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Virgin Money: Essential Current Account reviews

Name: Essential Current Account
Rating: 3.01 (139 reviews)

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2.90

Based on 139 reviews, last reviewed 26th Feb 2025

100% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

No new 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

37%

12%

39%

Latest highest rating:

5

Virgin Money - Great service I've had this account for years and have so far had no issues. The only reason I gave a 9 rather than a 10 is that this account does not have an app a... Read more Reviewed on: 26th February 2025

Latest lowest rating:

1

Completely useless, l have been on the phone for ove... Completely useless, l have been on the phone for over two hours no response Reviewed on: 4th June 2024

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About this product

The Virgin Money Essential Current Account is no longer available to new customers.

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

Virgin Money Essential Current Account reviews (139)

Review of the Virgin Money, Essential Current Account:

Virgin Money - Great service

I've had this account for years and have so far had no issues. The only reason I gave a 9 rather than a 10 is that this account does not have an app available, but I get by using online banking on their website for what I need. Reviewed on: 26th February 2025

On line help useless. told to phone and still waiting for answer an hour later

Really poor. On-line help cant answer the question and telephones not being answered, Reviewed on: 19th March 2021

Good, just needs app refining

Good incentive, easy banking. Only recommendation would be to make the app more intuitive, it's not so easy to perform simple things like make a payment transfer. Reviewed on: 11th March 2021

Poor serice

App is unreliable, doesn't provide correct balance and transaction information, Calls don't get answered. Reviewed on: 5th March 2021

Very confusing account opening incentive

I watched the Martin Lewis Money Show where it was explained that if I switched to a Virgin current account I would receive a opening account incentive of 15 bottles of wine I searched the internet and found a application link for this offer and followed it through and my account switch was confirmed /accepted. However after 4 weeks with my Virgin account operatingi had not received the wine incentive so I chased it up and was told that I would be sent a voucher for the wine in due course. A few weeks later I chased it up again and was told that I had been set up with a different accout to the one with the opening incentive. I made a formal complaint and was informed yesterday that my complaint was rejected but I would receive£25 compensation for being mis informed when I originally chased this up. I have lost confidence and started to remove my funds and transfer my direct debits etc to another bank Reviewed on: 25th February 2021

Hard to use app

I joined Virgin to get the free wine, most of the bottles were not very good but to be fair there were a couple of excellent wines in there. The app is not very user friendly and the interface is hard to use compared to Nationwide or HSBC for example. Customer service is so-so. all in all, they need to do a lot to improve. Reviewed on: 21st February 2021

Best Bank

Amazing service at all times, quick and easy too contact Reviewed on: 17th February 2021

Interest rate not worth the trouble

Trying to phone to resolve blocked access was a nightmare with calls answered with a number of options and then approximately every 20 seconds to be advised "Your call will be answered shortly" Reviewed on: 17th February 2021

Waste of my time

Opened a current account because of the decent interest rate. The online application page showed an error and it was the weekend, so no way to call and check what had happened, so decided just to wait a few days. No email confirmation was received. Some days later, received a letter through the post, so "Ok then it worked". Finally had all the info through and tried to get online again to transfer some money in, etc - but the online banking website is VERY unintuitive. Took me going around in circles many times to get logged in, then repeatedly showing the same popups about paperless preferences even though I had sent those, sending you to pages on different domains, opening help pages where the links to perform certain functions don't work, etc. Then spoke to online chat and there appeared to be bugs with that also, so all in all - none of it infused faith in Virgin Money and would just result in me being frustrated, so I have decided to close my new accounts and bank elsewhere. Reviewed on: 26th October 2020

They violate your data without consent

On the 28th may i applied for virgin money current account based on reccomendation from a friend. On the 29th may around 12pm i received a email to say my account has been opened then followed by another email at 14:00hrs saying they can’t offer the account as i did not meet their credit scoring criteria. I accepted their decision and moved on and did not think anything else would be done and stayed with my current bank barclays. This was just the start of their abuse only if i knew before!!! On the 15th june i applied for mortgage through halifax which was accepted, around 20th june i recived call from my broker to say halifax have picked up internal CIFAS marker on my name for application fraud and they are not willing to offer the mortgage but i should contact CIFAS and request SAR. To my shock i didn’t know what cifas was and why there was fraud marker in my name! So on the 22nd june i made SAR request with CIFAS, around 26th June i received report back from them and to my disbelief and utter shock i found virgin money trading under clydesdale bank put application fraud for the current account i applied. The reason for this was due to previous adverse credit on my previous addresses. To my disgust i contacted them immediately and was told by someone in yorkshire bank department that they did not put that because it’s not on my credit file, However i explained i have the SAR report from CIFAS in front of me and i am happy to provide them. The lady on the phone told me someone from virgin will ring me to discuss further, which sadly never happened! After 6 weeks of waiting i rang virgin money on the 13th August (last week) and spoke to adviser called Stephen O’donnell he quickly advised he will speak to underwriting team and get back to me while on hold, After 5 minutes of waiting he got back saying, “sorry our underwriting team are not willing to remove the marker and are unable to provide you with more information, You are happy to log a complaint” So i went ahead and logged an complaint under referance C-11007660 with a lady and she advised she has escalated my complaint and should hear back within 4 working days. On the 18th august i received notification from Experian credit agency that 5 new searches have been carried out in my name. To my shock i quickly checked my credit file and found virgin money under clydesdale bank did 3 enquiry hard searches and 2 unregistered searches. I was shocked again and angry as to why? as i haven’t applied for anything with them or ever want a thing from them. Today 20th August i rang again and spoke to complaint handler name Tamy and explained the whole situation and how they have violated my privacy. I told her i didn’t give my consent for credit search so why they carried out 5 searches on my name? i am not getting any account with them simply logged complaint so wanted clarification. She quickly told me she has no idea and can’t see anything on the system. She advised she will have it escalated again. At that point i was soo angry i told her i wanted call back within 24 hours and explained why they abused my data without consent?!! I also explained this is what i am about to do, Not only going to financial ombudsmen which can take 56 days, i’ll be applying to county court direct for their violation of my data and privacy without consent. I have all the relevant proof of searches they did without consent and CIFAS report. I will not be played around and abused for applying for current account! i feel they see myself as some sort of criminal fraudstar and not an genuine customer. I wish i never bothered applying with virgin money anything, in my 18 years of credit life i never had anyone putting CFAS marker on my name for current account, That is what makes me laugh! If it was for loan or credit card it’s understandable. I would not reccomend anyone or wish on anyone to go through stress and anxiety as i am going through. So please avoid them! Reviewed on: 20th August 2020

Worst bank ever

I switched from Natwest and wish I hadn't. I have made 7 phone calls over 3 days to transfer money to an existing payee . I have been promised on several occasions this will happen within hours. It never does. I have never experienced such shoddy service. This bank won't remain business if it continues like this. Avoid like the plague - there are plenty of other, better banks Reviewed on: 13th August 2020

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