I think Nationwide and Natwest both have 6 marks in a 2x3 format to designate a debit card so it seems some banks are following a similar pattern.
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Strangely, despite how it looks, I can still buy things with my new card with Google Pay.
Amazing how many people worry about how a card looks, instead of what it does 
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I doubt anyone worries about how it looks…
People can comment without it being a major issue.
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It’s cost them twice as much for me: Only two months after sending a replacement (new design) card, another one is now apparently days away.
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That’s probably because the Visa cut-over is happening now.
In order to avoid complications around the time of the cut-over with Visa cards due to expire at that time, they issued new Mastercards early to those customers to ensure the card would be valid.
Now, a system glitch seems to have ordered another new card at the time the original Visa was due to expire, but that doesn’t matter too much.
I doubt it’s happened to too many customers, so it won’t have cost them that much.
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@urban
Just caught up with the thread “Monzo no longer allows large bank transfers at weekends”.
Have to agree with your comment “ I think because their app and features are still just about ahead of legacy banks (plus the fact that Monzo built up a lot of goodwill in the early days). It’s why I haven’t gone back to First Direct yet. But as soon as FD add instant notifications and budgeting (if they do), then I’ll have to seriously consider going Full First Direct.”
Mrs Necessitor & I have gone Full Monzo (including a Joint a/c which hasn’t developed very much) but we kept FD as a backup bank for the odd transfer to & from savings, but after catching up on various things here, I’m starting to wonder whether we should revert back to FD as our main bank.
Mrs N uses Starling for business but doesn’t want to use same bank for business & personal so they’re out of the running. That just leaves FD who seem to be slowly, slowly trying to catch up app-wise.
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Yes, but it’s still fairly slowly.
HSBC already have instant notifications working, but they aren’t available at First Direct yet (for example).
There are also various things which you can do online with HSBC but can’t with First Direct, and have to call them. You still get the feeling that it’s a telephone bank by default.
I was quite surprised that they scored so much higher than HSBC in the online/app category of the IPSOS Mori Personal Banking Quality survey. It made me think many of their customers assume that they offer decent online/app services because they are unaware that other banks offer much better.
An “objective” analysis would point to many missing features at FD, although they have introduced a decent number over the last year.
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I don’t think it’s quite that simple.
The decision to rollout notifications to HSBC in the UK, before their other brands is deliberate.
There are also things you can do with First Direct you can’t do with HSBC.
I mentioned the other day that you can now set your own daily ATM limit with FD and see you can also amend standing orders in the app. Neither of which is yet possible with HSBC.
But, as you say, I suspect that many of their customers don’t have that much experience of other banks (though the same could be said for many Monzo customers!)
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It’s not quite as simple as I maybe implied, no, but that was a simplification. I readily admit that.
Generally, HSBC does more and via more “channels” (in banking-speak) than First Direct.
Most of the improvements you mention at First Direct are tied to their rollout of Mastercard Debit. Previously, they had none of those features (and I did say they’d been improving in the last year, so I was sort of counting it in that).
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I know, but then why is that when First Direct is arguably (or could be) their nimble, smaller customer base of “direct banking” customers who don’t use branches and are supposed to be more tech-savvy - even though some of them aren’t and rely on the phone side of the service, many of them presumably rarely or never call as their first choice.
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In a recent presentation, HSBC did state:
Investing in technology and marketing to accelerate growth by transforming first direct into our mobile-led challenger brand
How successful such a transformation will be interesting
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HSBC have a brand new app on the way - it’s already been rolled out for their US and HK banks. I mean it’s not Monzo or Starling but it’s quite nice. So hopefully that will bring some new features.
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I have the US Android app and don’t seem to recall any huge changes in the past year.
Will have to see what the new UK app is like.
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Indeed!
They seem to have shifted to more regular updates and new features, but so far they are still very much in catching-up (or trying to) mode rather than leaping ahead.
We will have to see what happens given a bit of time.
I’m the same. Was with FD for years but as soon as they add instant notifications, along with - hopefully - round ups etc, I’ll move back.
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First Direct have just written to me to say that they’re withdrawing my £500 overdraft. I suppose that’s fair enough, given that I haven’t really used my FD account for years (other than for paying in coins/cash in branch).
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Got my new Mastercard from First Direct the other week. It’s awful. Easily feels like the cheapest card I have in my wallet, thin and nasty, and seems to bend if I so much as look at it.
I don’t mind the notch, I don’t mind it being plain black, I don’t mind the details being on the reverse. But I do really wish it felt like a stronger and more - well, normal card.
Though given that I’ll now be looking for a new bank account so I can get a Visa card again, it’s a moo point anyway as I’ll probably end up switching away from FD in the process.
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As long as I can remember I’ve always made sure I had one Visa card and one Mastercard, so that if there’s ever a problem with one of them I’ve got an alternative.
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