Well having banked with one of the major banks for a very long time I decided to look around to see if there was any other banking facilities where I would be better off.
I had seen the Alliance and Leicester Premier Account and thought that it looked very competitive and that could be worth making the switch. How WRONG was I !!
I applied over the telephone and was told that everything was ok and ready to roll. Just one stipulation was that in order to match my current over draft facility (£2000) I would need to send a copy of ONE of my current bank statements. No problem I though as my overdraft facility was balanced at zero anyway. The account was processed within minutes. I chose not to take the credit card that comes with the account as I didn't want one.
Once all the information had come through (on a Saturday) I ...
So far - so good!
Alliance & Leicester Premier Current Account
I decided that it was about time I looked around to see if I could get a better deal from my bank, having spent 20+ years with the same major player, more out of apathy than loyalty.
I did a bit of research and found that I could open the Alliance and Leicester Premier Current Account on-line and if I used their Premier Switching service to move my direct debits and standing orders, they would match my overdraft limit with my current bank, subject to certain conditions, give me a minimum overdraft of £250 and not charge me any fees for going over my overdraft limit during the switching period.
Additional benefits are £100 for opening my account, FREE European annual multi-trip travel insurance(for eligible account holders up to the age of 65) and a linked Plus ...
Advantages: lower monthly repayments and flexibility Disadvantages: interest paid off first
A couple of years ago when changing my car I took out a loan from Alliance & Leicester. It was at a competetive apr and was with a deferred amount of £1500 to be repaid at the end of the term. This brought down the monthly repayments to a more affordable level while still enjoying the greater buying power of an extra £1500. Obviously you`re paying interest on that money but not paying it back within your monthly repayments. The idea is that at the end of the loan term you sell your car to pay the deferred amount back and then take another loan out doing the same thing again. It`s not a bad idea because most people would look to upgrade after three or four years anyway so you can drive around in a better car for that time. Alternatively you could pay back the deferred amount with some other means and keep the car or carry on with the same ...
