Source: Financial Mail on Sunday, LondonSept.迷你倉 08--New rules this month will mean that dissatisfied bank customers can move current accounts more easily. Switching should be smooth and completed within seven working days.So if you're fed up with your bank and think it's time to try someone else, read The Mail on Sunday's guide to the best providers, using research conducted by respected financial research company MoneyComms.It trawled through details of 14 of the most popular current accounts on the market. Those with the cheapest overdrafts, best interest and most cost-effective debit cards for using on holiday abroad received top scores.MoneyComms' Andrew Hagger says: 'Although customers often wish to switch banks it's far from easy to pick which is the most suitable _ there's not one account that's best for everyone. The different tariffs make comparisons difficult.'The Payments Council, which is overseeing the new rules, says only 6 per cent of those with bank accounts have switched in the past two years compared with 37 per cent who moved to another car insurer.Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, says: 'Making the process of changing banks easier means that people can quickly vote with their feet.'THE bank with the best overall current account is Metro Bank, which three years ago became the first new bank to open on Britain's high streets in more than a century.The account is free to use abroad. Typically banks and building societies charge 2.75 per cent for card transactions made overseas.It also charges a relatively low interest rate for going overdrawn if it's authorised _ 15 per cent. The annual cost of being pounds sterling 500 in the red for seven days every month is pounds sterling 16. The typical interest rate on a bank overdraft is about 19 per cent per year with additional fees of 50p to pounds sterling 3 a day.Metro Bank is open seven days a week, including evenings. The bank's chief executive Craig Donaldson says: 'People come to us because we offer something different; we put our customers first and offer services that fit their needs.'Other accounts that come out well from MoneyComms' research are First Direct's 1st Account and the Post Office's Standard Account. Both rank highly because of low overdraft charges.At the other end of the spectrum, Lloyds TSB Classic with Vantage and Halifax Reward score badly. This is because both charge high fees for overdrafts and overseas transactions.Hagger says: 'The Lloyds and Halifax accounts are good if you always stay in credit _ but if not, I would avoid them.'Halifax says the bank's overdraft charging structure is 'clear and simple' while its overseas charges are 'transparent'.Lloyds TSB says its Classic account allows customers to go overdrawn by pounds sterling 35 without incurring charges.Self-employed builder Ian Senior, 54, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, is a big fan of Metro Bank. Three months ago he switched his business account from Barclays to the new bank.He says: 'I'd been banking with Barclays for more than 30 years but I was fed up with the poor service.'Ian and his 47-year-old wife Paula later decided to transfer their joint account with Barclays to Metro.Ian says: 'The accounts we now have are straightforward and easy to use. Metro's customer service is good. Every time I walk into the branch in High Wycombe they know who I am and offer me a cup of coffee.'Metro Bank is opening five more branches before the end of the year in London (Cheapside and Edgware), Middlesex (Staines), Surrey (Kingston-upon-Thames) and Berkshire (Windsor). More branches are planned next year in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire; Epsom, Surrey; and Brighton, East Sussex.But it has no plans to go nationwide, preferring to open branches in the South East.Many customers find that having an overdraft facility can be a financial lifesaver, but it can be expensive. Most current accounts charge a daily fee even for authorised overdrafts.MoneyComms puts First Direct's account at the top of the table for overdrafts. Which? also says it is the best.The account comes with a pounds sterling 250 interest-free buffer. Any authorised overdraft above that limit is charged at 15.9 per cent. Someone who is pounds sterling 500 overdrawn for seven days every month would pay pounds sterling 9 a year.The Post Office has recently tested three current accounts in East Anglia before a nationwide roll-out next year.儲存倉Its Standard Account is another option for anyone looking for an account with an overdraft facility, charging 14.9 per cent on authorised borrowing.Customers relying on an overdraft should be wary that switching accounts could result in their authorised overdraft being reduced. Hagger says: 'Always check what overdraft limit will be permitted with your new bank before deciding whether to transfer. Unauthorised bank charges can be onerous.'According to MoneyComms, the top two current account deals for earning interest are Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB's Classic accounts if they come with Vantage _ an option for account holders who pay in at least pounds sterling 1,000 each month.Hagger says: 'Both accounts pay tiered interest of 1.5 per cent from pounds sterling 1 to pounds sterling 1,000, 2 per cent from pounds sterling 1,000 to pounds sterling 3,000 and 3 per cent from pounds sterling 3,000 to pounds sterling 5,000.' Someone who keeps pounds sterling 5,000 of savings in one of these accounts for 12 months would earn pounds sterling 150 before tax. There is no monthly fee.Balances above pounds sterling 5,000 don't earn any interest so customers with bigger sums may be better off with Santander's 123 account. That pays 3 per cent on balances between pounds sterling 3,000 and pounds sterling 20,000.Which? also ranks Lloyds TSB with Vantage and Santander's 123 accounts as two of the best deals if you keep your account in credit.Meanwhile, a report by market research firm Consumer Intelligence lists Halifax Reward as a contender for people with smaller balances. The account pays a pounds sterling 5 monthly reward for those who pay in a minimum of pounds sterling 750 each month.Matt Sanders, card expert at comparison website Gocompare, says: 'Current accounts that pay interest if you are in credit are great for those who are determined not to overdraw. But this benefit can soon be wiped out if you dip into the red as fees and interest charges are ferocious.'Spending on your debit card overseas can be expensive. This is where Metro's account excels. It does not charge anything for paying with the card or withdrawing money from a cash machine when abroad.Norwich & Peterborough Building Society's Gold Classic account is also free to use abroad.Nationwide's FlexAccount used to be the best card for overseas spending until it stopped its fee-free offer three years ago. It's now charging a 2 per cent fee.While disappointing for many of its card holders, it is still below the typical fee of 2.75 per cent. It also charges 2 per cent on overseas use of cash machines, but this is waived for its FlexPlus customers.Good customer service is essential. But consumer champion website MoneySavingExpert says several big names still fail to deliver adequate service. Its recent research indicates that First Direct _ an offshoot of HSBC and a branchless bank operating via post, phone and the internet _ has the most satisfied customers.In contrast, Bank of Scotland has the worst record.Santander, which has been criticised in the past, is making a comeback with cashback on household bills and in-credit interest for its 123 account. Santander has pledged to back the account with 'stellar' customer service.Steve Pateman, head of UK banking at Santander, says: 'Improving the service we offer is essential for us. We have more to do and continue to focus on improving the levels of service.'Guy Anker of MoneySavingExpert says: 'Santander wasn't just the worst for service a few years ago, it was off the scale. But it's clawed its way back, largely thanks to its 123 account.'Last week, figures from the Financial Ombudsman Service showed that in the first half of this year, Santander received the fourth largest number of banking complaints. Only Barclays, Lloyds and NatWest received more.Occupational therapist Hannah Long, 24, from Leeds, switched her current account to First Direct earlier this year.She says: 'I'd switched bank accounts a couple of times. My first account was with Yorkshire Bank before I switched to Halifax and then last year I moved to Santander. But I wasn't happy with the monthly fee. My mum recommended First Direct so I decided to move again.'Hannah adds: 'You can speak to anyone 24/7 so it feels like a local branch.'Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Daily Mail (London, ) Visit the Daily Mail (London, ) at .dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉價錢
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