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first direct: Current Account reviews

Name: Current Account
Rating: 4.71 (1425 reviews)

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4.71

Based on 1,425 reviews, last reviewed 24th Feb 2026

6100% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

100% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

85%

Latest highest rating:

5

Always there when I need them Always there when I need them, I recently had my card skimmed while on holiday and had numerous fraudulent transactions made - thankfully notification... Read more Reviewed on: 24th February 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

I have been a customer of First Direct for 34 years... I have been a customer of First Direct for 34 years so I know this bank very well For 33 years I often recommended it to friends but this past year th... Read more Reviewed on: 29th October 2025

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About this product

The first direct 1st Account is a current account that can be opened in minutes.

If you’re eligible, you can get an interest free overdraft of £250. You won’t be charged debit card fees when spending abroad. If approved for an account, you’ll get a virtual card you can use straight away.

first direct 1st Account reviews help you find out what it’s really like to be a customer. If you’ve used first direct before, you can also leave a review and share your experience.

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first direct Current Account reviews (1425)

First Direct Brilliant

First class service. easy to use account. Can always speak to a person quickly if needed. Reviewed on: 27th April 2020

Always there

In an age when customer service seems to be getting brushed under the carpet by most companies First Direct still stands out as the yardstick by which others should measure themselves. Every time you ring them they are always prompt to answer, pleasant to talk to and helpful. Even when your query is not relevant to their department they always know where to transfer you to immediately whereas my experience with other companies is usually one of the operative struggling blindly to know who deals with the query or blithely transferring to a department that invariably turns out to be the wrong one. So well done First Direct. Reviewed on: 27th April 2020

Not for small business owners

Was recommended to move to First Direct but it's been a really poor experience. it took 6 weeks to get a letter from them and, as a small business owner, they demanded to see the full and signed copies of the last three years' accounts. We're in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis so that demand was not only over the top but a really big ask - I can only assume they thought I'm skint as I run a small business. If you are a business owner / director avoid. Reviewed on: 22nd April 2020

Dreadful!

Their new security processes are a complete nightmare to use. Even if you can navigate your way through the complex process of transferring funds from one account to another, they WILL stop the transfer and not inform you. Just spent the last 40 minutes trying to get a payment sent and this is the second time this week. Enough is enough! Reviewed on: 27th February 2020

No help in time of crisis

I was recently the victim of a scam in which I made a number of card payments and bank transfers totalling some £15,000 to a rogue company without getting anything in return. First Direct is signed up to an inter-bank code of practice for protecting and compensating victims of fraud which “includes detecting high-risk payments, identifying vulnerable customers, and delaying or freezing payments that might be part of a scam . . . the bank will be required to refund the customer’s losses from a communal fund, even if it did nothing wrong”. Despite being a customer for some 30 years, First Direct refused to give me any compensation, under either the Visa card guarantee or the code of practice and did nothing, either under the code or otherwise, to mitigate my losses. I am now having to complain to the Financial Ombudsman. It’s said that in times of crisis you find out who your friends are, and First Direct has proved to be no friend of mine! I can therefore no longer recommend First Direct to potential new customers - you would be better going to other banks which (like TSB, for example) have more comprehensive fraud protection policies anyway. Reviewed on: 24th February 2020

First Direct Secure Key Not Customer Freindly

First direct has implemented their latest level of security, it is non customer friendly difficult to navigate, too many items to enter and having to carry the secure key device everywhere is inconvenient to say the least, they suggest using smart phone app, not everyone has a smart phone and easy to make mistakes, Real Shame brilliant Bank ruined in a single move Reviewed on: 22nd February 2020

Great service and interest free overdraft

Always great service either over the Phone or Online. Great account that has a £250 fee free overdraft facility and suits my needs perfectly. Highly recommended. Reviewed on: 9th February 2020

Best Bank I've ever been with

I switched to First Direct over 20 years ago, and never regretted it once. Fantastic customer service. Great online pages. Super banking app. Ok interest rates could be better, but that's true for all banks. Regular saver is a good deal. Reviewed on: 9th February 2020

No problem

Great customer service. Easy to use website and app. No problems. Reviewed on: 9th February 2020

Great products & incredible service

Whilst first direct offer competitive products that either match or beat most other banks it is their customer service that sets them apart. I’ve had cause to call them a few times regarding certain things and once had an apology off the customer service assistant as it took around 2 seconds for them to answer. All other occasions it has been answered immediately. No queue, no “press 1 for this and 2 for that”. Answered straight away by a real person who sorts your issue not passes you on. Makes you wonder why everyone can’t provide such customer service. Reviewed on: 9th February 2020

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