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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22 June 2022
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Free lateral flow tests in Wales extended until 31 July for people showing signs of Covid
24 June 2022![]()
Free lateral flow tests in Wales will continue to be available for people showing Covid symptoms up until 30 July. -
Private parking charges to be halved to £50 - here are all the details
24 June 2022![]()
Private car park operators in England, Scotland and Wales will no longer be able to set fines above £50 in the majority of circumstances, under new rules set out by the Government. -
You've got 100 days to use paper £20 and £50 notes before they become unusable - so check your pockets and down the back of sofas now
23 June 2022![]()
Time is running out to check down the back of your sofa for any soon-to-be-discontinued paper £20 and £50 notes. There are only 100 days left before they become invalid but the latest figures from the Bank of England show there are almost £15 billion-worth of notes still around. -
New Government-backed interest-free loan scheme to be rolled out across the UK from September – here’s how it works
23 June 2022![]()
Vulnerable people who have been rejected from borrowing will apply to apply for a one-off no interest loan scheme (NILs) from September. The scheme aims to reach 20,000 struggling to pay off debt, with them being able to borrow anything from £100 to £2,000 – here’s how it’ll work. -
Barclays to shut a further 15 bank branches this year - check if yours is closing and what your options are
23 June 2022![]()
Barclays has announced another round of bank branch closures, with 15 more outlets set to shut by the end of the year. The latest closures mean Barclays will close 55 branches by the end of the year. Below we list the branches disappearing and what the alternatives are if you still want face-to-face banking.
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Martin Lewis: The one thing everyone aged over 66 needs to know
17 June 2022![]()
It is a national tragedy that getting on for a million pensioners, many of whom have been paying into the system for years, are missing out on a critical boost to their income. It's called pension credit, and this year it also means you get an extra £650 to help with energy bills. -
Martin Lewis: What I asked the Chancellor to do when I spoke to him on Monday...
26 May 2022![]()
With the announcement of the Government's energy cost of living plans due out at lunchtime. I thought I'd speedily bash out a note down of what (from memory) I'd asked the Chancellor for when we spoke on Monday - and the other general suggestions I've been making. -
Martin Lewis: Got a cash ISA? You should probably ditch it
24 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: '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.
Clever ways to calculate your finances
