Natwest Woes

[mjcneat]

It seems that Natwest went down last night, online, mobile, telephone, cash withdrawals, Google/Apple pay and card transactions. Thankfully I wasn't affected but does make me think about opening another bank account.

All my current accounts/savings/credit card is with Natwest so I would be in a bit of trouble if this happens again when I needed to buy something.

I'm looking at opening another account as an emergency backup and just leaving a couple of hundred quid in it in case Natwest goes down. Can anyone recommend a bank that would allow just having a pretty dormant account with funds in?

I've looked at Starling / Monzo but must admit I haven't opened a bank account in nearly 20 years!

[hepy]

Would a credit card not do the same thing now most places accept cards?

[mjcneat]

hepy said:

Would a credit card not do the same thing now most places accept cards?

I could have another credit card I suppose. I didn't want to affect my credit rating with an application, assuming providers are being a bit stricter with lending at the moment.

[abzmike]

Revolut? Easy to setup, you get a card and an app. Leave a few pounds in for emergencies, handy for overseas too.

[colin79666]

Starling Bank you have already looked at. Simple to get up and running, takes about 5 minutes and your account is open with contact payments on your phone. Debit card arrives in the post within a few days. They seem to get all the basics right and nice perks like no foreign transactions fees when making card payments abroad (or online in different currencies). RBS/Natwest are now copying all the Starling/Monzo app features like turning your card off but the old banks are still well behind due to their size and carrying all the years of legacy technology. Monzo have a better looking card but Starling have better t&cs.