their way over the top with security online and with the secure key. but they have always let the competition spend the money and work out the niggles before addopting a new format which I'm sure they will eventually.

they also didn't get a bail out as their balance sheet looks pretty healthy which can't be said for other banks. I know as a customer its of little consequence but its nice to know your with a bank that makes good financial decisions to protect themselves even if your protected by the fscs

over all they are not the fanciest they don't have the most amazing rates and they don't have the flashiest branches but what they do they do well.

interest free £250 overdraft now even those with the cash know its nice to have a buffer in case something comes out rather than pay £20 for going over drawn like most banks

free phone numbers and 24/7 365 a year, not oh that dept isn't open at present like other banks

and yeah things go wrong but you know the guys there really do their best and they have some really long standing members of staff who know their stuff which is what I want when I need to call them, which isn't very often in fairness.

most banks push sales all the time, you call up for a balance or to transfer some money and they have you answering questions about your future plans to sell you a credit card or loan.

first direct do need to make money as a company but their No1 priority is customer satisfaction not sales. I don't know many banks that are still able to say that

Would I be able to open 2 accounts and get £250?

I would be opening one account for my myself, and the other would be a joint account both get £1000+ paid in each month.

Thanks

How annoying is switching accounts? I should ask Martin....but anyone of experience here?

Basically I don't do many direct debits, but I currently have a 0% interest loan to pay off a £2000 bike, ending in March, I could really just leave what's left in my current bank until that ends I guess and obviously my wages, pretty much all I have tied to my current account.

As annoying as losing the numbers I've known for years is, if this is all pretty simply, I can remember a new sort code, account number and few others easily enough....

it can affect your credit score especially if you apply for an OD, but it will only be for aproximatley 3 months then it will be back to normal the only thing to keep in mind is you will no doubt be on a list of potential money launderers if you switch alot and over a short period of time but all banks do this without you being any the wiser

Sorry for posting in the wrong place, but im just taking a sec to express my gratefullness towards Hukd. I have used this app for around a year and have saved/spent so much money on here, thankyou Hukd and more so to the community, without you all it wouldn't work. I'm listening to some tunes on my Akg K452s I got on black Friday from here, and they are better than amazing. if I hadn't been on this app, I would still be using what I feel to be inferior sennheiser px100mk2. I'll be on here always, yours sincerely, FoZeD.

also, when you read the abbreviation 'Hukd' it spells 'Hooked' yay

Cheers Kenneth, does that mean I won't even have to get in touch with payroll at work? Although that's actually genuinely no problem.....but none of this seems problematic at all. Probably go through with it at the weekend, I do everything online anyway.

One other thing I do have a random isa with 5p with HSBC current account, obviously I want that closed....will I have to inform them close that, or will the switch close everything for me?

We did this last year. Genuinely a world class bank. 10/10. Never looked back. If your in toe minds do it.

You wlll need to let payroll know but they set an automatic forward on any account that is transferred for, dont quote me on this as its been a while lol, i think its about 18 months. so even if someone does pay money to your old account 6 months down the line it will automatically be paid into your new account.

Best to let payroll know as soon as you can though as they should be informed.

Your isa or any savings will not be moved over, you should use the isa switching form they send you in the post as its a government savings account but as its only a small amount I wouldnt bother. Just transfer the money to your new current account and ask hsbc to close the isa they will do it over the phone

Thanks Kenneth :smiley:

If you read further back in this thread, it looks like interest is ONLY paid on the First £300 paid in Month 1.

Interest is not paid on the account total/on the subsequent £300 payments paid monthly thereafter (on Month 2, Month 3 etc), I haven't worked out how much you will get but it won't be £117 after a year.

Looking at your table it looks like interest will be around £18 per year (£1.50 x 12months).

Not sure if I'm over-simplifying things here :confused:.

Couldn't agree more. been loyal customers for the last 5 years...In virtually everything. ..just brilliant

Great bank. Moved 4 years ago from Halifax (couldn't take the constant hard sell of insurance and loans on the phone). Never looked back!

Little bit

Interest is calculated annually AER annual equivalent rate

if its 6% you get that per year on your balance

you can only put £300 in per month so over a year you put in £3600

but

you have only had £300 in for a full year so

month 1 £300 is in for 12 months
month 2 you have £600, £300 is the original which by the end will have been in for 12 months the other £300 added in month 2 will only be in for 11 months so you dont get a full years worth of interest on it, you only get 11 months worth

and so it goes on

so the final £300 you out in in month 12 you dont eally get much interest on this £300 but its only in for 30 days so what would you expect

So over all you would get approximately £93 at then end of the 12 months after tax

If you have a lump sum of more than 8000 then you are best putting this in an isa then running the reg saver each year for a little lump sum to be used over and over

Would this close my old accoubt down using the switch service?

Thank you very much, that's helpful :innocent:

21 years of epic service - you couldn't pay me leave

£150 with Yorkshire Bank http://www.ybonline.co.uk/personal/current-accounts/switch-offer

Worth looking at this also...
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/time-play-banks-their-own-game-maximise-switch-incentives-earn-up-700-megathread-2079867

Comment

Ok - maybe for a SQILLION, everyone has their price.

Another reason I like them is that the stupid calculator thing is OPTIONAL with first direct

its a good deal but not the best

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/compare-best-bank-accounts

150 for clydesdale/yorkshire banks. or just hop through them all and collect the money. I'm not sure how long you would have to keep the account open before you switched to the next.

http://www.helpfulcalculators.com/compound-interest-calculator

This is about as close as i can get to showing the whole compound interest its not bang on but the formula is right and the gives you an idea of what to expect, FD do tell you what you would get in interest if you paid in x each month.

Here is HSBC reg saver leave it as an hsbc premier customer and it will work out the amount of interest you will get back at 6%

max per month with hsbc is 250 though so go nuts, FD allow up to £300 per month

http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/savings-accounts/regular-savings-accounts

Calculator is near the middle of the page

Brilliant bank account, been with them for ages, great deal.

i am also banking with them since last 4 years and yes their customer service is fabulous... their regular saver account is one of the highest interest paying accounts...6%...
i am not paying any fee and am not paying or maintaining £1000 per monyh... all you need is to open a everyday saver account and hold £1 in it... this account is actually a no brainer for everyone provided they open it for you... they declined my wife once

Been with them for over 2 years and never looked back, best back on the market imho!

It's a Scottish call centre, from my experience, and it might be just me, but I found it difficult to understand them sometimes.

The Android app and generally online banking is very poor.

Regular saver seems to be not enough to wave the fee, contrary to what a few people here mentioned.

Yes its a Scottish call centre just outside Glasgow

Yep android app needs some work but the platform its built on is flexible so they will update it at some point, for now its functional

You need an everyday saver with a balance to waive the fee NOT the regular saver.

I had two current accounts on my halifax. One wasnt used. So closing that one with the switch :smiley:

Over five years with FD now and take advantage of their off set mortgage. If they started to charge £10 a month to continue banking with them I wouldn't hesitate to pay it. Their service is superb and they do EVERYTHING on the phone. Other banks will **** you off telling you you need to go into the branch to do basic tasks. Can't recommend them enough.

.. iPhone app is great!

I can't find any information on the refer a friend offer. I was going to transfer as my daughter did this last year and finds it very good thought I may as well try and get her a few pounds too

She needs to give them a call and they will speak to her then send you an application in the post to sign and send back. They can sometimes do it over the phone though but not strictly supposed to so speak nice to them.

They will also send her a set of 4 or 5 refer a friend cards to use in the future.

or can be done through online banking as detailed here

Referrer Instructions
You will need the friend's name and address.
Log in to First Direct and click on the Refer a Friend link.
You will receive three postcards in the mail.
Send a postcard to the friend and keep the remaining ones for other referrals.
Once the friend signs up you will receive a £100 credit.


Friend Instructions
Tell the referrer your name and address.
They will post you a referral registration postcard.
Follow the instructions on the postcard to open your account.
Once your account is open you will receive £50 credit.

Im not sure about their £10 per month fee or am i reading this wrong because I could see two sides at the moment (edit: one side is you will not be charged the fee for 6 months regardless of whatever you do, then satisfy one of the criteria as below so it is possible you will not be charged anything at all. The other side is as below.)?

"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 if I got this correct, if I pay £1000 per month into this account every month, I do not get the £10 fee for the first 6 months. What happens on month 7 and onwards? Assuming that you pay £10 per month after, if you stick with them for 1 year, wouldn't you have paid a total fee of £60 then? wouldn't that erode the £125 bonus?

Thanks, that is exactly what I want to hear. They have this 6% regular saving account, which sounds awesome, so I will probably take advantage of that to evade the £10 fee.

You're contradicting yourself a bit there. You said I would get £50 while my friend would get £125.
The detailed instructions say I would get £100 and the friend £50...

You can open the regular saver BUT only the Everyday Saver with a balance (min £1) can prevent the £10 fee

or

pay in £1000 or more a month

So if you want the regular saver and wont be paying in £1000 or more , open the every day saver as well and stick a quid in it

Sorry its been a long day. I misread your first post i thought you were referring someone never mind,

If she is referring you then you get £125 and she would get £50, my apologies

It only mentions the £100 in the instructions as that's the standard rate fd always have on, just now they have added and extra £25 as they do from time to time.

Ah I see - I thought it could be any savings account. So I cannot open the 1st direct account and use the regular saver to evade the £10 fee.

So only your two options are valid to prevent the £10 fee. That is great - I think I understand now.

Would myself and my wife be able to open 2 sole accounts, and get £125 each?

Last point on the main 1st Account page - https://www2.firstdirect.com/1/2/banking

Anyone know if the £1000 you have to pay in each month can count toward getting the £125 or is that an additional £1000 on top of these monthly installments?

Does this work with joint accounts?

http://www3.firstdirect.com/assets/pdf/rates-and-charges.pdf

Page 11


Tells you all regarding the waiver of the £10 account fee

Anyone know or successfully managed to get 2 bonuses when you open a joint account?

Last year we switched mortgage to First Direct. I made the mistake of moving over the Joint Account to First Direct. When the account was moved we received a £100 welcome bonus.

If I had moved my sole account and my wife's sole account separately to first direct, and then moved the joint account a week later we would have received £100 welcome bonus each, but because I moved the joint account first, we only received 1 welcome bonus.

I've tried to explain this to First Direct, but they don't seem to get it.

Anyone else had any luck getting a welcome bonus for yourself and your spouse when you also have a joint account?

Kenneth, you OWNING this thread!!

Spent too long in the job lol

Regarding the Sole Joint issue its worth noting the £125 is payable once per application so either one £125 for a sole account or £125 for a Joint account but on the joint you only receive one £125.

Secondly

You can only have one regular saver active at a time so you can have

One Sole

OR

One Joint

So if it were meee I would have a sole and your other half can have one as well.

Otherwise you have a joint reg saver with an upper limit of £300 a month

Have two sole reg savers and have £300 a month in each.

Again double the interest

Suggest you contact o2 and ask for a refund then!
ofcom 03 numbers

I still think you got them wrong, the friend gets £50. That's how I read the detailed instructions you posted.

Just read the instructions that I stupidly copied from a website thats not FD, didnt check them and its the instructions that have it the wrong way around. It is definitely you as the new customer that would get £125 and the existing customer who has referred someone that gets the £50

Give them a buzz and they will tell you

do you need to set up direct debits as I currently have none to set up.
Although I can pay in the £1000 month quite easily as long I can make withdrawals from the account.

I moved last time , got the £100 and moved all direct debits , unfortunately the date I switched was to close to my direct debit dates (all the 1st or 2nd of month ) but first direct said no problem . It was a problem , some direct debts never made it , luckily I was in the ball and rang the ones that did not make it and paid via card , I complained online messaging about it , they rang me in 1 hr , apologised and dropped £40 into my account as an apology and for hassle/ cost of calls of calling the company's etc . Not had a problem really always a human answers but in evening you do have to wait sometimes .

I doubt anyone would feel comfortable calling them and asking "hey, can I get more money out of you by reffering a friend? How?"

If they did not advertise this on their website, it's probably not available.

Still going back to hsbc for spending account as their pending payments section online is amazing . Some banks I know can tell you what is pending , but hsbc online actually tells you what is coming out and going in the day before . Gives you a massive head start the next day to get any issues sorted .

Open a normal savings account and you don't get the banking fee and won't need to pay in the £1000 a month either.

Okay don't lol

In Britain you are trained to be disloyal to get better deals, you can punished for being loyal as a customer and as an employee, very counter-intuitive logic and behaviour. Luckily this behaviour is starting to change to reward loyal customers (excluding loyalty cards as that's an abused of the word "loyal").

avoid first direct. I had to laugh at their recent advert about how great they are, how everything is simple and super efficient, nothing further from the truth. my experience was terrible , they had a cheap fixed rate for mortgage, cheapest around so I went for it, was told I had to get their current account so I could make payments into mortgage account, this was the only way. the application process went on for weeks and months just for the current account..... passport checks, they went through all my bank statements for my existing current accounts, queried all purchases I had made in past three months, why I had spent money on a car? where did this money come from? etc... eventually got it all sorted but very nearly lost out on the house we were buying because of this and paid extra in solicitors bills due to the time it took. not saying this will be everyone's experience and maybe for the deal it's worth it to you but be warned they can and probably will be very difficult to deal with.

I have to say when you switch to them you won't want to switch away.

A* for customer service, never waited on the phone more then 8 seconds to speak to someone.

I have switched few months back,, everything ok Except nightmare online experience, terrible apps,very terrible web page too many password and keys to remember or to manage I hating going online with the bank. Telephone banking is alright though

Applied online as I have a 'spare' bank account that I'm willing to sacrifice.

Less than 15minutes later following a call to customer services, I have my Sort Code, Account Number and have set up my online banking.

What is this about people having to send in ID etc? I haven't been asked for anything at all, and the account appears to be fully operational.

Now here's my question: I've transferred £1000 from another account into the FD account, and intend to start the switching process tomorrow. Will I have to transfer another £1000 in *AFTER* the switching is complete to receive the reward? The guy on the phone didn't seem too sure.

Also, how long do they take to pay up?

Finally, do they just automatically send out a debit card or do I have to request one? None of this was mentioned - they only asked if I wanted a cheque book.

It's an Ofcom requirement that 03xx numbers are free and included in bundles. If you google it for O2 it says that on their website. So your calls should have been free - assuming you stayed within your bundle allowance. You should ask for a refund !

Sorry to clarify - 03xx numbers are the same charge as 01/02 landline numbers and have to be included in bundled minutes - so you'd only pay if you go outside your bundle.

I can't overstate how AWFUL and HIDEOUS First Direct online banking is. The app is hideous also. Utterly hideous. Worst system ever, which is ironic for an entirely online bank.

Did I mention how hideous it is to use First Direct online banking?

Also, the customer service is only good when it's something they can easily help with. As soon as it becomes challenging, their tone changes to a less helpful one and they could not possibly care less. I was actually told to complain to the ombudsman by one of their advisors if I wanted a resolution to my problem!

Do not believe the hype with these charlatans!

I just used the switched option giving my Halifax bank sort code and account number and application been successful and they offered me a saving account and current account with £500 pounds overdraft, They have given me both account numbers and sort code, do i just transfer £1000 pounds and leave it there for 3 months to get £125 pounds or do i have to put in £1000 pounds each month so they don't charge me £10 pounds, Sorry i haven't done anything like this before, just need a bit of help.

I'm in the process of switching to them, I managed to jump on the last £125 switch offer.

Its worth switching just for the customer service, no automated number....you talk to a person right away in a UK call centre.

They also offer a bolt to your account for £15 pm that includes breakdown cover (with home start), mobile phone insurance and travel cover. I'm sure someone can find fault with it but I think that seems ok.

Also from what I can gather, you have to move the £1,000 with in the first 2 months from opening the account. It might be different for this offer but thats what I got to do.

I don't work for First Direct.

Long thread but I can't see that there has been an answer about eligibility to the switching bonus if you have had this account previously. Can someone comment please.
Any chance if you had and closed 3 or more years ago?

Under new rules, they will have to offer a free account soon.

Can anyone answer please? I'm thinking of doing this but would want to switch our joint account too. That doesn't get £1000 month. Would we be charged the £10 for that account?

Access to their mortgage range with unlimited overpayments is another good benefit of being with FD. Not many banks let you pay as much as you want towards your (normally) largest debt. Great way of becoming debt free a lot sooner.

terrific bank! recommend all around. I actually like their online website. its simple, straight forward and does the job.

I did this some years ago and got the £125 sign-up and £100 for leaving.

Wonder if i'd be classed as a new customer now because i've changed address?

How long does it take once you sign up as I haven't had an email or anything from them yet?

May have great customer service, but I'd rather stay with Santander that continue to give me 3% AER on £60k and cashback on all bills

Also £250 0% overdraft, I've not seen any other UK bank offer this except for Student accounts. I dipped in over Xmas as I knew a bonus was coming in :smiley:

m5rcc "May have great customer service, but I'd rather stay with Santander that continue to give me 3% AER on £60k and cashback on all bills"

£60K ????

Yes you are over-simplifying. Somebody questioned fd's own example stating that if you save £300 a motnh for a year, returns would be £117 Gross. The schedule i provided shows EXACTLY how that is the case. The previous poster's interest calculation method was completely wrong, and fd are hardly likely to falsely advertise the returns are they?

Done! :smiley:

I have been with FD for a number of years, the service to be painless and if they mess up I have found they have always offered recompense, whereas other banks would have sent you a pre-printed letter with platitudes.

No need to pay for the £10 banking fee, open up a savings account or credit card and you'll be fine. I have never used the switching service, so I can't comment on how it is.

You don't need to use the device to log onto your internet banking as there is another tab (on mine there is anyway) that will let you log in using your security information, they say that functionality when you log on without the device will be restricted - although for just going on and looking at your statement / balance which is what I log onto internet banking for, it is fine.

If you think that is hard, then you have never tried Santander online banking!!! It is probably easier to break into Fort Knox than to access your Santander account online.

Those who are complaining the website is in a popup window, just copy and paste the address into your browser bar and make it a favourite, job done. No need go to the FD website to login, and no pop-up - I don't think I have ever logged into a banking website via the bank's website anyway once I have set it up - I just favourite the login page.

Spot on it wont let you delete the recipent but if you phone them they can romove this for you

You would need 20k to get the £60 per month interest but thats gross so about 48 after tax

If you have 20k i to would opt for the santander account and run it like a savings account with 2 x direct debits

Can anyone answer my previous question please? Does first direct support a direct connection to third party finance applications?

cold as a kipper.

Quick question, for the £100 leaving bonus it states "You must have paid at least £1,000 a month into your bank account for six months and have not tried us before." so does this mean that this is compulsory or can the £1 savings account waive this requirement?

Thank you

So you can take out £1000 and put it back in every month?

you could. but it would have to be taken out and moved from any fd account, you couldnt just transfer it to the fd savings account and back to the current account that wont work

I did use the new switching service, lets just say its not as spot on as they would have you think! but hey First direct made it right with me, They advised the date to switch was ok and yes they compensate under the promise of switching easy but do they go as far as sorting your credit rating because your mortgage payment was missed (Mine was one of them but I rang up on the due day and paid via card to cover myself)

That's why I had no issue moving to them as I thought the same but no the incoming pending payments is a no go, I cannot tell what direct debits are going out or money coming the day before like I could with HSBC online! I can check the last time a dd was taken, card transaction pending payments do not even show in their so unsure why even have it? my halifax pending shows all transactions on card waiting to happen????

What are their mobile banking apps like?! On android

I don't understand why you posted some instructions that have nothing to do with this bank and just copied them from somewhere else... sorry if you do not see that was wrong.

Thanks for this, I've transferred.

I've called to confirm my switch today,

the first call i was told there isn't any point in me switching as i've no DDs or Money coming in.
i called again and spoke to another employee who said it doesn't matter if theres nothing set up and they'll complete the switch for me.

if you do get knocked back on the first attempt, just ring back.

I moved to First Direct in December 2014 and so far everything has been fantastic. Got my £125 bonus within 4 days of my wages being paid in and the switch was simple. When you phone them up there's no "press 1 for this press 2 for that" just straight through to a UK call centre who, compared to RBS who I previously banked with, are far superior with customer service. Couldn't recommend them highly enough.

Heat added!

It is to do with first direct. They dont advertise it on their website because you have to be a customer to be able to refer a friend. Once you are a customer, when you log into your account online there is a refer a friend link. When an existing customer refers a new customer, the new customer gets the joining bonus of £125 if they meet the criteria and the existing customer recieves £50 for refering a friend.

Does the switch need to be done from an account opened for a specific amount? I'm planning to open a second account with my current bank, and then open an account with FD. Will I be elegibe for 125gbp for transfering from that "new" account from my exixting bank to FD account? I just don't want to close my current account with my existing bank.... Thanks

I can't see a refer a friend link... Can you post a pic ? Thanks

Does anyone know if it has any affect on your credit rating switching banks? Or if being with a bank x number of years is more beneficial etc.

why not?

I've been with FD before a few years back.

I've moved address since would i now be classed as a new customer and eligible for the £125 to switch?

I'm guessing not ....

Switching banks is made out to be so easy on here. I'd pay £125 to NOT switch banks and avoid the hassle. Not for me.

Opening the account has been straight forward. called the customer services and first time took 2 rings and the other time it didn't even ring lol... took me by surprise. the advisers where spot on.

They tried to call me ref the account switch and they left a voicemail and a SMS which was good.

Does anyone know if I can open this from abroad (I am working outside the UK until August/September 2015)? Or will I have to visit a branch or hand sign papers?

What about the Halifax one? I saw someone mention that they had to visit a branch?

Also, is it COMPULSORY to close the old account from which you switch? As this would mean losing my student overdraft :disappointed:

Do you have to be earning over £13,000 a year to open this account?

do i have to close my current account to do this? i have a current with halifax but also savings with them. can i keep my savings with halifax and just switch my current to first direct?

Gave up my transfer now, I had sent in my two forms kf ID thinking that was that, but they can called back asking for my manager's phone number to ask them to confirm my mobile number...or send them a copy of my mobile phone bill and a bank statement... Definitely not as simple as they make out in the ads.

Also, have rang them twice now, first time I was on hold for jjst over twenty minutes, second time ten minutes (i was surprised having heard good reports) and reading peoples experiences of using the android app (which i would mainly hope to use) it doesnt sound good.

Shame really as I really wanted to leave Natwest with their paltry Rates (Isa is going to be 0.5% soon), but not been impressed with FD so far, and at least with Natwest Their online banking is very easy to use.

Will keep my eye out on Isa's the next few months, surely they have to improve (?) And stick my dosh in one

so if i just sign up to fd theyll only move the current account and leave my isa and saving with halifax alone then? what about the direct debits and standing orders? theyll be transferred to fd?

Correct. Though, you can just confirm this with FD during the procedure and they will tell you the exact same thing.

I've been doing the sums on my latest switch for a bit; my 2p's worth is to go for Halifax for a year, get the £100 and the possible £40 Quidco(which tracked very quickly), and the £5 a month, totalling £200. Then switch again. This may be good if you're on a budget and don't have the monthly cash to facilitate 2 switches. Also constantly switching doesn't do your credit rating any favours, unless you keep an on running current account.
Still a great deal though, voted hot, many thanks OP.

I've just filled out all the stuff online to switch to First Direct, I briefly saw my new account details before entering all the switch information and it all went through ok, however I've had nothing from them since and they said I'd be getting emails and text messages with all the info. I would've thought I'd at least get an email from them confirming it all!

Is this normal?? Does it just take a while to come through or do I need to phone them?

Wow, sort of wish I hadn't bothered! I finally got the details through about 8 o'clock last night.

Beware the process was the following for me, which took a while:

1) Fill out the online forms to sign up for banking and the bank switching service
2) Wait a while whilst they email all the stuff over, which you can only access using a password they text you
3) Phone up to confirm the switch details, set-up your online password and 5 security questions, and listen whilst they offer you other services
4) Use your new password to log on online, where you have to create more security details and questions, including another password for your online account
5) Once you've done that you need to enter two security codes, one that they email to you or you can phone up customer services for, the other has to be texted or posted
6) Enter these two security codes and bam, you're finally in!

Uber secure, but a lot more longwinded that I thought it would be... The lady on the phone was very nice and chatty though

For new customers only. Ouch.

Haha, big reason why I stopped mine going through, didnt think it would be that troublesome though. Thanks for the update.

Almost finished my switch and i have to say there was nothing easy about it! i read all these reviews about excellent customer service but i found it hard enough just to get through to someone on the phone, and when i did the call quality was awful and when they said they would quickly email me my details i didnt expect it to take a day and a half.
Just need to ring them back for my final confirmation now if i ever get through to them.
I suppose it will be worth it once i receive my £125 but a very frustrating process.

I am not finding switching to First Direct easy at all. It took them several days to respond to a basic email I sent and also the ID verification they have said must be done for the original documents is beyond a joke. Surely I should be able to take my original documents to any HSBC branch (especially seeing as they are part of HSBC) and have them verify it?? This is just common sense - they are however saying the staff in HSBC are not financially approved by the Financial Conduct Authority and they won't accept this?? It seems beyond stupid that they expect you to get your documents verified by a "doctor" or "MP" etc. (who would not have a clue if my documents were real or not), yet a bank manager can't verify them??

If you use the Post office paid verification service, will that suffice?? That service is intended for things like opening bank accounts, but I've read threads online which said FD don't accept the post office for verification and even some people who paid a Solicitor for verification had their documents sent back and not accepted. Has anyone used the Post Office successfully for their application? The idea of having to pay for verification to open a bank account seems to be a joke to me - I've never had to do this before for any bank. What are most people doing for this part of the process?

Started the switch the day this was posted and have transferred 1000 bit just been looking on site for information about when incentive will be paid and it seems the conditions have changed.

It says to get the offer you have to transfer your salary of over 1000 a month using the account switching service to qualify.

I'm sure it used to say pay In 1000 within 3 months. Do you think I and anyone else who hasn't had the payment yet will still get it? I'm not so sure

** Open a 1st Account, then transfer your income of at least £1,000 per month using the Current Account Switch Service within three months of your account opening and we'll add £125 to your account. This offer is only available for people who haven't previously held any account with first direct and is limited to one payment per customer or joint relationship. Incentives are paid within 28 days of criteria being met. This offer may be withdrawn at any time without notice.

they have given me £125, never got chance to pay in one £1000 never mind three

Completed the switch yesterday, paid in 1025 quid straight into it from my primary RBS account. Please, can someone clarify - do I have to pay in at least 1000 same day for 3 months or just wait for my incentive now (28 days)? Many thanks

Just opened my account.

No issues at all. 1st Account up and running, e-Saver opened and deposited £1 to avoid the £10 monthly fee. Opened up a regular saver too as 6% is pretty good anyway, £3600 max per year but easy £96 net interest each year on top of the £125 bonus.

All account up and running fine, digital key set up and iPhone & iPad apps working fine.

Easy money.

Switched on end of January Just received £125 how long do you have to wait to cancel to get £100

Just tried switching an old current account to them, but I was rejected. No idea why, I currently have accounts with Santander, Halifax and Yorkshire, this is the first time I've been rejected for a bank account.

Currently with HSBC. Tried applying twice to FD as a new customer, online. No response received. Am I not elligible bc I have an account with HSBC?