Key Post Which is the best current account for a personal customer?

Paul O Mahoney said:
It's the entire service, if you call the number you get into the IVR you then choose what you want to do, "speak to an agent " you wait for an eternity or more recently the call stops at 2min 45secs.
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OK. But it's not bad enough for you to consider switching to another bank?

I presume because you wouldn't have any confidence that the new bank would be any better.

Brendan
 
Brendan Burgess said:
OK. But it's not bad enough for you to consider switching to another bank?

I presume because you wouldn't have any confidence that the new bank would be any better.

Brendan
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Other banks are probably no different, our children are with AIB they seem to be the same
BOI internet banking seems to be the same now as it was 20 years ago when I used it for work.

I could get a hearing aid, but that's not happening, I only contact the bank when there's an issue which to be fair only really happened recently.
 
Bank of Ireland

1) Ease of use of the web based facility
It's fine but doesn't seem to have changed much in 15 years. Latency isn't great and it's not always very intuitive.

2) Ease of use of the smart phone app
It's fine. Again not always intuitive.

3) Access to a real person over the phone or in person if there is a problem to be solved
You can be hanging on the phone for 15 minutes at a time but they tend to sort problems in the end. Their underlying systems don't seem to be great. Recently they discovered my wife had two different dates of birth on their systems and sorting this out took some time and scans of passports, etc.

4) Security
Never had any hacking or fraud attempts.

5) Stability - i.e. lack of outages
Never had problems.

6) Access to a branch
I think they have the biggest network along with AIB but I don't need it much. Whenever I have a cheque I give it to my dad (retired) who lives near a branch to lodge it for me.

7) Charges - availability of free banking
They changed the charging schedule recently so you a fixed payment schedule rather than payment by transaction. Not great if you have only a small number of transactions.

8) Ease of actually opening an account
It was straightforward to set up a joint account a few years ago. The usual rigamarole with utility bills but these are legal requirements.

9) Availability of an overdraft
Don't have one.

10) Availability of a mortgage - It's convenient to have your current account and mortgage in the same place. They know you better and are probably more likely to give you a mortgage.
Yeah we got a BoI mortgage. The start of the process seemed a bit quicker as we already had an account with them.
 
NoRegretsCoyote said:
6) Access to a branch
I think they have the biggest network along with AIB but I don't need it much. Whenever I have a cheque I give it to my dad (retired) who lives near a branch to lodge it for me.
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Thanks Coyote

I was thinking of finding out how many branches each bank had, but then I realised, for an individual, it's whether or not there is a branch near them.

If I live in Tralee and AIB doesn't have a branch there, it's irrelevant to me if they have the biggest branch network in Ireland. If I permanent tsb does have a branch, then it's irrelevant if it's got the smallest branch network.

Brendan
 
I've had current accounts and mortgages with BOI, KBC and PTSB. I believe you should shop around and choose the cheapest product or service. The service you get from all is hit and miss and depends more on the person you're dealing with than the bank itself.

Much of a muchness for each of these in my experience.
1) Ease of use of the web based facility
2) Ease of use of the smart phone app
4) Security
5) Stability - i.e. lack of outages
8) Ease of actually opening an account


3) Access to a real person over the phone or in person if there is a problem to be solved
PTSB are the worst. KBC can be great or poor.

Often dependent on the bank staff member.

6) Access to a branch
KBC have fewer branches but open Saturdays and late Thursdays and you can generally get an appointment.

7) Charges - availability of free banking
KBC are best if you can meet their requirements. BOI the worst.


9) Availability of an overdraft
Not something I've needed.

10) Availability of a mortgage - It's convenient to have your current account and mortgage in the same place. They know you better and are probably more likely to give you a mortgage.
Is it true that they are more likely to give you a mortgage if you have an account? I've got mortgages with banks who were keen to have your business and give better terms if you open an account. So I don't agree with this.
 
NoRegretsCoyote said:
For me it is more the office hours that they keep.

Evening or weekend opening would be far more useful to many people but AFAIK the unions have always squashed this across all the retail banks.
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I thnk this may be where the Credit Unions score a point - many of the larger ones seem to open on Saturdays, from what I've seen online.

No idea what their currant account offering is like, other than to say that I know there's online access and a debit card available.
 
Hi Mr Earl

Good point. If you are not too pushed about the app. or the online, but want to have a chat a few times a week lodging money or taking it out, the CU would be a good idea.

And, of course, they are local.

I wonder if it depends on which credit union you join?

Brendan
 
Brendan Burgess said:
Hi Thirsty

Very helpful assessment.
Could you expand on this?
Dire because it's not near you or dire because it has long queues?

Brendan
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I rarely need to go into a branch but just now have specific business that needs an appointment.

I've posted elsewhere on my current difficulties getting one to the extent that I ended up writing and posting a letter just last week.

Edit to add: I'm having to write *just* to get an appointment - not even to get my specific item addressed.
 
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Thirsty said:
I rarely need to go into a branch but just now have specific business that needs an appointment.

I've posted elsewhere on my current difficulties getting one to the extent that I ended up writing and posting a letter just last week.
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Just been in a branch as they still haven't fixed something that they did, however nobody seen , staff, customers only me and the atm machine.

I'd say in a few years they'll all be gone
 
Brendan Burgess said:
Hi Mr Earl

Good point. If you are not too pushed about the app. or the online, but want to have a chat a few times a week lodging money or taking it out, the CU would be a good idea.

And, of course, they are local.

I wonder if it depends on which credit union you join?

Brendan
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The CU I'm in has a monthly limit of €500 and a €20k limit on all accounts so that will rule out a fair few folks
 
Pinoy adventure said:
The CU I'm in has a monthly limit of €500
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What does that apply to? Lodgements? Payments? ATM withdrawals?

The €20k limit on the total balance would be a problem for most people. Even if they don't expect to save that much, if they were to get a redundancy payment or inheritance they wouldn't have an account to receive it.

Brendan
 
Brendan Burgess said:
What does that apply to? Lodgements? Payments? ATM withdrawals?

The €20k limit on the total balance would be a problem for most people. Even if they don't expect to save that much, if they were to get a redundancy payment or inheritance they wouldn't have an account to receive it.

Brendan
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It would be for lodgements.
So if you wages was lodged too your account or you got paid by cheque each week you may run into problems.
Even more of a problem if you received redundancy or inheritance of a large amount.
 
Brendan Burgess said:
Hi becky

Do you mean lodging cheques to their account or actually cashing cheques? Writing a cheque from their own account to cash?

What are their circumstances which makes either of these important? I want to highlight special factors to make it easy for people to choose a bank.
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I mean lodging cheques into an account.
 
Here's a question, what banks still provide the facility of buying a bank draft, I have posed this question to PTSB and the answer was you can pay online.(My branch has ceased counter transactions)

Which you can once the payee provides an Iban number and believe me some don't like that.

Also I like to "clip" payments to invoices to complete the transaction in my files , we got the kitchen done a few years ago , great job but they wanted bank drafts, for deposit 50% and for stage payments .

Many businesses still want this and many are established, including a very large motoring group
 
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Pinoy adventure said:
It would be for lodgements.
So if you wages was lodged too your account or you got paid by cheque each week you may run into problems.
Even more of a problem if you received redundancy or inheritance of a large amount.
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And that does stymie a growth opportunity for the movement as a whole.

I remember when you got your paycheck and you "cashed " it in the CU you paid your loan put a fiver into savings and walked out with the rest in your pocket, and that still happens I'd say, but perhaps also putting €30 to utilities.

And this was in this century.
 
I know it's personal experience, but I really like PTSB and find the service and access fairly simple and straight-forward. I had problem setting up a DD recently and had to phone. I was a few minutes waiting but not ages. The agent did it on the spot for me , she was very polite and more importantly, very competent. My local branch has been downsized, but the machines take lodgements, and there's usually someone around to deal with a query. They had called me recently, I missed the call, and was able to go in to find out what they wanted. I travel to Spain a lot, and I can input my dates and destinations on the app, so PTSB know where I am and no problems using my cards abroad. I use N26 and Revolut when travelling outside the Eurozone as I find the currency conversion fees etc a bit of a rip-off, but I think this is the same across the board.
 
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