Nationwide Building Society

Advantages: Good selection of financial products
Disadvantages: If your requesting a transfer don't expect it to be easy

...As a loyal Portman Building Society Customer I was a little sceptical as to what to expect when they were bought out by Nationwide Building Society. Nationwide claim they are "Proud to be different", and they certainly are. Although they supply a large number of high interest savings accounts, fixed rate ISA's at a whopping 6.15 percent and great value deals on mortgages I noticed a couple of downfalls as well. With specialised savings accounts customers are normally issued a passbook to track their investment records. Nationwide's Passbook is dark blue in complexion with the Nationwide logo emblazoned on the front in gold. The pages inside in my opinion are not of very good quality especially compared to the offerings of the Yorkshire Building Society and Britannia. In a passbook I like to be able to clearly see my transactions...

K1r5ty21 28.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Nationwide Building Society

NATIONWIDE BUILDING SOCIETY

Advantages: Very friendly staff, always prepared to help
Disadvantages: Mistakes happen freqently.

...Sorry but I could not think of a witty title, so I left it very simple! I started banking with the Nationwide Building Society around 7 years ago, me and my now husband decided to open a joint account as we had been together a year by then and were ready to settle down. He already had a savings account with them so we decided it would be easier and then we could keep the savings account open as well. We had to make an appointment as we had to take in documents to prove our identity and a utility bill. Off we went on the day of the appointment fully armed with documents and ready to open our first joint account together, oh if only life could be simple! Now there are several different accounts you can open with the Nationwide Building Society. Flex Account being the main on although there are basic flex accounts of this if...

iloveshoping 29.06.2005 · Read review
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nationwide building society

Advantages: great rates and service
Disadvantages: queues

...Nationwide have been around for about 160 years and i have been with them for nearly 8 years. They offer great accounts such a flex account which i have and have never had any problems, you can use it abroad and have FREE cash machine withdrawals and have a cheque book, set up direct debiits and regular payments and pays a great interest rate upto 4% you can also use the card inside the branch over the counter and take £300 in cash from the machine and £500 from over the counter. they also offer great savings rates with instant access and great rates for long term savings. Whenever i go into the branch the staff are always helpful,chatty and smiley, they always explain something thorough if i dont understand and theres no catches in there accounts. I feel priviledge to be a nationwide member as they also have a talkback...

natalieg42x 02.03.2008 · Read review
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Our Experiences with Nationwide Building Society

Advantages: Wide range of accounts
Disadvantages: Not being able to transfer some money from one account to another on a certain day of the month

...My fiance and I have just become customers of Nationwide builing society and have already found them to be very unprofessional. My fiance wanted to transfer all money for bills in to another account on the 28th of every month, we were told when we went in it inquire about their current account that this was not a problem and that the fund could be transferred that day and for direct debits to go out the following day. This impressed us so we decided to open two accounts, a "main account" (which our salaries would be paid into) and a "bills account" which all direct debits would be taken from. The adviser took the details for our direct debits and said that he would get them set up the following day. We also registered for internet banking so we could monitor our 2 accounts from home. About a week later when the access number...

Toady 23.08.2001 (24.08.2001) · Read review
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Nationwide - your mutual friend

Advantages: Been around for years (not me - the bank)
Disadvantages: Some staff need better training and mortgages are hard to get if self employed

...on the benefits to their members in offering higher returns on your money that you invest. You have the opportunity to vote each year if you wish the society to remain mutual, I always vote yes. To carpet baggers everywhere, it means there are still free shares to be had if this building society ever goes PLC. I hope it doesn't. So before all you lot who think they are in for a free meal ticket, think again. Nationwide have made it so tight that anyone opening an account now have to waiver any chance they might have to get free shares and donate them to charity if Nationwide go PLC. So nah nah nah nah nah! Only Portman Building Society is the other remaining mutual and that has the same tie in clause. So why have I stuck with this NBS (as I will now abbreviate it to) for more years than I care to mention? Because I am used to it I suppose...

mrsmopples 02.09.2005 · Read review
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Not interested in the Nationwide Building Society

Advantages: over the counter transactions
Disadvantages: little reward, especially for long term savers

...I joined the Nationwide Building Society ( a mutual building society) in 1973, originally with the prospect of obtainging a mortgage when I got married. I am still a member today. The interest rate I recieve on my account is around 1% (before tax). I also have an account with Direct Line bank (a non - mutual) and obtain almost the same amount in interest from Direct Line for £6 in one account than I do for £100 in Nationwide. Although its not quite comparing like for like, (direct line takes three days to transfer money to my account, and Nationwide is over the counter, it still shows the different interest rate that can be obtained. As a member of Nationwide for almost 30 years I do not consider myself to be a "carpetbagger", but I think it's time for Nationwide to convert to a bank, allowing me to be given a reward for the years...

gander 18.02.2001 · Read review
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Nationwide -should remain on High Street

Advantages: Great High Street bank (building society), helpful friendly staff
Disadvantages: internet banking - a complete waste of time, very slow, no staff to run it

...Nationwide, one of the largest Building Society's left today, still operates very efficiently on the High Street. Whenever you have to pop into your local branch or any Nationwide the staff are generally very friendly and helpful - as they are in the few building societies left in the UK. You are not fobbed down by some young inexperienced new staff that has just been on some banking training scheme and does not have a clue about life. At nationwide the staff are experienced, mature and "real". Nationwide BS offers a range of traditional savings accounts eg Bonus Saver, Capital Builder etc, whereby you are saving regular amounts monthly or whenever you wish. Most of these accounts are opertaed via a Passbook,which you take with you each time you wish to add funds or withdraw money. But dawn of internet banking and all the banks...

Connoisseur_Haggler 06.10.2000 (01.02.2001) · Read review
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Nationwide: Flex Account

Advantages: Good rates and great for internet usage. Excellent card when abroad.
Disadvantages: Slow to respond to internal e-mails.

...I have been with nationwide for many years and they have certainly improved. They have a wide range of accounts but best of all must be their Flex account. Once opened, it can be assessed on-line and money transferred from account to account with relative speed and ease. One of its best assets is its debit card. If you travel abroad and need to draw out local currency, the card will let you but, you DONT incur any extra charges or fee's. You'll simply get charged the exchange rate for the amount. Well worth just for that reason alone. Their interest rates are reasonable and, with many branches around, its not hard to get access. Morgage rates are quite good with competitive trackers. The account comes with a cheque book but you dont have to use them. The branches also have cheque book sized ledges to keep track of your...

martinwi 07.02.2008 (18.02.2008) · Read review
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Review of Nationwide Building Society Accounts

Building Society Abandons a Member

Advantages: Good if you have never been in financial trouble
Disadvantages: Treat you differently when things go wrong

...count with them and they are more interested in what Equifax and Experian have on their files about us. We felt that we have been treated poorly and Nationwide do not listen to their customers at all. We have now transferred the majority of our finances to another bank that had no problem in accepting us and we just use our Nationwide account to pay bills by Direct Debit now. We will eventually cease to use this account altogether in the near future. I think it is a shame that Nationwide do not care that they have lost a valuable customer given that thare is now more competition than ever before in the banking world to gain customers. If were recommending a bank or building society to anybody, Nationwide would be on the bottom of my list....

DavidWilcox 07.09.2002 · Read review
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Nationwide flex account

Advantages: Great for foreign travel
Disadvantages: none

...The Nationwide Flex account is a great account to have if you do a lot of travelling abroad. I opened a Nationwide Flex account with one main thing in mind - ie to get a good exchange rate abroad without incuring any fees for withdrawing cash. The Nationwide Flex account debit card is the only debit card that you can use abroad to withdraw cash from ATM's and to pay for goods without paying a 'charge' for it.. (although it does state that some ATM's make a charge which is outside their control, I have never had any charges incurred.) I have used my card now three times whilst travelling abroad. The exchange rate I have been given has always been excellent - much higher than local currency exchangers, banks and other UK banks. Some banks charge up to 2.75% for buying goods or services and withdrawing cash abroad. Before going...

Krazikas 15.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of Nationwide Building Society Accounts