What's the worst feature of your legacy bank?

What is ‘Flite’? Is that Santander’s version of B and Smile?

It appears to be a “new” app built from the ground up. Compared to the regular Santander app which has the UI of a WAP website from 2002 :joy:

And yet it still has a terrible UI and lacks functionality compared to the original app - judging by the comments. I avoid using it whenever necessary, it gives me a headache.

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NatWest have given a bit of a ‘refresh’ to their app this morning. Making it known they won the best banking app of the year too.

You can now request a pin (for credit cards only) in the app but this is still posted to you! :man_facepalming:t2:

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Change of name. I had a self declaration, signed and witnessed which the passport office and DVLA both seemed to believe were suitable.

At the Halifax branch:

  • ME: I’d like to change the name on my accounts please (I had a current and savings, although they weren’t used much, and I only had about £200 overall with them)
  • THEM: Ahh, no, that document isn’t legal, we need one countersigned by a Solicitor
  • ME: You are wrong. You couldn’t be more wrong
  • THEM: We won’t accept it, “sorry”
  • ME: How can I get my money?
  • THEM: You can close your accounts and open them in the new name?
  • ME: I see. I’d like to close my accounts please (presents my Halifax debit card)
  • THEM: Certainly, how would you like your cash?

I mean, you won’t accept a document saying I have a new name, that the UK government seems to feel is adequate, but apparently I’m legit enough to close my accounts!? Insanity.

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I updated my Natwest app last night and got stuck in an infinite loop of “What’s new” and logging in! :confounded:

Had to re-install the app… Not exactly winning awards from my on that front :wink:

But besides that hiccup, Natwest have the best legacy banking app IMO :slight_smile:

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I have the RBS variant, but have a major issue with the lack of information regarding “Pending Transactions”…It would be nice to know that if something is going to take 3 days to come off your account you could at least keep track of where you’ve spent your money…

The £1.50 a day overdraft charge. And I’ve been stuck in my overdraft for 4 years…

Don’t work it out, it’s just depressing

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Gosh that’s daylight robbery, imagine charging someone already in debt and exploiting that for money?? And they expect people to get out of debt at this rate?

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It does depend on how big the overdraft is. I’d take that fee on 100k overdraft for instance!

We really need much more education on how not to get into debt in the first place.

Between £1000 and £1700 is that rate

I think both education about debt and education needs to change. I’m doing a masters at the moment so most of my friends are already graduated and working/ trying to find work. It’s sad how much are still living in their overdraft/ have said they don’t think they’ll ever pay off their student loan. It’s easy for some older people to say youths are lazy and spend too much and that’s why they’re in debt when they didn’t have to pay for uni. I don’t understand the jump from £3k to £9k in fees for local students, they could have simply charged international students more to make up for it.

At the risk of starting a cultural debate idk why it’s expected for someone to move out at 18 or start work even while studying. They’d save so much money just getting a bit of support from their parents and it would mean they would perform better at uni not having to stress about other things or skip classes to ensure they can pay rent.

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Well, they don’t really, because that’s where a bank gets its profit.

In truth it’s a simple concept; to get out of debt one has to earn more, or spend less. Not so simple to put into practice, but if an overdraft isn’t increasing due to essentials (energy, rent) it should be achievable to climb out of debt, over time.

There are, of course, ways to limit the interest in the meantime (money transfer 0% credit cards) but the budget has to be super-watertight or one can find the debt quickly spirals when the repayments are added in.

Of course, if the debt is increasing due to the cost of just living, then it’s pretty much unsustainable and a radical life change is in order (ie. move to somewhere cheaper)

But, yeah, earn more or spend less, if you don’t want to pay £1.50 a day to the bank for ever.

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I think people might not have as much knowledge of how to manage/ get out of debt (which is why education has to come in I guess) and would credit card companies allow you to have a 0% interest card if you’re already in debt? I think you could possibly end up being trapped until you get out of your overdraft. It isn’t as simple as moving away or trying to earn more/ switching jobs. I saw this horror story on Reddit of someone who opened a credit card for her mum and her mum racked up thousands in debt on it with no way of paying- so I doubt someone would loan their card?

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In theory, correct. In reality I can’t get a 0% credit card or consolidation loan. I did get a loan 3 years ago which is finishing in June but only one I could get was 51.1%. Of course consolidation was a great idea but didn’t cover everything and debt crept up quickly and now I’m over extended. That’s why I’m doing monzo now, budgeted spends away from overdraft account to cut down spending. Disabled child means earning more isn’t an option.
I don’t blame Barclays, entirely my fault but I do wish they had an option to help.

Also, i’m not stupid, I know all about financial management but sometimes life happens and once caught out it’s very hard to dig your way out.

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The debt trap is real, but the solution really isn’t rocket science (it really is spend less than you earn. If you earn 25k a year you need to accept some of your shopping is going to be Tesco value). That said, I’m intelligent but it took MSE for me to realise that paying the minimums on a credit card debt would keep you in debt for 25 years, paying a ridiculous amount of interest.
I was equally amazed to find you can save your way to being a millionaire, if you start early enough.

I can see how a few bad decisions can get you trapped and then it really becomes a hard grind to turn it around.

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Of course I wasn’t implying you or anyone is stupid. I tried to keep my answer neutral, apologies if it didn’t read that way.

Actually, I think consolidation isn’t such a great idea. There are very few circumstances where it won’t end up costing more to service over the long run, and the risk is the core debt actually increases. If thought about rationally, borrowing to get out of debt makes no sense.

But yeah, with no inference intended, the basic rules will get a debt sorted: Get more money coming in, and/or less money going out.

And this should definitely be taught in schools.

All the best with your situation @Rat_au_van, I appreciate your situation.

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They don’t have to pay it off. It will be written off eventually.

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THIS.
a UK student loan is not a debt in the traditional sense - in that if you don’t pay it off it will cause you issues.

I think if the students loans system was rebranded as what it is - a graduate tax, people would be less put off by it

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Maybe it should just be university/education tax? ‘graduation’ might assume that one actually completes and passes a course.

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Speaking of updates to the Natwest app I just got a leaflet along with my statement in the post today and it looks like they are going to add the functionality to lock / unlock your card in app (hmmm like freezing your card I hear you say :thinking:)

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