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Monzo and Starling Bank top current account satisfaction poll

Emma Lunn
Written By:
Emma Lunn
Posted:
Updated:
17/08/2020

Thousands of current account customers were polled to reveal which banks topped the service charts and how likely they would be to recommend the products to their family and friends.

The bi-annual personal banking service quality poll by Ipsos Mori on behalf of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is an important marker for both customers and providers as firms are required to display the results in branch and online.

This time round, 19,141 people were polled, representing about 1,000 customers of each of the 19 participating banks.

Monzo, Starling, and Virgin Money were included in the poll for the first time.

Overall service quality

When asked how likely customers would be to recommend their personal current account provider to family and friends, 86% of Monzo users and 84% of Starling Bank customers said they would.

This was closely followed by First Direct (83%) and Metro Bank (81%). Tesco Bank trailed with a score of just 44%.

Online and mobile banking

Monzo and Starling Bank also came out on top when it came to online and mobile banking services.

Nine out of 10 (89%) Monzo users and 85% of Starling Bank customers were happy to recommend the providers to others. Metro Bank was in third place with 85% and First Direct fourth place with 83%

Tesco Bank came bottom with a score of 59%.

Overdrafts

When it came to overdraft services, Starling Bank came top with 74%, followed by First Direct at 73% and Metro Bank with 71%.

Royal Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank languished at the bottom with scores of 51% and 50% respectively.

Many banking customers will see their overdraft rates rise soon as new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules kick in. The rate hikes were temporarily frozen due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Branch services

Customers were also asked how likely they would be to recommend their provider’s branch service to others. Metro Bank scooped the top spot with 84%, followed by Nationwide with 77%, and Virgin Money with 74%.

Royal Bank of Scotland had the lowest score with 50%.

Monzo, Starling Bank, First Direct and Tesco weren’t included as they don’t operate branch networks.

“An invaluable resource”

Adam Land, senior director at the CMA, said: “These league tables are an invaluable resource for customers to find the best service on offer to suit their needs. By being able to access data on the best and worst performing banks and building societies, people can easily compare providers, driving more competition to improve the overall quality of service.

“These results only cover the initial impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. Future surveys will better highlight how customer satisfaction has been influenced by the pandemic.”

Gareth Shaw, head of money at Which?, said: “Some challenger banks are doing an impressive job at keeping their customers happy, and their scores should serve as a wake-up call to the big household names that better customer service is needed to keep up with the competition.

“With huge pressure placed on people’s personal finances as a result of coronavirus, it’s more important than ever that banks are providing the access and support that their customers require. Anyone who is unhappy with the level of service from their bank should consider switching to a new provider.”