have been a customer of the Halifax Bank for over 30 years now. When they first introduced on line banking I immediately signed up to this and what a boon it has been! Signing up is an easy process and you are required to choose a user name and password and to provide answers to several security questions.
Once you have received your logging in details from the Halifax signing in is simple. You just have to log in with your user name, password and the answer to a security question. On gaining access to your acount your account information will be displayed.
It is possible to have most of your accounts included in the online service including current accounts, mortgages, loans, credit cards etc
Once you have registered you are able to conduct most of your banking transactions online including setting up standing orders and direct debits, making bill payments, transferring between Halifax accounts, requesting overdrafts, changes to overdrafts etc.
It is also possible to open web saver accounts easily online. I have opened several for different reasons. One is for a holiiday fund, one is for short term savings and one for longer term savings.
The Halifax have a faster payments service now so it is possible to transfer money within the space of a couple of hours. You are also given the option to choose paperless bank statements and all your staements can be accessed online.
I know that many people have reservations about online banking and are reluctant and reticent to use online banking services because of security issues and fraud. However, the Halifax guarantee that customers who experience online fraud will be fully reimbursed.
To be honest, I would be totally lost if I were unable to access my accounts. I live a few miles from the bank and it is a pain getting there and standing in the queues. I visit the site virtually every day. It is also really useful when you are away on holiday abroad and need to make payments at home etc.
The only thing I can't do is pay cheques / cash into the account! Now that would be good if I could do that online!
Advantages: Plenty of articles, has some messageboards, excellant quotes facilities Disadvantages: They've just ditched their Shares portfolio service, which was light years better than any similar service on the 'net