[maniaringsq]

I'm doing a project on e-banking for Uni. In my case it's e-Banking in regard to online banking services.

What I'd like to know is if you ever use it and if you think e-Banking is a must when you sign up for a bank account. Would you go for another bank if that particular one doesn't offer you to do transactions online?

Also do you stay loyal to your bank and if so, why? What would make you change banks?

thx for the help

[Skete]

I use eBanking everyday.

It is an absolute must have for me.

I am not loyal to any bank because no bank will ever be loyal to me.

If there is a lousy policy at my current bank, I would change banks.

[girlsround]

I use online banking only and its also a must for me. I wouldnt sign up with a bank that doesnt offer this service. But I dont know a single bank that doesnt.

I'm with Citibank and I would stay with there as long as I dont run into serious trouble with them. I'd never take a credit offer from Citigroup though, but as long as you actually have money on the bank they are great. My MasterCard credit card only costs 20€ per year and that includes "fee-less" money from any cash machine in the world. Nice.

[gydrorway]

Well I do use e-Banking. I wouldn't say it is a must when I setup a bank account but it was definitely a must that I am able to use e-Banking now as most of my money is in the UK but I'm not.

That said I probably would avoid a bank that didn't offer e-banking. I have an account with a fairly small bank which only has branches in this town yet they have e-banking. If they manage to offer the facility then any bank that can't I wouldn't really want to deal with.

[georgshult]

What!? There are still banks that don't offer full online services!? [help]

I only go to the bank when I have to, basically. All the usual banking is done online, be it simply transferring money or investing or using my credit card. It's definitely a must for any bank I would use.

As for bank loyalty... A lot of people just don't switch banks, because the basic services are homogenous. There's no reason to switch and if there's only a little reason (a tenth of a percentage here, little bit better online there...) it's often not worth the hassle of switching. I don't know if it's the same abroad, but in the Netherlands if you switch from one bank to another you can't bring over your current bank account numbers.

I probably change banks when there are significant changes in the services I require from banks. That'll be when I'll see if my current bank has what I need. I've only switched once in my life, from Rabobank to ABN AMRO. I needed some new services and at the time I was working at ABN AMRO, so that made things rather easy to do...

[Audi_z]

I just applied for ebanking and I switch if I get better interest or lower costs at another bank (did so with my online depot). Mind you that here the banks have really crappy conditions and cartell like structures.

[maniaringsq]

thx for the answers so far.[thumbup]

I think my project is rather hard, because the banking service is not something you switch overnight like few of you said (only if interest rates are poor compared to other banks over a longer period of time). Also to find out in what way the e-Banking services differ from each other from bank to bank is pretty hard to see, because if you want to check the services you have to sign up for an account (which is logical).. If the quality of the service really matters that much if the basic functions are there, I don't really know.

[raskrutkaseo]

I wouldn't normally switch banks, although I'm about to start working for RBS so I have to have an RBS/Natwest bank account because they won't pay me otherwise. Only time I've "switched" is when Midland changed to its parent company name HSBC.

[Gskdmidd]

I use it every now and then. While I think just about every bank in the UK has online banking, some of them are still Windows and IE only. So if I was with one of those banks, I would probably switch.

With the number of key loggers floating around, I can't say I would ever be happy accessing my account using a Windows PC.

[sterofthemasteool]

I almost never use it for the following reasons:

1. The password has to be at least ~10 characters with numbers, etc.
2. If you don't log in to your account online at least once a month, the account locks.
3. If the account locks, you have to call them.
4. If your account is unlocked, you cannot use a password that you have previously used, ever.
5. You try and log in with the wrong password 3 times, the account locks.
6. I've been locked out more then a handful of times.


My bank has the most ass implamentation of ebanking ever [thumbdown] Easier to skip a bunch of steps and just call them.

[Neitteloxesia]

I only go to the bank when I have to, basically. All the usual banking is done online, be it simply transferring money or investing or using my credit card. It's definitely a must for any bank I would use.

Same. I do most of my banking online. The only time I go to the bank is when I have a cheque or money to pay in or I need to get money out. And even then I usually just use the ATM. So I guess e-banking is a must for me.....although, as people have said, there aren't any banks that don't offer e-banking anyway.

I've been with my bank since I opened my first bank account. I've never had a problem with them so haven't seen the need to switch.

[myspacecoo]

I almost never use it for the following reasons:

1. The password has to be at least ~10 characters with numbers, etc.
2. If you don't log in to your account online at least once a month, the account locks.
3. If the account locks, you have to call them.
4. If your account is unlocked, you cannot use a password that you have previously used, ever.
5. You try and log in with the wrong password 3 times, the account locks.
6. I've been locked out more then a handful of times.


My bank has the most ass implamentation of ebanking ever [thumbdown] Easier to step a bunch of steps and just call them.

Your bank does sound truly sucky. [no]

I use online banking for everything, bills, transfer. etc. It's just so much easier to manage your money and get everything done at once.

[Dapnoinaacale]

E-Banking is the way banking is supposed to be done, it is incredibly easy, downright NECESSARY in todays fast moving world.

I cant imagine NOT having e-banking. I also heard around the bush(at my local chase bank branch,) that over the next 10 years checks will disapear, in favor of "electronic drafts" and good ole debit cards.

I say we kiss paper/metal money and paper checks goodbye.

[Audi_z]

I also heard around the bush(at my local chase bank branch,) that over the next 10 years checks will disapear, in favor of "electronic drafts" and good ole debit cards.

they are already gone in Europe, altough CC use is a lot less (more Debit cards and cash)

[myspacecoo]

I say we kiss paper/metal money and paper checks goodbye.

I like the idea that not every transaction in life is recorded. Untraceable currency FTW.

[Neitteloxesia]

they are already gone in Europe, altough CC use is a lot less (more Debit cards and cash)

Not in the UK they aren't, although more and more shops are stopping accepting cheques.