The benefits of switching bank accounts

Many British people say they’re unhappy with their banks or building societies, yet in spite of this we still have a very strong tendency to stick with what we know.

A huge proportion of Brits keep the same current account for decades, even when the terms and conditions are unfavourable, interest rates are low, there’s no nearby branch, or the level of customer service is extremely poor.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

Part of this reluctance relates to the perceived hassle of changing to another provider, and a worry that important bills will go unpaid or that there will be a delay in wages being paid in. There’s also the impression that many forms need to be filled in, and lots of arrangements need to be altered.

In the past, this might have been the case for some unlucky consumers, but new rules and banking practices were put in place in 2013 and added to in late 2014. Financial institutions providing the Current Account Switch Service have signed up to give a fuss-free service that’s more convenient for the customer.

With this service, the new bank provides a single point of contact, and guarantees to transfer over any outgoing payments, as well as rearranging any incoming payments, such as salary.

This newer service takes seven working days, backed by the Current Account Switch Guarantee, and you can choose the date for this process to start. Previously it could take up to 30 working days, and the customer was responsible for making the arrangements, so this is a significant improvement.

The service also redirects incoming and outgoing payments from the old account to the new account for 36 months, just in case anything unexpected turns up.

This makes is far easier to move to a bank or building society that offers higher interest, more convenient banking, better perks, and / or better customer service.

Thirty-six UK banks have signed up to the Current Account Switch Service so far, including the TSB for its current accounts. These include some of the most popular and high interest paying options on the high street, so you might like to have a look at their features and benefits if you’re shopping around for a new account.

Full disclosure: I’ve accepted gift vouchers from TSB, so to all intents and purposes this counts as advertorial text. All words and opinions in this article are my own, and there has been no editorial interference. I genuinely think that TSB has some attractive offers at the moment.