Nationwide BS

Thanks for all that - a trip to Nationwide is planned. I agree the First Direct themselves are pretty good still (now they have sorted the phone time response which was a short term glitch) but their linkage to HSBC for any items that need a trip to the bank is now pretty much fractured. On one occasion the cashiers didn’t want to cash a FD cheque.

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Yes. This is a similar principle to the servic s in Ireland that are called Credit Unions, and are focused of supporting people and communities.
All good

Oh.

It’s worth pointing out that this applies only to the standard FlexAccount. Those paying the £13 a month for the FlexPlus get travel insurance, car breakdown cover and a few other things. People need to decide if these are worth the £156 a year. For us, breakdown and travel insurance would cost quite a bit more, and that’s before taking account of the ability to withdraw cash in Europe without charge.

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Yes, was pointing out in part because it applies to me. I’ve maintained my old FlexAccount.

Be careful what type of account you open.

A few years ago Nationwide persuaded me to change my flex account to flexdirect, which is an online account. What they didn’t tell me was, online meant, online only. I was informed this when I tried to pay in a cheque and was told I couldn’t use the counter facilities.

I’ve been with the Nationwide over 40 years and still have an account that uses a passbook. I’d say in recent years the staff appear to be less motivated than the staff at Santander and Halifax.

One potential negative worth pointing out is that you cannot pay in cheques or cash to a Nationwide current account at the Post Office. You can pay into bank accounts at the PO but, while the FlexAccount is to all intents and purposes a bank account, Nationwide isn’t a bank. Whether it’s an issue depends of course on how near the local branch is and how often you may need to pay in a cheque or cash.

Could you use the cash point for paying in cheques instead of the counter staff?

I have used the cash machine to pay in a few cheques. It’s quite simple, insert card, enter pin, select deposit, machine spits out an envelope, place cheque or cash in envelope and insert it in the machine.

However, the machine at the branch I use is outside. There are people (especially old people) who won’t use an outside machine to deposit or withdraw cash.

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Plenty of banks allow you to pay in checks online, so need to deposit it anywhere or send it in. Not sure why anyone visits a bank branch these days - don’t think I’ve been to one in over 10 years!

What’s “a post office”?

I won’t use an external cash machine - I feel safer that way .

As I read the Nationwide FlexPlus details, the “breakdown cover” only insures you to take your car to a garage, NOT to try any roadside repairs
If I am right then this is not worth a lot.
The worldwide travel insurance at £13 per month is OK though if and when we can travel worldwide ever again.

You need to read the details a little more carefully! It’s really good cover and would cost a lot to buy separately, especially as it covers Europe.

Yes “breakdown assistance” for sure includes fixing the car by the side of the road if they can, which is by far the cheapest option for the insurer anyway.

Best

David

My flex account used to include travel insurance. However, I would always arrange my own travel insurance; I couldn’t be bothered wading through the Nationwide’s small print, trying to determine what is or isn’t covered.

Yeah, this exactly.

I have the basic flexaccount and have made a claim on the travel insurance
Paid in full with no quibbles whatsoever
Really good
Was over £4k too

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Why the negativity? Every policy has small print.

Been with first direct for years.
Superb service - they even reimbursed a transaction online that went wrong when visa should have but were dragging their feet.

haven’t they been the best for customer satisfaction for years?

Why on earth anyone would pay a monthly fee to use a bank is beyond me.