UK current account customers handed over an average of £152 each in bank charges last year, in monthly account fees, overdraft costs, charges for bounced payments and foreign exchange fees.
But we’re still extremely reluctant to find a better deal that costs us less. And that’s despite the free current account switching scheme set up by government and the banking industry in 2013.
UK banks and building societies are currently offering generous incentives to encourage customers to move their current accounts – because of the likelihood that once they have our current account we will take out other very profitable banking products, such as loans and mortgages, with them.
So why don’t we switch our current accounts – even though it would save us money? Here are the four most common reasons:
“It will take so much time”
Not unreasonable: time is money, we’re busy at work during the day, and who wants to spend their weekends wrangling with banks?
Except that the online Current Account Switch Guarantee service was set up to do the work for us. Once we’ve chosen a new current account, that bank or building society will do all the admin within seven days:
- Contact your old bank
- Transfer across your incoming and outgoing payments
- Close your old account
- Set up a redirect so that any incoming payments that get missed are automatically forwarded to your new account – and the senders are told your new account details – for three years
All you have to do is:
- Find two recent documents proving your identity and your address
- Check that your old account and the new one are both signed up to the Current Account Switch Guarantee service
- If you’re running an overdraft, check that the new bank / building society is willing to let you transfer it over
- Follow the links, fill in the details, upload your documents, and nominate the day you want the switch to be completed
- As soon as the new account is opened, fill out the Switch Agreement form and the Account Closure form
- Lastly, go through a couple of your monthly bank statements to identify any regular payments going out of your account that aren’t standing orders (marked as SO on your statements) or direct debits (marked as DD).
Service providers such as telecoms services and gym memberships, and payday loans, often get you to set up a “recurring payment” or “continuous payment authority” which is linked to your debit or credit card, rather than your bank account. (They’ll have asked you to “read out the long number on your card”…) Because they’re linked to a card rather than directly to your bank account, they’re not included in the switching service (or covered by the guarantee). So you will need to contact those businesses direct to give them new debit or credit card details.
How long will all that take: five hours max?
The switch-over bonus currently being offered by one of the banks is worth nearly 12 hours of the average UK wage-earner’s time. If it’s really the time-cost you’re worried about, you’re in profit.
“They’re all the same”
This is probably the biggest reason why we don’t move our accounts: a generalised disenchantment with the banking industry, and a sense that the benefits you gain in one way will be taken away in charges for something else.
So the greatest amount of time you’ll invest in the switching process is choosing which account you should swap over to.
That involves looking at your current usage pattern and what’s costing you money (overdraft fees?) or could be making you money (interest on your current account balance?).
Yes, that could take another couple of hours, but really… spend less time on tidying up your finances than you might spend tidying the house each week?
What about my mortgage or my savings account?
Leave them where they are for now: they’re completely independent of your current account except for regular payments towards them – and those will be rearranged for you.
Once you’re enjoying the benefits of your new banking arrangements – and you’ve realised that it wasn’t as much hassle switching as you might have feared – you may be ready to look at bigger savings by reorganising them as well.
“It could go wrong”
This is the great benefit of the Current Account Switch Guarantee service.
Your new bank is responsible for contacting you before the switch date if there are any hitches with transferring payments.
And if any payments don’t go through on time, resulting in charges to you, the switching service is covered by a guarantee which means the new bank must refund you. (You’ll just need to ask them for any refund.)
We have outlined 3 top UK current accounts accounts you might want to consider switching to ;
Nationwide FlexDirect Current Account
⇒ Earn 2% interest for the first 12 months – Conditions apply
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Earn 2.0% AER Fixed (1.98% gross pa) interest on balances up to £1,500 for the first 12 months
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A minimum arranged overdraft of £1,000 with no monthly fees
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No monthly fees
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Need to pay in £1,000 pm
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Fully FSCS protected up to £85,000
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Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay
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Mobile app
Our view: With the Nationwide FlexDirect bank account you get everything you need for everyday banking including a interest free arranged overdraft for 12 months (subject to your circumstances). You get in-credit interest of 2% AER (1.98% gross pa) which is very attractive in the current low interest environment we are in.
Santander 123 Current Account
⇒ Earn 1% interest for the first 12 months
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1.00% AER (variable) payable on your entire balance up to £20,000
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Up to 3% cashback on household bills
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Must pay a minimum of £500 into the account each month
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Monthly fee of £5
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Fully FSCS protected up to £85,000
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Mobile app
Our view: With this current account you get 1.00% AER on the first £20,000 of your cash. From 3rd August this will change to 0.60% AER. To qualify you will need to pay in £500 pm (Equates to a £6,000 pa salary) . Additionally you can gain up to 3% cashback on household bills – 1% on water, council tax bills and Santander mortgage payments, 2% on gas and electricity bills, and 3% on mobile phone, home phone, broadband and paid-for TV packages. Earn up to 15% discount on retailer offers. The account has full savings FSCS protection.
Starling Bank Mobile App Account
⇒ Winner “Best British Bank 2020” British Bank Awards
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No minimum monthly pay in
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No monthly fees
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Great for overseas use
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Spending insights – see where your money is going
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Goals – set money aside for specific goals
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Earn 0.05% AER interest paid on account balances below £85,000
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Round up transactions – put the difference into your savings pots
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Fully FSCS protected up to £85,000
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Winner 2018,2019 and 2020 Banking Awards
Our view: With Starling you get a mobile app bank account that has a “Excellent rating from its customers from Trustpilot. Voted “Best British Bank” in the British Bank Awards in 2018,2019 and 2020 you get an app which provides customers with real time data on spending and great features that allow you to set savings goals.