Ciao - for people with opinions

Latest reviews Latest questions
Write a review Latest videos
Special offers
Home > Finance > Banking & Personal Finance > Accounts > Smile Accounts
No image available

User Reviews

for Smile Accounts

Rating Summary based on 19 reviews

  • 5 Stars
    		15
  • 4 Stars
    		1
  • 3 Stars
    		2
  • 2 Stars
    		0
  • 1 Star
    		1

Detailed rating

  • Competitiveness of charges/rates
  • Efficiency of service
  • Online - Content/organization of site
  • Online - Ease of applying for products
  • Online - Investment tracking
  		• 5.0
  		• 3.9
  		• 4.3
  		• 3.9
  		• 2.3

Review attribute filters

Previous page Next page Page 1 of 2 | 1 to 10 out of 19 Review(s)
  • 78 of 78 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of magdadh

    magdadh

    3 Stars SMILE CURRENT ACCOUNT: MAGDADH GOES ALL ETHICAL 18/01/2005
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Ethical bank, good interest rates, cheap overdraft, OK site, Post Office OTC service

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Extortionate admin and penalty charges, can't remove overdarft, seems slow

    I will be very non-PC in this review, I am warning you. Everybody is raving about Smile, aren't they? Especially the ethically minded, politically conscious folk.... Smile IS an Internet-branch of Co-Operative bank and thus is considered to be a much better thing in ethical stakes than the let's say the corporate horror that is Barclays. But it's not all that smiley and lovely down there in Smile-land. This review relates only to the CURRENT ACCOUNT provided by Smile. There is no special category for these and general reviews seem to concentrate on that aspect of banking service. I applied for ... more
  • 14 of 14 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of floater

    floater

    5 Stars You gotta smile smile smile smile 30/06/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Online management is far superior,better interest rate, overdraft

    Disadvantages Disadvantages charges for statements

    Having been a customer for a year now I have experience which I can share about thes E-bank. When I joined I was getting disgruntled with my highstreet bank so I decided to switch. I contacted Smile and the details arrived promptly. I received letters which I just had to sign and pop in pre-payed envelopes. The procedure was made very simple and the staff were very helpful. Within a couple weeks the transition was complete and I was about to find whether or not I really did have reason to smile. Further assurance was given to me by the fact it was backed by the Co-operative bank, this company ... more
  • 38 of 38 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Future77

    Level 4 Future77

    Member since 08/09/2002

    Reviews written: 41

    5 Stars Say Cheese 14/09/2002
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Excellent Service, Good rates of interest.

    Disadvantages Disadvantages None

    Having finished my opinion, I have realised that I have written a review for the section covering Smile as a whole. My experience only covers their current account. Sorry!! Until very recently I was a Barclays customer. Always had been and always would have been. Life was simple. My salary was paid into my account, my direct debits and bills were paid automatically and whatever was left was spent on going out. I've now reached an age where I should be a tad more responsible and so I looked into the wide range of internet banks available. I hoped that by being able to keep more of an eye on my ... more
  • 17 of 17 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Suse

    Suse

    5 Stars Smile if you want a great ISA 06/06/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Internet operated, good rates

    Disadvantages Disadvantages site can be slow to load

    I have had a Smile mini cash ISA for over a year now, and have been very impressed with the product and the service. Smile is the internet arm of the Co-operative bank, and the ISA accounts are operated on-line, although you can phone as well. You pay in money by direct debit from existing accounts, or you can pay in cheques by post or put money in at the post office. When I opened the ISA the interest rate was the highest around at 7.25%. Even now that savings rates have dropped in line with cuts in the Bank of England base rate, the Smile ISA is continuously top of the savings ratings given ... more
  • 11 of 11 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Lorriee

    Lorriee

    5 Stars No more wasted lunch hours 25/06/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Fast and Efficient

    Disadvantages Disadvantages None

    I have been using Smile for some months now and am happy with the service that it provides. You can save up to £3,000 a year - free of all UK income and capital gains tax. They offer the CAT standards, which means that you have easy access to your money and the interest rate you'll receive can't be lower than 2% below base rate. Last tax year I closed my ISA and moved to Smile. The reason I moved was the poor return Halifax was offering on my investment. In March this year just before the deadline I was reading a newspaper and they were comparing some of the Mini Cash ISAs that were around and ... more
  • 4 of 6 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of TheSmudger

    TheSmudger

    5 Stars Best ISA In Town 26/09/2000
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Best interest rate going

    Disadvantages Disadvantages You can only deposit £3000 per annum - ISA rules

    Without a doubt the best deal currently available for someone who wants instant access but a high interest rate on any sum up to £3000. The interest rate of 7.25% pa is pretty much as good as it gets - and is certainly the best for any sort of instant access account. The site (www.smile.co.uk) is easy to navigate and their administration has been first-rate (I've had my account for nearly six months). It's also good to know that you can pay in money via post offices as well as by posting in cheques. Highly recommended. ... more
  • 15 of 16 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Chryssy

    Chryssy

    5 Stars Smile Student Account-Superb 28/10/2003
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages efficient, easy to use and great service

    Disadvantages Disadvantages None

    I have been a student on and off for the past 7 years and have done some research into all the student accounts on offer. Many of my student friends have accounts with a number of high street banks and have had nothing but grief. It seems many banks are all to keen to sign you up with extra incentives but thats where it stops. As soon as you have a few money worries, the fees get whacked on and you are treated like a second class citizen. For the student, it seems internet banking is definitely the way forward.No hassle, quick decisions and far less embarassing!! SMILE Student Account-What ... more
  • 4 of 4 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Amy81

    Amy81

    5 Stars How I smile 11/03/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages easy to use, secure, great customer services

    Disadvantages Disadvantages not much human contact

    I had been looking for a cash mini ISA for sometime. I had trawled the newspaper's financial sections and many websites before I found smile. The two things that attracted me to smile was it's parent company (the Co-operative bank) and it's high rate of interest. At the time I applied, this was 7.25% - a highly competitive rate. Since then it has dropped, but the rate is still one of the best around. Their customer services team (reachable via their secure message service or telephone) are very quick to respond (within 12 hours often) and readily answer any queries you may have. You apply for ... more
  • 2 of 3 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of KingHerrod

    KingHerrod

    5 Stars Brilliant 12/07/2000
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Great Service, great products

    Disadvantages Disadvantages On the net, do you have confidence?

    I needed an ISA account, but wanted good interest, instant access and the ability to start small. Smile were the top rated so I choose them. The account was easy to set up, a simple internet form to fill in and the response from smile was quick. Once the account was running everything arrived promptly and in an orderly fashion and any questions were dealt with politely and effciently. Smile also offers the best interest rate for an instant access ISA account and the web site seems more secure than other on-line banks. Having been so impressed with the ISA account, I also now have a current ... more
  • 2 of 3 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Xena

    Xena

    5 Stars Best ISA rate 7.25% 12/07/2000
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Convenient, Reliable and High Interest Rate for ISA

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Detailed transaction not shown, interest added annually

    I was first lured to Smile by its high mini-cash ISA interest rate of 7.25%. It was the highest I could get, as building societies which offer rates higher than that inevitably need you to become their members first. So I gave Smile a try and liked what I experienced. Their service is quite good and I love online banking simply because it is so much more convenient being able to check your balance online any time you want it. Smile is a subsidiary of Co-Operative Bank, so this should give enough confidence to those who is new to Online Banking. My only complaints about the Mini-Cash ISA is ... more
Previous page Next page Page 1 of 2 | 1 to 10 out of 19 Review(s)