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Standard Life: Pensions reviews

Name: Pensions
Rating: 3.92 (64 reviews)

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3.92

Based on 64 reviews, last reviewed 11th Jun 2026

No new 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

No new 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

23%

13%

50%

Latest highest rating:

4

Standard Life great and easy app Standard Life are very good, with a simple user friendly app. The charges are fair but always feel pension charges could be better across the industry Reviewed on: 11th June 2026

Latest lowest rating:

2

What on earth has happened to Standard Life Chris Canham Write a review Reviews 3.6 949 total 5-star 43% 4-star 5% 3-star 3% 2-star 5% 1-star 44% Sort: Chris Canham 61 reviews R... Read more Reviewed on: 25th October 2024

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About this product

Standard Life pension reviews written by Smart Money People like you. For many of us, our pension is an important part of our financial future. Finding a pension provider that you can trust and rely on is a must for many people. Take a look at our Standard Life pension reviews to find out what life at Standard Life is really like. If you hold this pension, we'd love you to write an honest review here too!

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Standard Life Pensions reviews (64)

Pathetic website

My latest message to S. Life regarding the torture of naming a beneficiary of my pension plan. Thank you for explaining that to get past the 4th line on this form I have to first, enter a selected country on the 8th line which effectively negative the input require on the 4th line namely the UK postcode? That is so obvious! How do you make a process of entering someone's name, address, DOB on a webpage so bloody difficult?? Another blindingly stupid situation is that now to establish whether by beneficiary's details are entered correctly in your appalling website, I have the option of "editing" the names beneficiaries. However, having chosen to do this I am given the options to "cancel"or to "Add a Beneficiary", there is no facility to actually EDIT/VIEW THAT WHICH HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY ENTERED! So in fact there is no facility to "EDIT at all! So seeing that I can not view what information you have previously accepted as details of my named beneficiary on this pathetic excuse for a financial website, would kindly inform me as to what information is contained on this website regarding my previously stated beneficiary? Thank You . Reviewed on: 31st March 2021

Tried and Trusted

Standard Life have made a great job of managing my pension fund over the years, and as I chose ethical funds I know that my money is being used as a force for good. Reviewed on: 27th February 2021

Negative rating cannot be recorded which is what is deserved

Awful company and complete theft of my With Profits pension despite knowing of the Equitable Life problems years ago with similar funds. Also theft of my AVCs not in any contract to pay my GMP pension which was substantially under funded due to fat bonuses paid out to the senior management. Cannot and must not be trusted for any sensible financial mangement products. there are lots better elsewhere. Reviewed on: 25th July 2020

Awful

My father paid in £25000 into his standard life pension in 2005. Over the course of 15 years the pension fund actually lost money. They have since made it unnecessarily complicated to withdraw the funds. Keep your money in the bank. The brokers at standard life must be using fisher price trading platforms. Reviewed on: 22nd July 2020

Frustrating

Each time I have called to speak to a representative it takes forever to get through....how long is their lunch hour as according to their lame excuse it must go on most of the day...... Very frustrating! Reviewed on: 10th February 2020

Does what it says on the tin!

Fairly new to standard life pensions and I like their online functionality for viewing and managing my pension although I think it's a fairly unremarkable provider overall. Reviewed on: 9th February 2020

Reliable and good performance over the years

My pensions with Standard Life have performed at least as well as the market average over the years and the service I have received has always been excellent Reviewed on: 9th February 2020

Do t trust this company

Took growth by charging unreasonable fees. Did not follow instructions made when requested to pull out took almost 1 year. No growth over 5 years ..... Reviewed on: 8th January 2020

Easy to use

It is really easy to use their systems to get real time information on my pension. I can easily see investment growth as well as break down of contributions. The best bit is however, being able to update my details online by myself. Reviewed on: 15th April 2019

Poor returns and forced down an expensive route I don't want.

I stopped putting pension money into SL when I came to appreciate they set up individual polices for each and every contribution - 30 years gives you 30 separate plans that attract 'management fees'. As I approach retirement, the money I did put in has not grown much. Only one fifth of the growth I achieved through other schemes. Now I want to withdraw some money, I'm told the entire pension scheme will be folded - I thought you could withdraw 25% tax free and leave the rest in the Pension Plan - not so with Standard Life. They insist you buy into one of their other schemes. I just looked at the costs - Threadneedle charge 0.75% management fee - Standard Life Threadneedle attracts 2.25% management fees.......they cash in on you - worst investment I ever made. Reviewed on: 25th July 2018

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