Decision to want second bank to be a traditional bank has a broader set of reasons than just having a very local branch (bank counter services).
But once I’ve decided I want second bank to be a traditional bank, branch closeness would be an important factor I would use to decide among traditional banks. Because I use Monzo for day-to-day it would be a more important factor than something like high quality app when choosing between traditional banks - that was the point I was making in post # 2.
I suppose Starling is the most unique of all the banks in the list so perhaps the one most likely to stand out as an individual entity (23% in poll).
Looked at another way though if all the traditional/established banks in the list (including First Direct, Virgin Money & “Other”) are summed it comes to 52%. So among those who’d have a Monzo account, still a collective preference for second current account to be with a more traditional/established bank than with Starling.
It matters less and less, but I have used my local branch.
My last few visits have been to pay in cheques[1], and to pay in coins[2].
[1] I get very few cheques these days and now have cheque imaging available to me
[2] most of these coins had been in a jar for nearly a decade, and the HSBC coin sorting machine was very handy. I get very, very few coins these day.
I was going to say something similar. It looks to me that the split is primarily between people who want to stick with mobile-only banks and explicitly avoid ‘traditional’ ones (for which Starling is the only option in the list), and people who explicitly want the second account with an established institution (for which the vote is split between several). There’s still a clear preference to mix Monzo with a ‘traditional’ bank, but interestingly a significant minority that prefer mobile only for all their accounts.
I’m very reluctant to use cash over a few £100. Whilst I don’t live in a high crime area I don’t like carrying high amounts of cash. I’ve never had to remove more than £500 cash ever. I don’t like cash.
My post office only has a couple of people queuing at anyone time.
Does Starling have a way to facilitate provision of emergency cash if you lose all bank cards (even small amount and perhaps independent of post office)?
This would be another key factor for me in deciding back-up bank even if I didn’t want option of large cash withdrawals.
@o99 made it clear, I think, when they said “just for fun imagine we lived in a world where no one was allowed more than two personal current accounts”. So, yes, I’ve based my answer on current accounts only.
I thought I’d set that out in my response. Let me try again: I’d want a branch network that can deal with questions and issues as well as just handling cash and cheques. I’m also in the market for a packaged current account where that’s financially sensible for me such as FlexPlus). My preference would also be a mutual or a customer-centric bank that doesn’t do investment banking.
Now those are my personal criteria that I’m not trying to generalise or push onto others. As I say, for me, Monzo and Starling are substitutes so I’d pick one of them and then another option. Probably based on the high street but - in any event - well equipped to deal with things that very rarely happen but, when they do, I want to be assured they can handle.
Now, all of that can change. There’s a possible future where Monzo launches a paid for account that means that Nationwide’s offer isn’t needed. Or it’s possible Starling could move ahead of Monzo in features that I value. But - in @o99’s hypothetical situation - I think it’s unlikely that I’d end up with Monzo and Starling being my two accounts. But certainly, looking at the data here, others’ opinions vary. And that’s okay, too.
Same here. I took advantage of a HSBC switching offer last year and kept the account open basically just for the coin machine. Although Covid has made it less useful these days!
Yes. But I also assumed in deciding which banks they’d use for current accounts some would consider convenience and partially base decision on what other products/services are available at the bank (insurance, savings, etc) (which you have done), even though the scenario allows for those products to be obtained elsewhere.
This is cool. Could enable one to go more down the route of using Google pay for everything…are there limits on how often you can use the feature?
Aside from the things you’ve already mentioned in this thread are there other things you particularly like about Natwest?
What is it about Nationwide that you feel makes it particularly appealing in an emergency?
Among the traditional/established banks, I’ve tried HSBC, Santander, Nationwide and TSB.
Among those I haven’t tried Natwest looks most interesting to me.
Quite a statement that more would ditch Monzo than keep it as their only account.
I did a manual switch when moving to Starling as I like the optionality of still having my Monzo account. But if I could only have two, I wouldn’t think twice about closing it. Monzo has zero USPs (for me).
Starling does the digital stuff at least as well and covers the physical things much better. And legacy banks actually pay me to bank with them.
From what I’ve read, the features people like about Monzo seem to be things that you could do yourself manually (bill pot, left to spend) and potentially are easy to copy.
That’s not my reading of this thread… rather, I think people are saying that legacy banks still provide services and a perception of security that people still value, and that having a “backup” account with a legacy bank makes sense.
I’ve argued for a long time that monzo should be trying to break this idea, but I don’t see much evidence that they see it as a priority (international bank transfers, better ways to pay in cash and cheques, more reliable customer service.)
The lack of traditional banking services (loans, mortgages, credit cards) might also play into this to some extent. I’m not convinced that monzo’s marketplace is really working (it’s more like a list of partner schemes than a market with a proper range of good value products).
But, whatever you think about this, people‘s reluctance to use monzo exclusively doesn’t mean the company is doomed to fail. In the long game to win people over, a period in which customers run two accounts side by side doesn’t need to be a problem - as long as monzo comes out on top eventually.
What @Drew58 said 
They also offer IBAN and a Euro account, it looks like a USD account is in the works, their business accounts are also suitable for sole traders (although sole trader account applications are on hold at the moment). I also love the card attached to a pot/space to give to trusted people to pick things up for you, or it could be used to limit yourself on a night out.
I withdraw very little money and mainly use cash machines at a bank, so I’m not concerned about having to withdraw large amounts. I don’t need any insurance etc, but their marketplaces looks pretty good.
I tend to prefer carrying 2 cards (Curve + 1 other) so I’m not too concerned about emergency money as I should have 1 debit and a credit card if I lost one in this 2 bank system we’re hypothesising.
I think you need a different poll for that conclusion. One which asks what bank you would use if you could only have one current account.
What this poll shows is if you could only have current accounts at up to two banks, 87% of those who’ve voted here would keep a Monzo account and 13% wouldn’t. Obviously need to keep in mind this is the Monzo Community, but hopefully that caveat goes without saying.
Emergency cash abroad: In this hypothetical scenario, we have access to two bank cards, so you just take them both, and keep them separate, yeah? And that’s not to mention the credit and Revolut (et al) cards we’re also allowed.
That seems like it overcomes one of the ‘branch-based’ features, though I’m not convinced how having a network of domestic branches facilitates this product abroad.
Also, what are these massive amount of cash situations everyone’s hedging against? Buying a second-hand car, and the ubiquitous cash-only tradespeople? Is there anything other than these people had in mind?
I know how it works, I’ve used it in Ecuador when Nationwide told me, wrongly, that the ATMs there accepted Visa.
Just seems such an edge case 
In my mind considering edge cases is a significant factor in choosing a secondary bank. Use a combination of two banks to cover all potential scenarios.
I agree.
I’ve had a few edge cases over the years - or things that might not really be edge cases but happen very infrequently (like transferring large amounts when buying property). In these circumstances I just want a current account that can handle anything I throw at it.
Nationwide, I think, does that. Monzo (and Starling to a lesser extent) can’t right now. But that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t use one of them as my main bank in this hypothetical scenario. It does, though, mean that I’d want a high street provider, too.
On that basis, my choices would be Monzo and Nationwide, but I think there are others that would work, too (I wouldn’t be extremely upset if I had to use Starling and HSBC, for example, even if they weren’t my first choices).
I meant, I don’t understand why such a feature for use abroad should only be offered by banks which have a domestic network. The two are mutually exclusive.
Just proves to me Starling has a way to go before it challenges every aspect of the high street.