Reply to: Business Bank account for NewCo

[rocktronAMP]

I went with Monzo. Took about 10 minutes to set up.

Yes it looks like that Monzo are highly rated in the latest survey IPSOS https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/personal...-february-2025 (February 2025)


UPDATE: I decided to go with NatWest Business Banking for now, because of the FreeAgent and also potential of EUR and USD payments / invoices. I can always switch to another business bank provider in 2026 / 2027.

[TheDude]

I went with Monzo. Took about 10 minutes to set up.

[jamesbrown]

Considering the toss up between Natwest, Mettle and Starling ...
I am feeling for Natwest for its freeagent at the moment.

You will get FA with Mettle too, which is owned by NatWest.

[rocktronAMP]

Natwest is free for 24months. and gratis version of freeagent.
used them for decades personal/business with no probs.
but i don't carry my life around on a 'phone.

Considering the toss up between Natwest, Mettle and Starling ...
I am feeling for Natwest for its freeagent at the moment.

[fiisch]

+1 for Starling.

-1000 for Cashplus (avoid at all costs).

[jamesbrown]

It's just saying "they are a bit crap" without explaining why (or pointing to objective evidence why) is rather pointless. All I was sayin is that if you need customer services to intervene, no matter how well they do it, points to there being a failure in their service at some point.

Well, I linked the actual survey that breaks down the various ways in which they would not be highly recommended and that was pretty much across the board, except in SME overdraft and loan services. Obviously, individual experiences will vary and individual events can shape your whole opinion of a bank. I would not open another account with Tide, for example, as I found the account opening process to be ridiculously over-complicated, but they are consistently rated quite highly. Still, I would look at this survey and I wouldn't touch HSBC for business banking, as a large percentage of their customers would not recommend them in any respect. YMMV, obvs.

[malvolio]

This is why we look to surveys that are independently commissioned and use sound methodology, rather than personal anecdotes. I note that this thread contains personal anecdotes to the contrary regarding HSBC, for example. I think what you mean to say is that, despite HSBC being a bit crap on average, you are personally happy with them. Good for you, well done, we are not trying to convert you.

Fair enough. I merely countered someone saying they were rubbish, which was not my experience.

It's just saying "they are a bit crap" without explaining why (or pointing to objective evidence why) is rather pointless. All I was sayin is that if you need customer services to intervene, no matter how well they do it, points to there being a failure in their service at some point.

It works for me, that's all I really care about. It is very unlikely I would get any benefit at all from a bank that was less crap.

[sadkingbilly]

a typical UK 'contractor' has 1 invoice/month.
what fancy services are required?

[jamesbrown]

In what way? Money is handled properly and quickly, I have efficient card processes, it talks to Freeagent and the online app works without fuss. Interest rates are crap, but so are most other banks, and my money is parked in rather more profitable places anyway. If there is crap in the services, perhaps it's in areas I don't need.

This is why we look to surveys that are independently commissioned and use sound methodology, rather than personal anecdotes. I note that this thread contains personal anecdotes to the contrary regarding HSBC, for example. I think what you mean to say is that, despite HSBC being a bit crap on average, you are personally happy with them. Good for you, well done, we are not trying to convert you.

[malvolio]

There may be another fallacy at work, though, which is that it's hard to hear your personal choice of bank is actually a bit crap, on average

In what way? Money is handled properly and quickly, I have efficient card processes, it talks to Freeagent and the online app works without fuss. Interest rates are crap, but so are most other banks, and my money is parked in rather more profitable places anyway. If there is crap in the services, perhaps it's in areas I don't need.

[jamesbrown]

Speaking as someone working in and around customer service for many years, there is potentially a fallacy at work.

It occurs to me that many companies are stressing the quality of their service, when what it really means is that you need to make use of their support services because something isn't working as it should.

So you can also infer that if things don't go wrong you don't use their support services and so they score less on the quality of that service.

There may be another fallacy at work, though, which is that it's hard to hear your personal choice of bank is actually a bit crap, on average

[malvolio]

FWIW:

https://www.bva-bdrc.com/business-ba...great-britain/

Speaking as someone working in and around customer service for many years, there is potentially a fallacy at work.

It occurs to me that many companies are stressing the quality of their service, when what it really means is that you need to make use of their support services because something isn't working as it should.

So you can also infer that if things don't go wrong you don't use their support services and so they score less on the quality of that service.

[jamesbrown]

FWIW:

https://www.bva-bdrc.com/business-ba...great-britain/

[ladymuck]

AH. Not long after posting his, I got a letter from HSBC saying the £8 a month is being dropped so no further routine charges...

Yep, got the same letter recently. Obviously the cheaper challenger banks are having an impact.

What annoyed me recently about HSBC was that they know I am based in West London but still sent a debit card to a branch in Brighton because that's where the account was assigned to, 20 years ago. I asked if they could post it to the correspondence address or, failing that, the branch that's 5 mins away from said address and... silence. So I opened a business account with Monzo and keep a small float in there for the occasional debit card payment I need to make.

[malvolio]

Funny. Used HSBC for thirty years. Had one problem in 2005 (corrupted account password), fixed over the phone in 20 minutes, never had a glitch of any kind ever since. It just works...

For the financially sensitive among us, it costs £8 a month in bank charges now, or around £2k since I opened the account.

AH. Not long after posting his, I got a letter from HSBC saying the £8 a month is being dropped so no further routine charges...