All Mastercard
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I need to do the math on whether a 3.5% rate across the board is better than my current Monzo pot setup (3.25% for most pots but importantly 3.65% on the biggest pot)… My current thinking is any small increase in interest probably won’t be worth losing the pot functionality (whereas if NatWest had a Loyalty Saver equivalent then it absolutely would be worth it to be able to consolidate everything in one place.)
Ulster pays interest annually on Loyalty Saver so you know. Unlike the NatWest/RBS Flexible Savers which pay out monthly.
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I did see that. Minor annoyance, but not a big deal in the end (Monzo’s rates are annual equivalent rates anyway).
Ok I’ve done the math. I’m actually better off sticking with Monzo, largely because 1) just over half my short-term savings are (on average) in my single Select Access pot, which earns 3.65% and 2) In the month I withdraw all of that money, my total short-term savings balance drops below £5k meaning for one month my rate with UIster Bank would drop to 1%.. If I keep the balance over £5k all year then Ulster comes out ahead. But the difference isn’t huge (less than ten quid either way), and having to go back to tracking pots via spreadsheet would be a little annoying.
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I admire your commitment to getting the best deal. Personally, I tend to just stick my emergency fund (6+ months of outgoings) wherever is most convenient for me.
The interest rate is secondary. Simplicity is more important to me (fewer apps/accounts).
Other than my emergency fund, everything else is in investments.
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Oh I am absolutely the same: simplicity is primary, interest rate and features are secondary. I am not a rate-chaser by any means, though I do try to maximise the benefits I get from a simple setup. I average £10-12k total across my Monzo pots, which earns just over £400/year in interest. If I went super simple and only kept NatWest, I’d be losing out on nearly £300 worth of interest. Not a game-changing amount by any means, but enough to be worth keeping my short-term savings in Monzo (especially with the added benefit of pot management, which I quite like).
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Ulster to me seems like a cut down Natwest with more interest 
My lost annual interest figure is similar. I may reconsider at some point but for now it’s a cost I’m willing to pay for the simplicity of having everything in one app.
I will revisit my decision in 2027 though, as it’s not a small amount of money to keep losing.
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Are you tempted to open an account?
Completes my Natwest Group collection so yeah
ID&V process is different to NatWest/RBS. You’ll get a text 24-48 hours after you apply to go through the MiTek verification process.
Holts? Coutts (I wish!)? Or just the main 3? 
Good point.
My heavily cutback normal person Natwest Group collection.
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Fair enough. I don’t meet the criteria for either of those either, sadly.
I’ll just stick to NatWest, I reckon.
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Coutts raised their amount so makes me even further away from getting a account one day.
Identification & Verification for those less informed. Quit with the acronyms (or anagrams, if you are called Carl). 
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Yeah, a statement. Open banking isn’t really a runner as who’s gonna keep £100k in their current account? I can easily clear it on the SIPP statement but not sure they really offer anything of interest to me.
More people than you might think. There was research quite recently that put the figure at 700,000+ UK current accounts with more than £50k in, and 300,000+ UK current accounts with more than £100,000 in. Not everyone cares about interest.
BoE overall stats also support this. They confirm there is around £270 billion currently sat in current accounts paying 0% interest (personal accounts only, excludes businesses).
We recently discussed this in another thread, although I forget which thread.
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Quite a surprisingly large number of financially illiterate people then. Depressing in a way.
Mind you, I suppose this forum gives a very distorted picture of how clued up people in general are about financial matters.