Can anyone tell me what HSBC is like for customer service non-premier? Currently use Santander edge as main, no issues apart from lack of notifications and have had one issue before with complaints that was dealt with albeit took a few months. Eligible for advance £1000 according to overdraft eligibility check.
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Mostly off shore, but never really had to call them for anything to be honest except once around new year, can’t remember what it was about - the best experience? No. Thankfully never had to bother with them otherwise. Everything just works, with more alleged improvements due this year onward.
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When I last called them regarding issues on their end with open banking to view the account in Monzo their response was just constantly “we can’t recommend you share your bank details with a third party” despite trying to explain what open banking was and how it was normal in the UK and secure.
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Taking both of your responses on-board, customer service not being a quality of theirs, however app does the basics and does it well, in despite of open banking. I’d like to start reducing my accounts and have things in 2 places, instead of all over as too much for myself to handle.
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I’ve used HSBC for over 8 years. Their customer service is second best in my experience, only being exceeded by Metro Bank. I’ve never experienced better customer service than in Metro, genuinely polite and competent staff. HSBC staff generally are actually quite helpful and things do get done. They do answer very quickly. First direct by contrast is extremely useless in my opinion. Barclays is average and hit and miss, Santander not particularly helpful. Monzo app chat is alright but on phone is not helpful at all. Nationwide is decent as well.
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That’s an education thing where off shore probably don’t understand open banking.
FD are probably the better of the bunch, but it all depends who you get and what your query is.
Lloyds were awful about all the Apple Pay stuff, but generally any other query - even my Cashback missing the other day, resolved within minutes.
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Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh. FD have polite staff who try to help you but when you get passed around 5 different departments and have to explain yourself 5 times over with no resolution it’s extremely frustrating. I’m also yet to experience Amex’s world class service. I tried to contact them about something on 4 separate occasions on 4 different lunch breaks and each time my lunch break finished before the phone was answered. I gave up. Even have their “Platinum” card
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I’ve always found the in-app chat CS to be pretty good, both premier and non-premier.
Yeah I’ve heard pieces about department transfers, guess it’s down to the complexity of the query. It’s mostly older gen probably wanting to make a transfer or how to access this or that at frontline for fd.
Can’t speak for Amex tbh. Revolut AI bot is actually really decent, in comparison to Monzo AI which seemingly takes forever and a day to produce a reply.
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I had my standard HSBC account regraded to Advance in a branch. Sure. it was a 1/2 hour chat with a rep in person however it was all managed very smoothly, and an uprated overdraft limit was offered and available immediately, considerably more than the one offered when I’d signed up for the standard account and well over the minimum requirement for Advance. Mind you, I’d been using the HSBC account to have my salary paid in, as well as the associated credit card paid on-time and in-full each month so it probably helped to establish a good payment history. As for the service, it’s a bit of a lottery whether you’ll get someone off or onshore, but if it’s the former and whatever query you have they can’t answer you’ll be sent to someone onshore.
Don’t care for the app, notifications etc - yes HSBC maybe boring and/or not offer all bells and whistles/dopamine hits that other newer entrants have, but they are pretty solid in terms of reliability.
No I understand what the issue was but they literally wouldn’t help me with the problem because of it.
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I’m surprised that HSBC haven’t moved away from needing to go into a branch to upgrade to their Advance account.
I have been using the HSBC app but I much prefer the FD app. Despite all the improvements, I’m still not a fan of the HSBC app and will probably use another app soon.
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They’re slowly moving parts into the app like applying for savings accounts etc, so maybe that will come in due course.
I do wonder how long they’ll continue to offer this account, doesn’t really offer much over basic these days apart from the card colour.
In terms of CS, I’d say the only bank I’ve ever had better CS was FD itself. The in app chat is actually 24/7 and responsive which cannot be said for Lloyds and the CS even non premier I always recalled it being pretty decent.
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I moved from Australia to the UK about two years ago. My parents advised me to open an HSBC AU account (instead of Up, which has an app that puts Monzo to shame!) and use HSBC in the UK. They said that HSBC has helped them with things like buying their home when they returned to Australia after many years abroad.
I followed their advice and it had benefits at first: HSBC UK approved me for a credit card and overdraft based on my good Aussie credit score. HSBC UK also helped with some HSBC AU customer service things for me.
However, I’m trying to make more ethical choices and HSBC isn’t exactly squeaky clean. Would switching to Nationwide be detrimental? I’d be closing my oldest UK account and losing my “financial history” in the UK. Is there any truth to my parents’ advice about using a big global bank like HSBC to keep a running history?
Some quick searching online says…no!
You can keep HSBC open and not use it, use Nationwide and benefit from the age of your HSBC account.
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I add to that that I think it’s worth keeping your hsbc account as the international capabilities are superior in terms of multicurrency accounts, being able to open accounts overseas, instant overseas transfers, etc.
There’s no need to use them as your main bank though if you’d rather go elsewhere.
There’s a long-running rumour HSBC will sell their Australia business so the usefulness might change when/if they do.
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I’m gearing up to move the other direction and HSBC AU was amongst the first steps for that as they’re the only AU bank you can fully open before you turn up in Australia.
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As others have said, you can just keep your HSBC UK bank account open but largely unused.
You may want to keep using the credit card though as you may find getting another one less straightforward.
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