jack1986's reviews - Smart Money People

Easy and affordable

5

Purchased an annual worldwide travel policy through virgin, the cover was easy to obtain, affordable and the documentation, easily accessible. Phoned virgin to clarify a winter sports condition and they answered the phone quickly and clarified the clause, great customer service. Reviewed on: 4th July 2017

Reply from Great to hear you're happy with your Travel Insurance policy Jack! If you need to reach the team, you can call from abroad 24/7 on +44 207 748 8908. Have a fab holiday! Thanks, Jane Response date: 6th July 2017

Reasonable fees, poor user interface

3

HSBCs investment platform is very basic, limited functionality and portfolio view options, although it is easy to use. Also, they do not charge holding fees like other providers such as HL, although they do charge a quarterly admin fee. Also, the lack of a mobile app to manage investment seems a bit behind the times, pretty disappointing considering the size and scale of HSBCs operation. Reviewed on: 4th July 2017

Low rates and poor customer service

1

The rates on offer at RBS are poor, certainly not competitive. Also, i've been affected by service outages at least twice over the past few years, which has been frustrating. Although, i do like the online banking interface and their mobile app. Reviewed on: 4th July 2017

One of the better accounts

4

The account is good, it allows me to accrue a decent rate of interest on current account financing up to 2k and I typically earn the full £5 cash back on my monthly contactless/Apple Pay transactions; I think this return is considerably better than what other current account providers offer. However, my issue with TSB is telephone customer service, I never feel confident that the agent I'm speaking with really knows the detail of certain aspects of the account, including paym transacting, interest accrual and regular saver account services too. The app could be more flexible in terms of adding new payees and viewing better transaction summaries etc, these options are only available online. Overall though, this account offers decent returns and I'm unlikely to move to another provider on this basis. Reviewed on: 24th December 2016

Ticks all the boxes

5

The cash back card has been indispensable; having a single account that allows me to use two different card types is the ideal way of maximising my cash back opportunities. Unlike freedom rewards I like that I get cash rather than the more restrictive voucher option. It's good to know that I'm always getting 0.5-1% cash back on all purchases. Also, unlike Amex provided cards, with Barclaycard the cash back can be easily applied to your statement balance each month instead of each anniversary as is the case with American Express accounts. Excellent all rounder Reviewed on: 24th December 2016

Regular saver is a good option

4

I've held a regular saver with HSBC for 3 years and will continue to do so until the rates become uncompetitive. The regular saver pas a good rate of interest, is easy to open and easy to manage at the annual maturity. I communicate with HSBC via secure message for this account and have found them to be prompt and efficient. I would recommend this account to anyone trying to get a bit more bang for their buck in this low interest rate market Reviewed on: 1st September 2016

HSBC should do more

3

After holding an account with HSBC for 16 years and facing ongoing disappointment with savings rates and options and share dealing services I spoke to ten about leaving and they said that I would face significant charges to transfer my share holdings and did nothing to address my concerns, nor did they express any desire to retain my custom. As a loyal customer I expected more, I've since moved all of my services to another provider, although j do use the regular saver with HSBC as it pays a vaguely competitor rate. Reviewed on: 31st August 2016

Great service and it's free!

5

I aimed up to Noddle about 3 years ago and it has been my primary source of personal credit info, while the scoring is slightly different to the likes of experian etc it nevertheless provides a very comprehensive overview of your credit status while also providing the more granular detail that other service providers charge for. Would recommend this to anyone who wants to get more familiar with their credit history, beats paying for experian! Reviewed on: 8th June 2016

If you want a teaser rate...

3

Moved to RCI in October 2015 when they were offering a rate of 1.65%, it was then lowered to 1.55% in January and has now been lowered to 1.45% (March), pretty disappointing really, the number of changes per year s/b limited. Also, you can only pay money in from a registered account, i transferred money from another account to RCI and it was rejected, taking 2 days to re-appear in my original account, not ideal. Reviewed on: 28th March 2016

Hit and Miss

3

Switched to TSB from Halifax, process was straightforward but since joining there have been a number pf problems, including incorrect interest rates applied to accounts, conflicting information from customer service representatives and lots of sign in errors experiences with mobile banking app. Reviewed on: 28th March 2016

Not great

3

I switched my ISA to Virgin money in March, so far i've been disappointed with the limited services, most notably the lack of a mobile banking app and also the requirement to phone them when i needed a password reset, rather than just doing it online. Furthermore, the ISA is restrictive, not allowing me to make additional deposits during the term. Overall, a bit disappointing, will be transferring at the end of the fixed period to a more technologically progressive bank. Reviewed on: 9th August 2015

Great Current Account switching experience and more

5

Current account switch was well coordinated, i received regular updates throughout the process. I continue to receive regular updates and my monthly reward continues to be unaffected by current account changes - i still receive my £5 per month on top of the £120 i received upon switching. I have also been very happy with the smartphone application which allows me to do everything from my mobile Reviewed on: 9th August 2015

Great customer service and competitive rates

4

Using the regular saver i earned 6% interest, the highest rate in the market at the time Reviewed on: 27th April 2015