First Direct
Thousands of First Direct customers have bogus 'Nando's' payments taken from their account – here's what to do if you’re affected
Thousands of First Direct customers have had mysterious Nando’s payments taken from their accounts. Fraudsters have been taking authorised payments of around £60 from people.
22 February 2022
HSBC, First Direct, M&S or John Lewis bank customer? They're making MORE payments to those in arrears in the past – some worth £1,000s
HSBC, First Direct, M&S Bank and John Lewis Finance are making a second set of payments to customers who were in arrears between 2010 and May 2019
18 May 2021
M&S Bank customer? You can now bag £100+ switch bonuses from HSBC & First Direct no matter how long you’ve held your account
All M&S Bank customers can now switch to HSBC and First Direct regardless of how long they've been with M&S. M&S, which is closing all of its current accounts this summer, had previously said customers wouldn't be able to switch to its sister banks if they'd joined the group since 1 January 2018. But it's now U-turned on this decision.
26 March 2021
HSBC and First Direct cut regular savings rates to 1%
HSBC and First Direct have cut the interest paid on their regular savings accounts from 2.75% to 1% for new customers
24 November 2020
Bank with M&S, HSBC or First Direct? Urgently open its regular saver
M&S Bank is closing its 2.75% AER regular saver account to new customers next week
13 November 2020
App-based banks lead our customer service poll – see how your bank did
Challenger bank Monzo has taken the crown in our latest banking customer service poll – knocking First Direct off the top spot for only the second time ever
3 March 2020
First Direct tops latest official banking league table
First Direct has pipped Metro Bank to the post to top the latest official banking service league table, while RBS took the wooden spoon for the fourth time
17 February 2020
First Direct and M&S Bank follow HSBC in hiking overdraft fees from March
First Direct and M&S Bank customers have been told their arranged overdraft interest rates will be more than doubled to 39.9% from next year
5 December 2019
Your bank could be about to tell you that you've less cash available – here's what you need to know
Three banks have changed the way they show customers' 'available balances' this week, and at least seven more will by mid-December, as the financial regulator brings in new rules on how overdrafts are displayed to customers. But some HSBC and First Direct customers have been left confused by the new changes and worried they've lost cash - so here's a rundown of what's changing and what to look out for
29 November 2019
First Direct to scrap £10/month current account fee
First Direct is getting rid of the £10/mth fee on its popular 1st Account current account next month
16 August 2019
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18 May 2022
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Martin: 'Aged around 45 to 70?'
'You may be able to turn £800 into £5,500+'
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New. Top way to spend abroad
Unbeatable exchange rates and cashback
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10% off discount 'best-before' store
Eg, 23p Pepsi , £4,50 for 1kg Lindt
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Cheaper energy deals kiboshed
Martin not exactly impressed
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Lloyds' free £125 bank bribe
But others pay more
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Debt cost-cutting masterclass
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Lloyds Banking Group to shut another 20 Lloyds branches and eight Halifax outlets - here's what's happening
18 May 2022![]()
Lloyds Banking Group has announced a further round of branch closures, with 28 more outlets being shut across the UK between August and November this year. The closures are made up of 20 Lloyds Bank branches and eight Halifax outlets. -
Hit by passport application delays? Your travel and compensation rights explained
17 May 2022![]()
With record numbers lodging passport applications after putting off renewals during the pandemic, delays at the Passport Office are threatening to derail holidays for many. We round up your travel and compensation rights. -
Households should ignore scam emails WRONGLY telling them to claim council tax rebates from energy regulator Ofgem
17 May 2022![]()
Beware scam emails wrongly telling you to click a link to sign up for both a council tax rebate and an energy bill discount. It comes as MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) has received several reports from individuals who've received these emails. Here's what you need to watch out for. -
NHS prescription costs frozen in England for the first time in 12 years – here are all the details and how to save on your medicine bills
17 May 2022![]()
NHS prescription costs will remain frozen at £9.35 an item for the next 12 months. This is welcome news for many but remember to check if you qualify for free prescriptions or if you can save money with a prescription 'season ticket'. See below for more details. -
Coronavirus travel rights
17 May 2022![]()
We've the latest on the testing and self-isolation rules for travellers visiting popular destinations abroad, plus full refund and insurance rights for overseas and UK travel.
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Martin Lewis: 'UO is just as important as UX: A tip for anyone developing their website or app'
6 May 2022![]()
I set up MoneySavingExpert.com nearly 20 years ago – when arguably the modern web was still in its infancy. With an abundance of self-belief (something I had too much of then, as I realise now) I decided not to read any books, or follow prevailing wisdom on how a site should operate – and just do it my way. -
Martin Lewis: Got a cash ISA? You should probably ditch it
3 May 2022![]()
Press the rewind button and go way back to April 2015... Possibly on the telly in the corner of your living room, I was on-air at the time urging savers as usual to use their new tax-free cash ISA allowance – because 'money was nicer in an ISA'. But things changed in 2016. -
Martin Lewis: Money and Mental Health charity 2021/22 – Covid & cost of living hell...
26 April 2022![]()
It's hard to believe the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) charity is now six years old. As the chair of trustees, each year I write the foreword to its annual report – and today the 2021/22 report is out, so I thought I'd blog my formal chair's foreword here. -
Martin Lewis: What happened to my pledge to give £10m to charity – 2022 update (spoiler: it's now £20m)
11 April 2022![]()
Nearly a decade ago, in June 2012, MSE joined the MSM Group and I pledged £10m to go to charity. As that was a public pledge and I feel I've a duty of transparency, every year or two I bash out a blog report to explain where I'm up to, and who's got what money.
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