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first direct: Current account reviews

Name: Current account
Rating: 4.68 (1501 reviews)

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4.68

Based on 1,499 reviews, last reviewed 13th Oct 2026

81% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

No new 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

85%

Latest highest rating:

5

Best Bank ...in my opinion Moved my account to this bank a few years ago and have found them to be a very good online provider. My account is easy to access. All transactions ar... Read more Reviewed on: 13th October 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

Stranded Abroad With 2 Young Kids. I switched from NatWest to First Direct. I regret it. I moved an account from NatWest to First Direct partly because of its reputation for customer s... Read more Reviewed on: 10th August 2026

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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.

first direct Current account reviews (1501)

Review of the first direct, Current account:

Simple but effective

Although they lack high street locations they have the best customer service available and you can use the post office to pay in cheques etc Reviewed on: 22nd November 2019

Still good but have slipped a bit in recent times on...

Still good but have slipped a bit in recent times on call centre Reviewed on: 13th October 2026

Great user friendly app and website.

Great user friendly app and website. Excellent customer service when I've had an issue or a fraud. Love their range of services including cheque scanning Reviewed on: 13th October 2026

Best Bank ...in my opinion

Moved my account to this bank a few years ago and have found them to be a very good online provider. My account is easy to access. All transactions are easy to complete. Staff are helpful if I have needed to contact. Reviewed on: 13th October 2026

First Direct Currenr Account & Online Banking

I’ve been with First Direct for many years and never had an issue. Their online banking for the current account is exemplary and their customer service is second to none. Any small issue is solved professionally and quickly and their range of products has everything you would ever need banking wise. Reviewed on: 13th October 2026

Dependable, consistent, responsive

Had current account with them for over 40 years. Always helpful and quick to respond Reviewed on: 7th October 2026

People on the phone

It's rare to be able to access a human without layers of ai bots these days, FD have people who pick up calls! Reviewed on: 2nd September 2026

You can talk to a human on the phone

A human is available without talking to a bot for 20mins, they are in the UK with good English. Reviewed on: 19th August 2026

Excellent service, good app, very reliable

Been with First Direct for over 30 years. We now bank with them online but occasionally still need to talk to them by phone and they’re always quick to answer any happy to help. Reviewed on: 16th August 2026

Stranded Abroad With 2 Young Kids.

I switched from NatWest to First Direct. I regret it. I moved an account from NatWest to First Direct partly because of its reputation for customer service. After discovering how its fraud process works when you need urgent help abroad, I will be moving elsewhere. Before travelling with my two young children, I informed First Direct of my travel through its online service. I was not told I needed to do anything further. My card worked normally before First Direct suddenly blocked it following an ATM transaction. I have no issue with a bank protecting customers from suspected fraud. The problem is what First Direct did afterwards. First Direct confirmed in writing that it blocked my card at 7:07pm. It did not contact me at all. No call. No SMS. No app notification. Had they told me, I could have dealt with it safely from my accommodation. Instead, I discovered it the following day while out with my two young children. I couldn't pay a restaurant bill and was then declined at three ATMs. I was stranded, unable to access my own money and with no idea First Direct had blocked my card the previous evening. What I have since learned about their procedure concerns me even more. First Direct says its system determined that my case required "human intervention", meaning the normal SMS verification wasn't available. Instead, I was placed in a queue for its Fraud Detection Team to telephone me. First Direct says an outbound call "may take some time". More than 24 hours after blocking my card, they still hadn't called me. I had to call them. I find that astonishing. Their fraud system had identified potentially fraudulent activity abroad, blocked access to my money and determined human intervention was necessary. Yet their Fraud Detection Team couldn't get through its queue and contact me within 24 hours. This wasn't a routine customer service query. First Direct had actively prevented access to my money because of suspected fraud, yet 24 hours later I was still waiting for the required human intervention. First Direct also confirmed that when it doesn't send the SMS, it regards the card declining as the prompt for the customer to contact the bank. Think about that. The bank knows it has blocked your card. You don't. You find out when your card starts declining and, if their fraud team hasn't reached you, the burden is on you to contact them. When I contacted Live Chat and explained I was stranded, they couldn't remove the block or arrange a callback. I was told I had to telephone them. So, stranded with two young children and unable to access my money, I had to find a telephone or local SIM simply to call my own bank about a restriction it had imposed without telling me. When I eventually managed to call, the block was removed. I complained. First Direct's written position is that no bank error occurred and its systems worked as intended. It says the process complies with banking regulations and offered £50 as goodwill. That explanation is perhaps the most worrying part. If this genuinely is the system working as intended, customers should understand what can happen abroad: your card can be blocked without you knowing, SMS verification may be unavailable and you can be left waiting in a fraud queue. In my case, they still hadn't called more than 24 hours later. It leaves me questioning whether First Direct has sufficient resources if a customer requiring human intervention can remain in a fraud queue for more than 24 hours without contact. I also bank with NatWest, Lloyds, Barclays and Monzo and have never experienced anything comparable. First Direct prides itself on customer service. Being left stranded with two young children, unable to access my money, while the bank knew my card was blocked but hadn't contacted me more than 24 hours later, spectacularly failed that test. I regret switching from NatWest to First Direct and will be moving my banking elsewhere. Reviewed on: 10th August 2026

fd - hassles free internet banking

No hassle, to steal a line from another no nonsense product, it does exactly what it says on the tin Reviewed on: 14th July 2026

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