TL;DR - Should I keep a legacy account just in case my card is declined or I need to pay in a cheque?
Hi!
Today I applied for my Monzo card, which I am really excited to receive on Tuesday.
My plan is to go #FullMonzo quite soon, because I am getting increasingly annoyed with my current bank. - I’ll probably use the CASS system because it appears very quick and easy.
My only reservation is whether to keep my current account just in case I need to pay in a cheque or my Monzo card is declined somewhere. If I did want to do this I would have to open a new account with a legacy bank, because my current one would be closed during the switch.
Do you run into these issues often and what are your options for getting around them?
Sorry for the slightly confusing story,
@j06 I am currently with nationwide, but as I’ll need to open an account again I may as well use a different bank.
(I will probably use one with cheque imaging)
You could open a second current account at Nationwide before doing the switch of your existing current account. This would save you having to open an account at a different bank.
If you do move to a different bank, consider using one that issues VISA debit cards, particularly if you don’t have a VISA credit card.
It depends on whether you use those facilities at the moment (some people receive cash regularly, for others it happens once in a year). If not, I wouldn’t bother with a legacy account; Monzo accepts cheques and any eventual cash can just be spent.
I only have my Monzo account and a legacy bank credit card (alongside things like TransferWise borderless, Revolut which I don’t tend to use). I haven’t seemed to have any issues yet and I’ve been #FullMonzo since April!
To keep my emergency fund in - this is more to spread across more than one bank should one suffer an outage.
I have one regular payment that is taken via card but Monzo is not accepted for some reason (have raised this with the acceptance team for them to look into).
For paying in cash/cheques - rare but the need arises now and then.
I have consolidated and closed a few down though.
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Anarchist
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9
As others have said, you can pay cheques into Monzo by post if you trust the Royal Mail enough.
As for your second point, it is advisable to always have at least two methods of payment. I generally have three; Monzo, Visa credit card , and cash. I’m covered if Monzo goes down, Mastercard goes down, and if my merchant’s card payment system, or payment system in general is down.
I still have an account with First Direct despite being #fullmonzo to pay in cash and also as I have a linked credit card / fixed term saver which Monzo don’t offer. Wages get paid into Monzo though and I would say that’s my banking hub.
I kept my Natwest current account open, and our joint account too. Just having that fallback option I think is good. In case I run into somewhere that doesn’t recognise Monzo yet.
Also I went Full Monzo at the same time as moving house, so keeping some different accounts open should make it easier for the credit report to link it all up. My partner’s had a lot of problems recently with credit checks not recognising her as she’s moved quite a bit. Barclaycard would only give her £400 limit, where Natwest would give her over £3,000 as she has her current account still open with them.
I don’t. I was with First Direct. Did the CASS switch to Monzo. It’s the only bank account I have, and I have a credit card for emergencies but that’s it.
I opened a new current account before CASSing my old one, so that I can do counter service for paying in cheques and cash.
Also it means I have a Visa debit card for when there are problems with Mastercard
I have another ‘zombie’ account which I use for putting cash into when needed (not often). I’ve also switched this around over the past couple of years to take advantage of various switching incentives.
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