# Comparison between AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB - Personal banking



## ITGuru (10 Aug 2006)

I am a BOI customer (current account holder) and also have a gold advantage credit card with 3000 Euro credit limit. I am not satisfied with the level of service they offer. 

So i think of switching to some other bank (prefer AIB) now. 

Before that I like to get the feed back from members to know whether that is advisible? Would I incurr more expenses if I switch? 

Any reason to stick with BOI?

Note:
I was referred to this forum by some members at IrishIndian forum (http://irishindians.com) when i posted the same query there [broken link removed]


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## Crunchie (11 Aug 2006)

I was a very happy AIB customer until they introduced charges on personal current accounts at which point I moved to ptsb. When I say happy with AIB I mean in terms of their levels of customer service and their online banking service. I found the staff to be professional and generally easy to deal with.

The move to ptsb was the worst move I ever made. The online banking was fine but the service in my branch was terrible. I raised a few issues within the branch and they never came back to me as promised, there was never anyone available to deal with a motor loan application despite extensive advertising within the branch and worst of all, although it was a joint account, they would insist on speaking to me when they phoned to market savings products although my wife identified herself as the joint account holder. 

I also have a complaint lodged with the Data Protection Commissioner regarding their failure to remove us from marketing mailing lists despite several requests and several assurances that they would do so.

As you can imagine I was delighted when AIB reverted to transaction free banking and I didn't think twice about going back to them and leaving my experience of ptsb behind me.

I'm sure there are others out there with horror stories of AIB but in my view when it comes to a comparison of AIB and ptsb there is no contest


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## Guest107 (11 Aug 2006)

I'm with AIB (and legacy BOI)  but am considering NIB entirely instead .

I find the AIB online interface is excellent in terms of functionality by Irish standards and only find myself in the branch when I have to lodge a cheque. BOI had a cack interface until recently when it improved _somewhat_ . The NIB interface seems as good as AIB ....more or less.

If I MUST ring I ring their 24 hour banking crowd in Naas, I find them very professional and competent and just as good as any branch staff nowadays. By having the 24 hour banking you can use the 24 hour call centre as a 'branch' along with your physical branch.

I am still 'experimenting' with NIB callcentre people, so far very nice but not as well trained. If they improve (product knowledge wise ) I may jump.


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## ITGuru (11 Aug 2006)

Could i use a laser card to purchase some thing online?

Is there any practical difference between AIB VISA Laser card and BOI CIRRUS/MAESTRO Laser card?


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## Crunchie (11 Aug 2006)

ITGuru said:


> Is there any practical difference between AIB VISA Laser card and BOI CIRRUS/MAESTRO Laser card?



Are you sure the AIB card is Visa Laser? I have an AIB Laser/Maestro/ATM Card which can be used as a debit and ATM card in Ireland and overseas. AFAIK the AIB Visa card is a seperate card entirely.


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## ClubMan (11 Aug 2006)

ITGuru said:


> Could i use a laser card to purchase some thing online?


Depends on the website. Some take _Laser_, some don't. Note that Laser only works with _Irish _retailers (including online retailers with an _Irish _presence). The _Cirrus/Maestro/Plus+ _option often bundled with an _ATM/Laser _is the mechanism by which the card can be used to withdraw cash from _ATMs _abroad. 


> AIB VISA Laser card


As above - I have never seen _VISA _bundled with other card options such as _Laser_.


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## AMatt (14 Aug 2006)

ClubMan said:


> As above - I have never seen _VISA _bundled with other card options such as _Laser_.



I'm from the north and I've kept my First Trust Bank account there.  FTB is part of the AIB group and about 6 years ago, just before I moved south, they pushed their (then) new VISA Debit card on me.  

It came in useful recently when allofmp3 couldn't process Mastercard transactions for some reason.


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## moneyblues (20 Oct 2006)

I've been an AIB customer for 20 years - but I would seriously consider moving my accounts to the first financial institution to offer a Visa or Mastercard Debit card. It drives me crazy that we can't shop online internationally without using a credit card!


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