The Lemon Fool

Dear Fools,

Can anybody recommend an online instant access savings account which provides a cashcard that can be used in ATMs please?

I'm not bothered about the interest rate as I want to use it basically as an emergency account to access cash in case my usual bank card is lost or stolen.

I have used the Nationwide for that purpose for many years but have become so frustrated by its administrative incompetence that I can stand it no more and need to move.

Any ideas gratefully received.

Gostevie

How about either:

Yorkshire BS Internet Saver
or
Starling Bank current account?

Both pay 0.5% interest on the sort of balance you might want access to in an emergency.

For the Starling account, you don't need a credit check unless you are applying for an overdraft, so it's eminently suitable for use as a secondary/emergency current account. The ATM card is also a MasterCard debit card, which may also be useful. Possibly the only downside is that Starling is only app-based, they don't have a standard web banking website.

In fact, if interest is really not important, you could open an additional current account with any bank (as long as there are no minimum monthly deposit restrictions for the account). You can have as many current accounts as banks are happy and willing to open for you, there is no need to have only one and to formally "switch" your existing account.

dave559 wrote:How about either:

Yorkshire BS Internet Saver
or
Starling Bank current account?

Both pay 0.5% interest on the sort of balance you might want access to in an emergency.

I have both of those. Yorkshire left over from when it (or rather what was then Barnsley BS) offered a best-buy rate, Starling recently for the debit card (a best-buy for travel), and as an excuse to close a Santander 123 account.

Yorkshire has been a good account, offering a user-friendly experience including things like better ability to transfer funds (bill payments and the like) than many current accounts. But no cash card - maybe you can request one? Starling is too new (to me) to review, but looks good so far - apart from being tied to the phone.