Consumer Advice

Switch like there's no tomorrow

Submitted by Matt on

It won't be news to any of us that you can switch your current account to another provider if you can get a better deal elsewhere.  A switching service, of sorts, has been around for ages, but the service has never been seamless or without its foibles.  In the past, internet forums were frequently filled with discussions where payments had been taken from the wrong account, old accounts hadn't been closed, and account holders forgot to tell those paying in the details of their new bank.

Now in its third week, the new 'full switch' aims to bring the mayhem of switiching your current account to an end.  Simply put, you go and open a new account with Bank B, and they arrange with Bank A to move your Direct Debits, Standing Orders and Bill Payments over to the new account within 7 working days.  Further, payments in and out of your account that mistakenly get sent to your old bank will be redirected for a period of thirteen months.  Your old account will be closed at the end of the switch.  

People that have moved house and used the Royal Mail Redirection service will asking why a redirection service took so long, but BACS and the Payments Council will undoubtedly cite computer issues as the reason.

I recently decided to give the 7 day switching service a whirl and see whether the service was as seamless as advertised.