Don’t want to start to much of an argument.
Just looking to see what people think is the best legacy option. Not talking package accounts just general banking operations I mean.
Interested to see your thoughts.
Santander
Any reason?
Cashback on bills
Chase. 1% cashback.
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Best option for what purpose?
Whichever pays the highest bribe 
Santander is legacy, £2pm, 1/2/3% cashback on household bills including mobile phones, £130 switching bonus by moving an account with two direct debits on it and paying in £1000 (just move it in and back out again if it’s an issue to keep it there)
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It think it really depends what you want.
If it’s branch access, the best option for you is likely to be the bank with the nearest branch.
If it’s technology, then there are a few traditional banks with better apps than others: Barclays and the Lloyds group aren’t too bad - fintechs would offer more features though so I don’t see why you would pick a traditional bank if technology was your top priority.
If it’s phone service, maybe First Direct.
If it’s being able to withdraw cash without using a card, then RBS or NatWest.
If it’s some kind of rewards programme, then whichever bank offers the best deal for you will vary and may interrelate with other factors above.
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Saying legacy offering is a bit of an artificial distinction really. Some branchless banks let you scan cheques in the app and pay cash in at post offices, and there are loads of high street bank customers who haven’t been to a branch for decades.
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Where would you rank Natwest app relative to Barclays, Lloyds, and other high street banks?
I’ve never used Barclays, Lloyds group or Natwest group, but I have used several other banks.
I’ve gone through these in this order recently. I can’t really give too much experience as I just have income and DDs setup.
First Direct (was decent)
HSBC (stayed a few days for the bribe and switched, slow and clunky)
Natwest (decent, the only negative was the chat was janky)
Lloyds (decent)
Halifax (same as LLoyds experience but in blue)
Nationwide (app requiring a pin card reader gets 0/10 rating, only stayed a week to collect the bribe. The desktop interface hasn’t changed in over a decade)
Santander (very nice indeed, as mentioned above I prefer the sharp clean lines and red/black, negative is that is doesn’t have a chat system built in Edit: it does have chat me overlooking it)
–
As soon as Barclays does its switch bribe I’ll be off from Santander as I’ll be valid for that again.
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I think Barclays can afford not to provide a switching offer.
They blacklisted me years ago, never found out why, though I did complain as they closed my account with no reason and no irregular transfers only to myself and normal use.
They have me £400 but said they can’t give me an account again. I think they messed up but refused to accept it 
Adding to this, they are renowned for randomly closing accounts with no justified reason.
Santander is nice. The app is basic but everything works well.
Nationwide has a slightly better app but fewer card controls. I really don’t care about having to use a card reader. Never had any issues with them.
Both Nationwide and Santander have online banking sites that look outdated but work really well.
Lloyds have the best app with the most features, but their fraud security for me has been over-the-top. Their customer service with trying to sort out my issues has been very good though.
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Santander has chat built into the app. The default option is with the chat bot which is actually quite helpful for most issues. You can request to speak to an agent who will aim to get back to you in 48 hours (I’ve never actually sent them a message so I don’t know how long they actually take).
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I’ve just looked again and I had completely missed how you start a chat.
The Need help? title is actually the chat link 
I was clicking on the Contact Us under the Get in touch group.
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To be fair, it could be a bit clearer that “Need help” is an actual button and not a header or information box so I can see why you missed it.
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NatWest group is slightly more clunky, but has some useful features (like dark mode).
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Nationwide’s card reader is a dealbreaker for me.
There are also other oddities, like not being able to change a reference without deleting and re-adding a payee.
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I’m fairly sure you can change a reference in online banking, but not in the app.
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That’s awful, and even then doesn’t changing the reference require the card reader?
It’s virtually unusable already, and then we see the boss of their anti-fraud division saying payments should be slowed down to make them even more inconvenient and difficult!
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