Yeah, the Teal card. I actually like it, moreso than the original purple embossed card. Every embossed card I’ve had, the numbers just get harder to read once the top rubs off. The new card I like very much.
What made me jump up and down though was, my original purple card got damaged, so I contacted customer services and I asked for a replacement card. Their answer was to report it as ‘lost or stolen’ and a new card would be sent out. I wasn’t at all happy with that, as the connotation of ‘lost or stolen’ makes it look like I’ve been foolish or careless when in fact all that happened was the card split. And so a few days later I requested a Teal card and they sent me one without any further question. Anyway, as I say, the new card is better for me as I can actually read the long number on the back better than the embossed number that was previously on the old card.
Yeah, not sure I completely understand what you mean by ‘deeper integration’? How would you improve an instantaneous payment system, which is all I’m interested in? I’m not being obtuse, I’m genuinely interested. If I need anything else, I just refer to the Amex App and my British Airways App.
Ok, got you. I see that might have advantages for some, but for me, the Amex App launches instantaneously and is all I need for balances/statements etc so I couldn’t personally see the point of integrating anything Amex related into the banking App itself. Personally, I wouldn’t want my bank having visibility of my Amex Credit Card balance in App. That’s just a personal view though.
You make a very good point about the paint on the embossed numbers wearing off. My purple card was heading that way and my Nationwide Flexaccount debit card (it’s a good few years old and it’s from the period where Nationwide was still issuing cards with 5-year lifespans) has completely lost the silver from all its embossing - everything is now the same blue as the card and is almost impossible to read. My Monzo card is in the early stages of going the same way. As is, weirdly, my Wells Fargo corporate credit card, that I’ve only had for a month?
I’ve stopped carrying most of my plastic, and use Curve now as the primary physical card (and then reallocate payments later in-app using the back-in-time feature). Embossed numbers are standing up quite well on that so far. The wallet currently contains Curve, Monzo, Metro Bank, Wells Fargo. Metro Bank is coming out tonight and the teal Starling card is going back in for March.
I’ve not yet taken the plunge on any of the “metal” cards being offered by some of the challenger banks, but I’m assuming they have flat number printing on the back like the teal Starling card? Will be interesting to see how well they last, as I can see the print not adhering to the metal as well as it does to plastic.
At the end of the day, number embossed cards are a 20th Century hangover from when they were placed in the old slide machines to record carbon receipts. I’m amazed they’re still being produced this way. I have a Virgin credit card which is similar in style to my Starling Bank card, just not in portrait format.
Well here’s the thing - old-school click-clack slide machines are still a thing (though used literally once in a blue moon in the UK, much more so in the US). Yes, I know, it’s a very strange thing to say in 2019. However, I speak from first-hand experience when I say that most large outlets such as supermarkets, department stores, hotels etc. in the UK will still have them on hand for emergencies such as use during power cuts etc. It would be one of the rare occasions when the new Starling card (and any of the Metal cards) would be unusable. Not a strong reason at all to retain embossing, but it is the main reason that most other card issuers do.
Haha, no. I got it from the tills at work.
How much was the presentation card? I’ve built up a bit of a collection of cool coins and added these new notes to it.
Have you seen the new Bank Of Ireland £5 and £10 notes? Danske Bank have released new notes too. It looks like Canadian money.
Think it’s free if you go into the bank. Was an old woman at the bus station who surprisingly wasn’t bothered by me asking to take a photo of her money
Didn’t know BOI had new notes, I’ll be in the look out
Nearby payments - Used this for the first time with my Wife who has very recently opened a Starling account. Brilliant! Did a transfer to her account in an instant, no setting up payment account details or anything, just a quick transfer with zero hassle.
Starling reviews…Interestingly, I’ve just been reading some of the reviews left on Trustpilot. Most of them are extremely positive, but like any service or company, you’re always going to get ‘customers’ that are genuinely not having a great time, or are just being bloody minded and leaving a poor review for the sake of it, and I’m sure that happens across the board.
For me, I’ve been a customer of Starling Bank since the TSB debacle last year and switched. It was the best thing I’ve done on a banking perspective for years. I’ve never had a single issue except for wanting a replacement card for my original card that split, but that was resolved without fuss and my new card arrived within 36 hours. Payments, direct debits, all great. Debit card use abroad, fantastic, used it in Dubai recently, no issues whatsoever and I’m off to the US soon and looking forward to using it there. Credit card payments, absolute breeze, set my Amex card payment details within a couple of minutes and when I pay my statement, it happens instantly.
Haven’t used Goals yet so can’t comment. I have a good overdraft option if I ever require it, but I haven’t been overdrawn for 23 years, so probably isn’t going to be required.
All in all, a great experience. I wish banking had been like this 20 years ago.
Thanks. Though I’m not going to leave a review on Trustpilot, not because I don’t believe in what I’ve posted here, but because I’m just not generally a fan of leaving reviews on that type of site. That might come across as being a little strange, but there it is!
What gets my back up though with some of the poor reviews is this. Usually, you’ll find there’s some sort of ‘back story’ that the reviewer isn’t going to reveal, such as credit history, the fact they might not have even resided in the country for the requisite period of time, lack of competence with tech etc. I make a point of the last one, lack of competence, because I’ve had to deal with family/close friends who’ve gone down the road of trying to advance themselves with banking/energy swaps etc, and actually don’t have a clue about the tech their using, which ends up hampering their ability to pursue their end goal, and then because they are so frustrated re their lack of progress, they end up blaming so other poor bugger. I try to help where I can, but sometimes I’d be better off just pulling teeth.
I genuinely enjoy my current banking experience. As I say, I’m in my fifties and I embrace technology where I can. It just absolutely annoys the backside off of me when people of my generation or older resort to the ‘I’m not doing that because I don’t understand it and it’s not safe’ argument. I understand that there are still plenty of people who don’t use the internet, or use a smartphone and sadly, these people are being left behind. I’d be absolutely stuck without my smartphone because I do all of my financial activities on it. As I said previously, the very thought of even going into a physical bank branch these days, would make me feel like I was wasting part of my life and day that I would never get back.
I am with you and I’m well into my fifties. Often I am well ahead of my ‘millennial’ children when it comes to fintech! I would never put all my banking with one bank though as some seem to do as it leaves you vulnerable to down times and system errors. That said, I do possibly go too far the other way though as I have about 7 accounts!
