Packaged account

Nationwide has raised the fee on its popular FlexPlus packaged bank account from £13 to £18 a month – a £60 a year increase. So now's a good time to check if you're still getting value from the perks or whether you should ditch and switch.

Nationwide has decided to axe its free European travel insurance offer for all existing FlexAccount  customers who still have it from 31 December. This follows its earlier decision to stop offering the perk to new FlexAccount customers back in December 2016.

Lloyds Gold, Platinum and Premier packaged bank account holders who use the services for free will have to pay between £15 and £28 to keep their accounts from October. For some, this fee will be taken automatically, so you need to act before 1 September if you don't want to pay. 

Nationwide has started telling customers about changes it's making to its FlexPlus packaged bank account in November, which include slashing in-credit interest and raising overdraft fees for many. We've full details of the changes below, plus our analysis of whether the account will still be worth it.

Halifax is to change the fees it charges on its Ultimate Reward packaged bank account from November, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal. If you spend a lot on your debit card or have a high account balance you could pay less, but many who don't meet the criteria will pay more – we've full info and analysis.

App-only bank Monzo has launched a premium service, with the option to pay more for features such as travel insurance and extra fee-free cash withdrawals while abroad – but is it any good?

Nationwide is to lower the maximum age covered by its packaged bank account travel insurance from 75 to 70, while raising the surcharge paid by older customers from £50 to £65. 

Nationwide is overhauling its FlexPlus account, increasing the £10/month fee to £13/month and improving the insurance it offers but scrapping some perks, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal.

NatWest is scrapping the benefits it offers to 30,000 customers with its Black credit card at the end of the year, meaning some account holders will have to take out alternative travel insurance for trips booked for 2017.

Eligibility checks for travel insurance sold as part of packaged bank accounts have improved after the introduction of stricter regulations, according to the financial watchdog, but more must be done to improve checks for other forms of insurance.